Thread by @Bangadhipati

🔴 UNTOLD STORY OF A GREAT HINDU RESISTANCE IN EASTERN INDIA AGAINST BAKHTIYAR KHILJI

After the fall of Prithviraj Chauhan in 1192, Ikhtiyār al-Dīn Muḥammad Bakhtiyār Khaljī also known as Bakhtiyar Khilji started marching toward Eastern India with 50,000 Khilji Army.

(1/n)

🔷 DESTRUCTION OF NALANDA (1193)

The great Nalanda University was ransacked and destroyed by Turkish Invaders, also called Mamluks, under Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1193 AD.

(2/n)

Minhaj-i Siraj wrote in his book Tabaquat-l-Nasiri about thousands of monks being burned alive and thousands beheaded.

The burning of the library continued for several months and smoke from the burning manuscripts hung for days like a dark pall over the low hills.

(3/n)

🔷 BAKHTIYAR'S FOOTSTEPS IN BENGAL

In 1202, Bakhtiyar entered Greater Bengal and set up a camp in the forest near Kankasha Garh.

The King of Senbhum Kankasen Ray showed resistance against them.

(4/n)

According to Historian Atul Sur & Binoy Ghosh, Kankasen Ray was a Sadgope (Yadav). His capital was in Kanksa and was a Feudal King of the Sena(Sen) Dynasty.

(5/n)

According to Historian Dr Atul Sur, General of Khilji, Syed Bukhari was slaughtered in that battle and was buried at Priyagpur of Kankasa. Although Kankasen Ray couldn't defend in the Second Battle.

(6/n)

After winning the tough battle against Kankasen the Turks destroyed and looted Kankeswar Temple.

(7/n)

🔷 SECRET ATTACK LIKE A COWARD AT NAVADWIP (1202-3)

Now Bakhtiyar marching towards Navadwip. Navadwip was a religious place and one of the Vaishnava pilgrimage sites in Bengal.

(8/n)

Navadwip being a religious place, the Military reserves were less there. At that time Gaudeshwar Lakshman Sen, an 80-year-old Emperor was spending his last years at the Navadwip Palace in prayers and meditation.

(9/n)

A traitor gave this information to Bakhtiyar and he with 16 soldiers enters the Navadwip Palace in the appearance of a horse trader.

About 50K soldiers of Khilji have already entered the Navadwip.

Khilji Army entered the Royal Palace & advanced towards the King's room.

(10/n)

The Arab Historian Sheikh Ishmi writes that in the time of the Nadia Raid of Bakhtiyar, Lakshman Sen alone resisted with arms but as there were not enough troops in the Palace, he went to Bikrampur for reinforcement.

(11/n)

According to 'Mrinalini' written by Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay, Prince Hemchandra aka Madhav Sen at that time continued his efforts to resist the Barbaric Demonic Khilji Forces in Navadvipa with a group of Nagar Rakshak who were like today's Policeman.

(12/n)

🔷 DID KHILJIS PUT AN END TO THE GREAT HINDU FORTRESS OF EASTERN INDIA AKA THE GREAT SENA DYNASTY???

It is said that Bakhtiyar Khilji's conquest of Bengal brought down the Sena Dynasty which is a blatant lie and this falsehood narrative is being installed in our minds.

(13/n)

Bakhtiyar Khilji never conquered Bengal, he crept through the thick forests of Birbhum and stormed Nadia.

Laxman Sena predicted the unfolding disaster, and retreated to his capital Bikrampur, only to assemble his army & later recaptured most of his lost territories.

(14/n)

In one pitched battle, ageing Laxman Sena defeated Bakhtiyar Khilji.

(15/n)

Idilpur inscription also helped to shatter the myth of Laxman Sena being the last Emperor of the Sena Dynasty.

His sons Madhav (who later took Sannyasa and moved to Himachal), Keshav and Biswarup Sena kept repelling Turkic invasions for at least four decades.

(16/n)

🔷 NAVADWIP WAR WITH BAKHTIYAR KHILJI (1203)

In the Battle of Nadia (1203) Maharaja Lakshman Sen attacked the Khiljis with his Maha Sena (Great Army).

The Khilji forces were completely crushed by the assault of the Bengal Infantry, Cavalry, Navy and two-way Archers.

(17/n)

Maharaja Lakshman Sen attacked Bakhtiyar from the back of an elephant with an arrow. Lakshman Sen's arrow hit Bakhtiyar's hand, causing him to lose his weapon and he started shouting 'Hatiyar Hatiyar' (trans- Weapon Weapon).

