5 D. The Sena kingdoms of the east

The Sen dynasty (claiming descent from the Senas of Bengal/Mithila) ruled the east in three great houses:1. Makwanpur (with the Hetauda-Chisapani corridor) — controlling the trunk trade routebetween the hills and the Mughal/tarai markets (and the later Gorkha-British flashpoint);2. Chaudandi (the Saptakoshi west bank) and Vijayapur (Morang, the Koshi east) — overlordships over Kirat (Limbu-Rai) country, where land was held communally (kipat) under local chiefs in treaty-relationship with the Sens. Character: the Sens' loose overlordship vs the Limbu chiefs' autonomy — a federal bargain that the Gorkhalis would later have to renegotiate (Unit 5).The map in one sentence:two dozen western states, three Valley kingdoms, three Senoverlordships in the east, and the Khasa legacy everywhere — Nepal before Nepal.