Lakshmadeva ( IAST: Lakṣma-deva) was a member of the

Paramara dynasty The Paramara dynasty ( IAST: Paramāra) was an Indian dynasty that ruled Malwa and surrounding areas in west-central India between 9th and 14th centuries. They belonged to the Parmara clan of the Rajputs. The dynasty was established in either t ...

Malwa Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syn ...

region in central India. According to one theory, he ascended the Paramara throne after his father

Udayaditya Udayaditya (reigned c. 1070–1093) was a Paramara ruler of Malwa region of central India, who succeeded Jayasimha I. He was succeeded by his son, either Lakshmadeva or Naravarman. Ascension Udayaditya was a brother of Bhoja, the most re ...

, and reigned during the 1080s CE. According to another theory, Lakshmadeva never became the king and Udayaditya was succeeded by Lakshmadeva's brother

Naravarman Naravarman (reigned c. 1094-1133 CE), also known as Naravarma-deva, was an Indian king from the Paramara dynasty, who ruled in the Malwa region of central India. The Paramara power greatly declined during his reign, as a result of multiple milit ...

Political status

A 1104-1105 CE stone inscription, now kept at the Nagpur Museum, records several military achievements of Lakshmadeva. According to one theory, these achievements happened during the reign of Udayaditya, and Lakshamdeva never ascended the throne. His name is missing from the list of Paramara kings mentioned in

Jayavarman II Jayavarman II ( km, ជ័យវរ្ម័នទី២; c. 770 – 850) (reigned c. 802–850) was a Khmer prince who founded and became the ruler of the Khmer Empire (Cambodia) after unifying the Khmer civilization. The Khmer Empire was the ...

's 1274 CE Mandhata copper-plate inscription, which lists Naravarman as Udayaditya's successor. The

Dewas Dewas is a city in the Malwa region of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The municipality was formerly the seat of two 15-Gun Salute state princely states during the British Raj, Dewas Junior state and Dewas Senior state, ruled by the Pua ...

grant inscription also suggests that Naravarman succeeded Udayaditya.

Military conquests

The 1104-1105 CE Nagpur ''

prashasti ''Prashasti'' (IAST: Praśasti, Sanskrit for "praise") is an Indian genre of inscriptions composed by poets in praise of their rulers. Most date from the 6th century CE onwards. Written in the form of poetry or ornate prose, the ''prashastis'' s ...

'' inscription credits Lakshmadeva with the following military achievements in the four directions: * East: threatening the land of Gauda, defeating the armies of

Anga Anga (Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe of eastern South Asia whose existence is attested during the Iron Age. The members of the Aṅga tribe were called the Āṅgeyas. Counted among the "sixteen great nations" in Buddhist texts ...

and

Kalinga Kalinga may refer to: Geography, linguistics and/or ethnology * Kalinga (historical region), a historical region of India ** Kalinga (Mahabharata), an apocryphal kingdom mentioned in classical Indian literature ** Kalinga script, an ancient writ ...

, and occupying the city of

Tripuri Tripuri refer to: *Tripuri people, an ethnic group in India and Bangladesh, also known as Tipra people **Tripuri language **Tripuri nationalism **Tripuri calendar **Tripuri culture **Tripuri cuisine **Tripuri dances **Tripuri dress **Tripuri games ...

* South: subjugating the Cholas, invading the Pandya country, and invading Sri Lanka * West: attacking the Timingalas and other tribes of the Mainaka mountain * North: vanquishing the Turushkas and the Kiras This description appears to be a poetic exaggeration based on the victories of the legendary king

Raghu Raghu () is a ruler of the Suryavamsha dynasty in Hinduism. According to the '' Raghuvamsha'', he is the son of King Dilīpa and Queen Sudakshina. His successors styled themselves as belonging to the eponymous Raghuvamsha dynasty, or the ' ...

, as described in '' Raghuvamsa''. For example, Lakshmadeva's purported subjugation of the Cholas and the Pandyas is not supported by any historical evidence. However, some of the other achievements may have a historical basis. For example, the

Kalachuris of Tripuri The Kalachuris of Tripuri (IAST: ), also known the Kalachuris of Chedi, ruled parts of central India during 7th to 13th centuries. They are also known as the Later Kalachuris to distinguish them from their earlier namesakes, especially the Kala ...

were weak after the death of their king

Karna Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-raja, and Radheya, is one of the main protagonists of the Hindu epic '' Mahābhārata''. He is the son of the sun god Surya and princess Kunti (mother of the ...

, and Lakshmadeva may have raided Tripuri during the reign of Karna's successor

Yashahkarna Yashahkarna ( IAST: Yaśaḥakarṇa, r. c. 1073-1123 CE) was a ruler of the Kalachuri dynasty of Tripuri in central India. His kingdom was centered around the Chedi or Dahala region in present-day Madhya Pradesh. During Yashahkarna's reign, the ...

. Historian D. C. Ganguly speculated that the claim of Lakshmadeva subjugating the Turushkas (the Turkic people) may be a reference to his repulsion of an attack by Mahmud of Ghazni. However, this is not correct, as Mahmud died in 1030 CE, much earlier than Lakshmadeva's time. Some other historians believe that Lakshmadeva might have defeated a Turkic Muslim governor of Punjab who invaded

Ujjain Ujjain (, Hindustani pronunciation: �d͡ːʒɛːn is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative centre of Ujjain district and Ujjain ...

, but this is not corroborated by any evidence.

Death

Lakshmadeva must have died sometime before 1082 CE, as the 1082 CE Kamed inscription records Naravarman's donation of a plot of land "for perpetually burning a lamp for" (in memory of) Lakshmadeva.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{Paramara dynasty Paramara dynasty 11th-century Indian monarchs