Lokkhon Sen or Lakshmana Sena () was the ruler from the Sen dynasty of the Bengal region on the Indian subcontinent. His rule lasted for 28 years, in which his empire reached at its peak possessing the territories of Bengal, Assam, Kalinga, Magadha and Varanasi.
Accession
Lakshmana Sena succeeded his father
Ballala Sena.
The history of his reign can be reconstructed from the
Epigraphy of his time that include the Deopara Prashasti stone inscriptions and copper plates from his successors.
Tabaqat-i Nasiri, composed by 1260, is another source of information about his reign.
Military campaigns
In his youth, Lakshmana Sena led military campaigns against Gauḍa,
Kamarupa, Kalinga and
Varanasi (under the rule of
Gahadavala King
Jayachandra), and helped his grandfather
Vijaya Sena 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.
Art and other contributions
Lakshmana Sena was interested in literature and composed a number of
Sanskrit poems. He completed
Adbhuta Sagara, a book incompletely written by his father. He assembled some of the major figures in contemporary Sanskrit literature —
Jayadeva,
Dhoyin and Sharan — as his court poets. Among his other
, Sridharadasa, Halayudh Mishra and
Umapati Dhara also produced important treatises and works of literature.
Lakshman Sena established a calendar era called
Lakshmana Era that was used in Bengal and Bihar for at least 400 years.
He also founded the prominent medieval city of Lakhnauti.
Religion
He was a devoted
Vaishnavism Hindu and took up titles like
Paramavaisnava or
Paramanarasingha to reflect that.
Lakshmansena's faith and generosity even attracted the attention of Minhaj-i-Siraj, who designated him as a 'great Rai' of Bengal and compared him with Sultan Qutubuddin Aibak.
Ghurid invasion
After subjugating
Bihar in 1200,
Turko-Afghan invader Bakhtiyar Khaliji's forces entered
Nabadwip in
Bengal. Subsequently, Bakhtiyar went on to capture the capital and the principal city, Lakhnauti.
Bakhtiyar marched against Bengal with a band of well-trained horsemen.
See also