(18/n)

The Khilji forces were defeated by the Bengal Army, Nadia was recovered by Lakshman Sen and Bakhtiyar along with his remaining troops fled to present-day Bihar.

"Translation of Umapathidhar's verse: (Devpada Inscription)

(19/n)

Laxman Sena and Khilji died in the same year. Laxman Sena died ageing 88, whereas Bakhtiyar Khilji's death is still covered in mystery. It is believed he was killed in Bangarh, Bengal and later buried there.

(20/n)

After the death of Laxman Sena, his sons Madhav, Keshav & Biswarup Sena repealed multiple Turkic invasions and had many other achievements.

(21/n)

The most famous of them were-

Liberation of the sacred pilgrimage of Mahādēva, Kashi from the hands of barbaric foreign invaders & declaring it as the land of Śhiva-Viśvēśwarāẏā.

The defeat of Giyasuddin Iliyas Khilji and the Liberation of Gaur.

(22/n)

🔹 LIFE OF LAKSHMAN SEN

Maharajdhiraj Lakshman Sen belongs to the Great Sena Dynasty (Sen Dynasty) and according to our present research, Sens/Senas were from the Vaidya/Baidya clan. He was Emperor of Bongo, Magadh, Mithila, Kalinga & Kamrup.

(23/n)

Although his family was associated with Sakta(Saktism) Culture but he had adopted the Vaishnavism sect of Sanatan Dharma and was a great devotee of 'Ugramadhaba Narasingha'. That's why in some inscriptions Lakshman Sen is also mentioned as Paramnarasingha.

(24/n)

His full name was Ariraj Madana Shankara Paramanarasingha Gaudeshwara Maharajadhiraja Lakshmana Sena.

(25/n)

Numerous copperplate inscriptions have been found about Lakshman Sen in Gobindapur (24 Parganas), Anulia (Nadia), Tapandighi (Dinajpur), Madhainagar (Pabna), Shantipur (Murshidabad), Bhawal (Dhaka) and Sundarbans areas.

(26/n)

Much is also known about Lakshman Sen from Minhaj-i Siraj's Tabakat-i-Nasiri and Abdul Malik Isami's Futuh-aus-Salatin.

(27/n)

Minhaj-i Siraj writes that Lakshman Sen ascended the throne at the age of 70 and got the title of Gaudeshwar/Gaureshwar.

(28/n)

🔹 SOME ACHIEVEMENTS OF LAKSHMAN SEN

Maharajdhiraj Lakshman Sen was a very powerful Digvijayi King and had sent numerous expeditions outside Greater Bengal.

(29/n)

In his youth, he conquered and erected victory pillars in Kamrup, Kalinga, Magadh, Gaya, Haridwar, Puri, Kashi, Prayagraj, Kannauj, etc and established a huge Sen Empire. During his reign, Bengal gained special importance in North Indian politics.

(30/n)

The translation of the shloka written by Mahakavi Sharan-

(31/n)

Like his father Ballal Sen, he was also an intellectual and a lover of literature.

Joydev, the author of 'Gitagobindam'; Dhoyi, the author of 'Pavandoot; Halayudha, the author of 'Brahmansarvasva' were his courtiers.

(32/n)

Lakshman Sen himself composed many verses. Like his ancestors, he was also a Rajarshi. He held the title of 'Param Vaishnava' and was also known to have been a benevolent king.

(33/n)

He also established the Akshmana Era[a new calendar era] called Lakshmanabd (লক্ষনাব্দ) which starts from the day he ascended the throne and was used in Greater Bengal for at least 400 years.

(34/n)

Some scholars also suggest it was his father, Ballal Sen who started this calendar to celebrate the birth of his beloved child as on the very same day Maharaj Ballal Sen successfully conquered Mithila.

(35/n)

Laxman Sen also resisted, defeated and severely wounded Bakhtiyar Khilji, Commander in Chief of the Delhi Sultanate during Khilji's Eastern India Invasion.

(36/n)

After this event, Emperor Ariraj Madana Shankara Paramanarasingha Gaudeshwara Maharajadhiraja Lakshmana Sena established himself as a 'Dharmaguru' among the Indian Monarchies and was revered as the supreme leader of India.

(37/n)

Therefore the great historian Minhaj-i Siraj honoured him as "Khalifat al-Hind" (خليفة الهند) or "Caliph of the Hindus".

It is a fact which is very less discussed by mainstream Historians and also kept at a distance from our school's textbook.

(38/n)