Lakshman Sen

Lakshman Sen (c 1178-1206 AD) (Bangla: লক্ষ্মণ সেন) was the third king of the Sen dynasty, who ruled for about 28 years. Lakshman Sen succeeded his father Ballal Sen. The history of his reign can be reconstructed from the epigraphs of his time so far discovered.

It is evident from the records of his reign that before he came to power he defeated the king of Gauda and Varanasi (Kashi) and made expeditions against Kamrupa and Kalinga. It is quite probable that the above victories were achieved by Lakshman Sen in his youth and possibly during the reign of his grand father, Vijay Sen, who was engaged in warfare against the kings of Gauda, Kalinga, Kamrupa and also most probably against the King of Kasi of the Gahadavala dynasty. It appears from the epigraphs of Lakshman Sen that he was the first king among the Sens to assume the title of Gaudeshvar. This title is, however, absent in the plates of both Vijay Sen and Ballal Sen. From this fact, it has been argued that it was Lakshman Sen who finally subdued Gauda and assumed for himself the title of Gaudeshvar. But this argument is very weak because there can hardly be any doubt regarding the establishment of the Sen rule over the whole of Bengal during the reign of Vijay Sen. The Sen records do not refer to any incident in the intervening period that necessitated the reconquest of Gauda by Lakshman Sen. Moreover the occupation of northern Bengal by the Sens during the reigns of Vijay Sen and Ballal Sen has been proved beyond any doubt.

It is recorded in the copper plates of his sons that Lakshman Sen built monuments indicating his victory in Puri, Benaras and Allahabad. However it is very difficult to conclude from the high sounding praise in the records of the sons of Lakshman Sen that his monuments refer to the expansion of the Sen power over those areas during his reign. His court poets Umapatidhar and Sharan described the expeditions of an anonymous king who conquered Pragjyotisa, Gauda, Kalinga, Kashi and Magadha and Cedi and Mlechchharaja. Probably this eulogy can be attributed to Lakshman Sen, for all these except Cedi and Mlechchhas. It is evident from Akaltara inscription that Ballabharaj, a feudatory of the Kalchuri (Cedi) king of Ratnapur defeated the king of Gauda. On the other hand, Lakshman Sen claimed victory over him. Although the conflict between the two is more or less certain, the result is not.

There is no doubt that Lakshman Sen came to the throne at a fairly old age. His reign was famous for remarkable literary activity. He himself wrote many Sanskrit poems, some of which are preserved in the anthology Saduktikarnamrit, and completed the Adbhutsagar, which was started by his father. His court was an assembly of several renowned poets like Jai Dev (the author of the Gitagovinda), Sharan and Dhoyi (the composer of the Pavandut and probably also Govardhan). His friend Shridhar Das, son of Vatu Das compiled the Saduktikarnamrit, an anthology of Sanskrit verses, during his reign. His chief minister and chief judge was Halayudh Mishra, who wrote the Brahmansarvasva. Umapatidhar, the author of the Deopara Prashasti is referred to have been a minister and one of the several court poets of Lakshman Sen.

It is known that Lakshman Sen was a staunch Vaisnava, while his father and grandfather are known to have been devout Shaiva. He took the title of Param vaisnava or Param Narasingha. Nothing definite is known regarding his change of faith. Lakshman Sen was famous for his exceptional qualities and proverbial generosity. Indeed his generosity even attracted the attention of Minhaj-us-Siraj, the author of the Tabaqat-i-Nasiri, who designated him as a 'Great Rae' of Bengal and compared him with Sultan Qutbuddin. Lakshman Sen, however, became too weak to run the administration of his kingdom towards the close of his reign. During this time there were signs of disruption and disintegration within his kingdom. Contemporary epigraphic records refer to the emergence of a number of independent chiefs in different parts of the Sen kingdom, which paved the way for its decline.

However, the final blow to the Sen kingdom came from Ikhtiar Uddin Muhammad bin Bakhtyar Khalji, the Turkish invader. Indeed when the whole of northern India gradually came under the sway of the Muslims it was quite natural that they would try their arms eastward.

Bakhtyar Khalji first stormed Bihar and then invaded Nadia (in 1205 AD) and compelled Laksman Sen to flee to eastern Bengal. The Turkish invader gradually captured western and northern Bengal and laid the foundation of Muslim rule in Bengal. At that time Lakshman Sen was an octogenarian. Hence it is likely that the old king could hardly offer any serious resistance to the invasion. Bakhtyar marched against Bengal with a band of well-trained horsemen. He was at first treated in Nadia as a horse-dealer. The old Sena king, who was then at his dinner, was completely taken by surprise. When Bakhtiyar captured Nadia, Lakshman Sen withdrew to southeastern Bengal, where his sons continued the rule of the Sens for some time. His presence in southeastern Bengal is proved by his Bhowal plate, issued in his 27th year to grant land in an area not far away from Dhaka. He died some time in 1206 AD.

At Lakshman Sen's accession the Sens had the paramountcy over the whole of Bengal, and their greatness found expression in the numerous literary works that were produced during his reign. And towards the end of his reign the Sen power declined and the rule of his successors was limited to parts of southeastern Bengal, where emerged other local rulers.

External links

* [http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/L_0022.htm Article on Lakshman Sen] , in Banglapedia