Amar Manikya was the Maharaja of Tripura from 1577 to 1586.

Amar Manikya
Maharaja of Tripura
Reign1577-1586
PredecessorJoy Manikya I
SuccessorRajdhar Manikya I
Died1586
Issue
HouseManikya dynasty
FatherDeva Manikya
ReligionHinduism
Kingdom of Tripura
Part of History of Tripura
Maha Manikyac. 1400–1431
Dharma Manikya I1431–1462
Ratna Manikya I1462–1487
Pratap Manikya1487
Vijaya Manikya I1488
Mukut Manikya1489
Dhanya Manikya1490–1515
Dhwaja Manikya1515–1520
Deva Manikya1520–1530
Indra Manikya I1530–1532
Vijaya Manikya II1532–1563
Ananta Manikya1563–1567
Udai Manikya I1567–1573
Joy Manikya I1573–1577
Amar Manikya1577–1585
Rajdhar Manikya I1586–1600
Ishwar Manikya1600
Yashodhar Manikya1600–1623
Interregnum1623–1626
Kalyan Manikya1626–1660
Govinda Manikya1660–1661
Chhatra Manikya1661–1667
Govinda Manikya1661–1673
Rama Manikya1673–1685
Ratna Manikya II1685–1693
Narendra Manikya1693–1695
Ratna Manikya II1695–1712
Mahendra Manikya1712–1714
Dharma Manikya II1714–1725
Jagat Manikya1725–1729
Dharma Manikya II1729
Mukunda Manikya1729–1739
Joy Manikya IIc. 1739–1744
Indra Manikya IIc. 1744–1746
Udai Manikya IIc. 1744
Joy Manikya II1746
Vijaya Manikya III1746–1748
Lakshman Manikya1740s/1750s
Interregnum1750s–1760
Krishna Manikya1760–1783
Rajdhar Manikya II1785–1806
Rama Ganga Manikya1806–1809
Durga Manikya1809–1813
Rama Ganga Manikya1813–1826
Kashi Chandra Manikya1826–1829
Krishna Kishore Manikya1829–1849
Ishan Chandra Manikya1849–1862
Bir Chandra Manikya1862–1896
Birendra Kishore Manikya1909–1923
Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya1923–1947
Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya1947–1949
1949–1978 (titular)
Kirit Pradyot Manikya1978–present (titular)
Tripura monarchy data
Manikya dynasty (Royal family)
Agartala (Capital of the kingdom)
Ujjayanta Palace (Royal residence)
Pushbanta Palace (Royal residence)
Neermahal (Royal residence)
Rajmala (Royal chronicle)
Tripura Buranji (Chronicle)
Chaturdasa Devata (Family deities)

Early life

edit

Born Amardeva, he was a son of Maharaja Deva Manikya, but was only a prince as another family had taken over the throne.

General Ranagan Narayan, the de facto ruler of Twipra, was jealous of the popularity enjoyed by Amar.[1] Narayan invited him to a dinner where he planned to have Amar killed. However, Amar escaped and rallied his supporters to capture Narayan and have his head cut off. When Joy Manikya I, the puppet Maharaja, demanded an explanation for Narayan's death, Amar dispatched his troops against Joy, who attempted to flee before being overtaken and also beheaded.[2] Joy's death is believed to have occurred in 1577, having reigned about 4 years.[3] Amaradeva subsequently took power under the name Amar Manikya, thus restoring the throne to the original ruling dynasty.[1]

Reign

edit

Amar Manikya was digging a tank, now known as Amar Sagar, in his capital at Udaipur for religious reasons.[4] He demanded various chieftains to supply labour for this task and pay tribute to Twipra.[5][6] The Rajmala chronicles highlights all the donations provided by the Baro-Bhuiyans, numbering at least over 500 labourers. The zamindar of Taraf, Syed Musa, was the only ruler to refuse to accept such subordination as he viewed Taraf to be an independent principality. This angered Amar Manikya and started the Battle of Jilkua in Chunarughat in 1581, which was most likely the first military expedition in Amar's reign. Musa called upon Fateh Khan, a Baro-Bhuyan zamindar of Sylhet, who came to his aid. Isa Khan was appointed as Manikya's naval commander. The Tripuris were victorious and Syed Musa and his son Syed Adam were taken as prisoners. Syed Musa was imprisoned in Udaipur, but Adam was eventually set free.[7] The Twipra army then proceeded to Gudhrail, via Dinarpur and the Surma River, where they defeated Fateh Khan with the help of their elephants. Khan was captured and transported to Udaipur via Dulali and Ita.[8] He was treated well and later released. Amar Manikya was very proud of the successful conquest of Taraf and even minted a coin referring to himself as the Conqueror of Sylhet. This coin was in the possession of Bir Bikram Kishore Debbarman in the 20th century.[9]

Following the conquest of Noakhali and Chittagong by the Arakanese king Min Phalaung, a large contingent was sent by Amar Manikya into the occupied regions to drive out the invaders.[10] The army landed and captured six enemy camps successively before halting at Ramu. The Arakanese, following a failed retaliatory assault, blockaded the troops, resulting in the latter's supplies soon dwindling. Additionally, the Portuguese soldiers who formed part of the Tripura army were enticed to desert, turning their camps over to the enemy. This forced the Tripuri to begin retreating back to Chittagong, though at the Karnaphuli River, they were attacked and defeated by the Arakanese, resulting in heavy casualties. However, upon reaching Chittagong, the army reorganised and launched a counter-assault, capturing seven of the enemy fortresses and forcing their retreat.[11]

Death and legacy

edit

After a brief hiatus, a second invasion of Chittagong was launched by Min Phalaung. The Tripura army were routed in the ensuing conflict, with Amar's son Jujhar Singh being killed and his other son Rajdhar suffering a serious bullet wound. The Arakanese then invaded Tripura itself, penetrating all the way to Udaipur and having it sacked and plundered. As a result of this humiliation, Amar Manikya committed suicide, with his wife later performing Sati in his funeral pyre.[12][13] Amar was succeeded by his son Rajdhar Manikya I.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Sarma (1987, p. 77)
  2. ^ Long (1850, pp. 547–48)
  3. ^ Roychoudhury, Nalini Ranjan (1983). Tripura through the ages: a short history of Tripura from the earliest times to 1947 A.D. Sterling. p. 22.
  4. ^ Saigal, Omesh (1978). "Rulers of Tripura". Tripura, Its History and Culture. p. 35.
  5. ^ Bhattacharya, Apura Chandra (1930). Progressive Tripura. p. 23.
  6. ^ Roychoudhury, Nalini Ranjan (1983). Tripura through the ages: a short history of Tripura from the earliest times to 1947 A.D. p. 22.
  7. ^ Sarma, Ramani Mohan (1987). Political History of Tripura. Puthipatra. pp. 77–78. OCLC 246861481.
  8. ^ Fazlur Rahman. Sileter Mati, Sileter Manush (in Bengali). MA Sattar. p. 49.
  9. ^ Bhattasali, NK (1929). "Bengal Chiefs' Struggle for Independence in the Reign of Akbar and Jahangir". Bengal: Past and Present: Journal of the Calcutta Historical Society. 38: 41.
  10. ^ Khan (1999), p. 23.
  11. ^ Sarma (1987), p. 81.
  12. ^ Sarma (1987), pp. 82–84.
  13. ^ Long (1850), p. 550.

Bibliography

edit