Political History of Northern India

Author(s): Gulabchandra Chaudhary
Publisher: Sohanlal Jain Dharm Pracharak Samiti Amrutsar

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POLITICAL HISTORY OF N. INDIA FROM JAIN SOURCES
dhara lived during the reign of Vijayasena of the Sena dynasty.
If any reliance can be placed on the tradition recorded by Merutunga in his Prabandha cintamani, then he lived in the successive reigns of Vijayasena, his son and his grand-son.
Another Jain Work Prabandha-kośa composed by Rājasekharasūri records the story of king Lakşmanasena and his minister Kumāradeva. It states:
"In the east there was a city called Laksnävati. There lived a mighty and righteous king Lakşmanasena. He had a minister named Kumāradeva, man of wisdom, valour and devotion, and as dear as his (king's) life. He had an extensive kingdom and a huge army. He had his contemporary adversary in the person of king Jayantacandra, king of Vārāṇasi, who had a minister named Vidyādhara, ranking first among the noble-minded, the givers of food and the speakers of truth.2 Once the king Jayantacandra solemnly declared to attack and seize the capital of Lakṣmaṇasena, otherwise he would remain in the fort as long as the capital was not captured and would realize a compensation of a hundred thousand gold pieces. Accordingly he attacked and besieged the capital of Laksmanasena and the siege continued for eighteen days, which resulted in a lot of trouble to the ruler and his subjects. But through the intelligence and skill of the minister Kumāradeva that adversity was warded off without payment of compensation and thus the king and his subjects were saved."'3
The Purātana Prabandha sangraha in its Jayacandra prabandha records the same story but in an abridged form."
As to who Kumāradeva was, we do not know from any other source. The History of Bengal refers to one Kumāracandra who was an avadhuta of Vikramapuri Vihāra of Bengal in Eastern Magadha and was responsible for three Tántric Panjikās (commentaries) preserved in Tibetan. One more reference to a Kumāravajra occurs in that book. But we cannot, in the present state of our knowledge, hazard any identification.
All these references regarding Laksmanasena, show that he was a powerful contemporary of Jayacandra whose reign is assigned from 1170
1 History of Bengal (Ed. R. C. Majumdar), p. 65; See also Prabandha cintāmani (Tr. by Tawney), Preface, XVIII.
2 महेच्छानां अन्नदातृणां सत्यवादिनां च प्रथमः। 3 SJGM., VI, pp. 88-90: JETTET H or: raad 7 T7: 1 4 SJGM., II, p. 88.