26 N. N. Vasu—Chronology of the Séna Kings of Bengal. [No. 1, 
year of Ballala-séna’s coronation. Now it may be contended that Laks- 
mana-séna was installed as Prince-elect and for that reason the era 
commenced from that time. But even this cannot be taken as correct. 
Hindu kings, generally speaking, nominate their sons as Prince elect at 
the close of their career, and numerous instances in support of this 
statement can be cited from works of antiquity. 
Keeping this in view, it must be accepted that Ballala-séna was 
50 or 60 years old when he began to reign in the year 1119 A.D., and 
in that case, at the time he wrote his Dana-sigara, he was 100 or 110 
years old. But we have not heard of any king of Bengal having lived 
to such an old age. It is therefore evident that at the time of Ballala- 
séna’s coronation, Laksmana-séna was not nominated as Prince Elect. 
There is a tradition extant that at the time when Ballala-séna set 
out on his expedition to conquer Mithila, news of his death spread abroad ; 
and that at that time Laksmana-séna was born, and was immediately in- 
stalled on the throne. It is probable that the Muhammadan historian 
Minhaj’s wonderful story was based on this tradition. Be that as it 
may, the tradition leads us to the inference that, soon after ascending the 
throne, Ballala-séna left his kingdom to conquer Mithila, and that after 
achieving success he received news of the birth of a son.! This news 
pleased him so much that in his newly conquered kingdom he maugu- 
rated a new era, which he named the Laksmana Era. This era is still 
extant among the pandits of Mithila; but there is nothing to show that 
it was introduced into Bengal. 
Ballala-sena ascended the throne in the year 1119 A.D., so that 
there can be no doubt that he reigned to a very old age. Moreover, the 
social reforms effected by him, and the order of kulinism, which he 
instituted, must have taken a considerable portion of his life; and this 
also is a proof of his long reign. 
Lakgmana-séna, the son of Ballala-séna, was very popular with his 
subjects. He was a learned man and took great delight in honouring 
the Pandits of his time. Poems composed by him are found in the 
Sadukti-karnamrta, Carngadhara-paddhati, Padyavali and other an- 
thologies. Hven Maulana Minhaju-d-din has thus written of Laksmana- 
séna—‘ Little or much, never did any tyranny proceed from his hand.’ 
1 Wales AS GTA TTT TAT TAT | 
fates aeararat sare saereeater Il 
aeiat famagt wat sraaradt | 
BITITa PA UG lee Vo] 
2 Raverty, Tabaqat-i-Nasii, po 505. 
