Lakshmana Sena (reign: 1178–1206), also called Lakshman Sen in modern indian languages, was the ruler from the

Sena dynasty The Sena dynasty was a Hindu dynasty during the early medieval period on the Indian subcontinent, that ruled from Bengal through the 11th and 12th centuries. The empire at its peak covered much of the north-eastern region of the Indian subcont ...

of the

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

region on the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

. His rule lasted for 28 years; and extended to much of the eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent, notably Bengal and

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

regions. His reign ended with the invasion of

Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji Ikhtiyār al-Dīn Muḥammad Bakhtiyār Khaljī, (Pashto :اختيار الدين محمد بختيار غلزۍ, fa, اختیارالدین محمد بختیار خلجی, bn, ইখতিয়ারউদ্দীন মুহম্মদ � ...

Reign

Lakshmana Sena succeeded his brother Ballala Sena. The history of his reign can be reconstructed from the epigraphs of his time that include the

Deopara Prashasti The Deopara Prashasti is a stone inscription ('' prashasti'') eulogizing the Sena kings of Bengal. It was composed by Umapati Dhara, a minister in the court of Lakshmana Sena (c. 1178–1206), who was also one of several court poets. The inscription ...

stone inscriptions and copper plates from his successors. '' Tabaqt-i-Nasiri'', composed by 1260, is another source of information about his reign. In his youth, Lakshmana Sen led military campaigns against Gauḍa, Kamarupa,

Kalinga Kalinga may refer to: Geography, linguistics and/or ethnology * Kalinga (historical region), a historical region of India ** Kalinga (Mahabharata), an apocryphal kingdom mentioned in classical Indian literature ** Kalinga script, an ancient writ ...

and

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

(under the rule of

Gahadavala The Gahadavala dynasty (IAST: Gāhaḍavālas), also Gahadavalas of Kanauj, was a Rajput dynasty that ruled parts of the present-day Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, during 11th and 12th centuries. Their capital was located at Varana ...

King

Jayachandra Jaya-chandra (IAST: Jayacandra, r. c. 1170–1194 CE) was a king from the Gahadavala dynasty of northern India. He is also known as Jayachchandra (IAST: Jayaccandra) in inscriptions, and Jaichand in vernacular legends. He ruled the Antarvedi c ...

), and helped his grandfather

Vijaya Sena Vijaya Sena (Bengali: বিজয় সেন), also known as Vijay Sen in vernacular literature, was the son of Hemanta Sena, and succeeded him as a Sena dynasty ruler of Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. This dynasty ruled for more ...

and father Ballala Sena to expand the borders of the Sena kingdom. However, he ascended to the throne of Bengal himself at an advanced age. Lakshmana Sen was interested in literature and composed a number of

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

poems. He completed ''Adbhuta Sagara'', a book incompletely written by his father. He assembled some of the major figures in contemporary Sanskrit literature--

Jayadeva Jayadeva (; born ), also spelt Jaideva, was a Sanskrit poet during the 12th century. He is most known for his epic poem '' Gita Govinda'' which concentrates on Krishna's love with the '' gopi'', Radha, in a rite of spring. This poem, which pres ...

Dhoyin Dhoyin or Dhoyī was a 12th century Sanskrit-language poet who composed the '' Pavanadūta''. He was a court poet of the Sena king Lakshmana Sena, who ruled Gauda in what is now Bengal. Personal life Dhoyi was born in a Tantuvaya (weaver) caste ...

and Sharan-- as his court poets. Among his other

courtiers A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official ...

, Sridharadasa, Halayudh Mishra and

Umapati Dhar The Deopara Prashasti is a stone inscription (''prashasti'') eulogizing the Sena kings of Bengal. It was composed by Umapati Dhara, a minister in the court of Lakshmana Sena (c. 1178–1206), who was also one of several court poets. The inscription ...

also produced important treatises and works of literature. Lakshman Sena established a calendar era called

Lakshmana Era The Lakshmana Era (or the Lakshmana Sena Era) is year-numbering system that was established by Lakshmana Sena, a ruler of eastern India from 1178 to 1206. While there is some debate among historians about the start of the era, most currently agree ...

that was used in Bengal and Bihar for at least 400 years. He also founded the prominent medieval city of Lakhnauti. He was a devoted

Vaishnav Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

and took up titles like ''Paramavaisnava'' or ''Paramanarasingha'' to reflect that. After the Khalji invasion in 1203, Lakshmana Sen retreated to

Bikrampur Bikrampur ("City of Courage") was a pargana situated south of Dhaka, the modern capital city of Bangladesh. In the present day, it is known as Munshiganj District of Bangladesh. It is a historic region in Bengal and was a part of the Bhawal ...

in east Bengal and continued his reign over the territory under Sena control till his death in 1206.

References

Rulers of Bengal 1206 deaths Sena dynasty {{India-hist-stub

Reign

See also

References