28 N.N. Vasu—Chronology of the Sena Kings of Bengal. [WNo. }, 
relying on the prophecy, left the capital and went to Jagannatha (Puri), 
Hast Bengal, and Kamariipa (Assam). 
Aba-l-fazl has made mention of Laksmana-séna’s son Madhava-séna 
having reigned after him for a period of 10 years. Madhava-séna 
does not appear to have ruled Bengal after Lakgmana. It is likely 
that during the reign of Laksmana-séna, he was either nominated as 
Prince Elect or that he ruled the kingdom as regent. In the Sakti- 
karnamrita by Cridhara-dasa, son of lLaksmana-séna’s favourite 
Mahasamanta Batu-dasa, some of Madhava-séna’s poetical writings 
have been inserted. I am inclined to believe that, following the 
example of the Panditas and others, Madhava-séna also left Bengal 
and went ona pilgrimage to Kédara-natha. This is borne out by the 
facts given below. 
Ata place near the city of Almora in Kumaun, within the Himalaya 
regions, there is a temple dedicated to Yogécvara. ‘This temple contains 
a copper-plate grant of Madhava-séna, Moreover, inside the Balé¢vara 
temple, in the Kédara tracts, there is a copper-plate grant dated 1145 
Caka (A. D. 1223), im which the words ‘ Vangaja-Brahmana’ appear. 
The name of Rudra-carma, Bhatta-narayana’s descendant, is also 
inscribed in it. ! 
It can be inferred from the above that Pandits belonging to 
Bhatta-narayana’s family accompanied Madhava-séna when he left Ben- 
gal on pilgrimage. 
A careful perusal of Minhaj’s account of the invasion of Bengal 
by the Turks, quoted above, would lead to show that prior to the event, 
the officers of the kingdom had made a conspiracy, and that the Musal- 
mans bribed the Pandits of the Court to help them in forwarding their 
cause. Had this not been the case, the Pandits of the Court would 
not have mentioned to the king a prophecy, which did not exist in the 
castras, and advised him to leave the kingdom. But the king showed his 
manliness by not following the advice of the Pandits. He was never- 
theless forced to relinquish it under the following circumstances : — 
When taking his dinner, he suddenly heard of his palace having 
been attacked. He came to know also that, prior to this, his principal 
Counsellors had left the Court. It might have occurred to him also that 
the attack by the Turks was the result of a plot made by those officers. 
Driven to desperation, he knew not what to do at such a juncture. Left 
by the Counsellors and without any means of defence, what could an old 
monarch like him do? He could think of no other alternative than 
to quit the palace by a back-door. It has been stated by some that he 
went either to Orissa or to Hast Bengal, and established a kingdom 
1 H. Atkinson, Kumaun, p. 516. 
