Mahendra Manikya (d. 1714) was the

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...

Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the east a ...

from 1712 to 1714.

Background

Originally named Ghanashyam Thakur, he was born the second son of Maharaja

Rama Manikya Rama Manikya (d. 1676), also called Ram Manikya or Ramdev Manikya, was the Maharaja of Tripura from 1676 to 1685. Life The eldest son of Maharaja Govinda Manikya, as a prince Rama acted as one of his father's military commanders. In December 166 ...

. His elder brother was Ratna Manikya II who, after having been previously overthrown by a cousin, was restored to the throne by the

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

s in 1695. However, in return Ghanashyam was temporarily sent to the Mughal court as a hostage. At some point, he was awarded the title of ''Barathakur'' by his brother. In 1712, Ghanashyam launched a conspiracy against his brother, having gained the assistance of Murad Beg, an influential member of the royal court. The latter was sent to Dhaka, where he recruited some itinerant forces as well as the assistance of Muhammad Sapi, a local high-ranking officer. Ratna Manikya was forcibly removed from power and Ghanashyam claimed the throne, assuming the regnal name Mahendra Manikya. He had his predecessor first confined to the palace apartments and then killed soon after, with two of the latter's prominent officers also being beheaded.

Reign

Though little is known about his reign, with the ''

Rajmala ''Rajmala'' is a chronicle of the Kings of Tripura, written in Bengali verse in the 15th century under Dharma Manikya I. Overview The ''Rajmala'' chronicles the history of the Manikya kings of Tripura. While it serves as an invaluable sour ...

'' only describing him as being an "impious ruler", Mahendra appears to have enacted some reforms to the administration. His brothers

Durjoy Singh Dharma Manikya II (died 1729) was the king of Tripura Kingdom from 1713 to 1725 and again in 1729, although his power was greatly diminished in 1732 with the rise to power of Jagat Manikya with the aid of the Nawab of Bengal, Shuja-ud-Din Muhamma ...

and

Chandramani Mukunda Manikya (d. 1739) was the Maharaja of Tripura from 1729 to 1739. Life Originally named Chandramani Thakur, he was the youngest of the four surviving sons of Maharaja Rama Manikya. Each of his elder brothers had successively ruled Tripu ...

were named '' Yuvraj'' and ''Barathakur'' respectively. He also attempted to strengthen ties with the neighbouring Ahom kingdom, located in what is present-day Assam. Assamese envoys, already present in Tripura at the time of his ascension, were formerly received at court, with Mahendra sending his own representative, Aribhima Narayana, back with them to Rangpur. Subsequently, a series of warm correspondence, embassies and gifts were dispatched between Mahendra and the Ahom king, Rudra Singha. However, in August 1714, soon after a third embassy to Tripura was sent, Rudra Singha died, with his successor

Siva Singha Sutanphaa also Siva Singha was a king of Assam who reigned from 1714 to 1744 A.D. He was the eldest son of Rudra Singha. Siva Singha was with his dying father at Guwahati, who then proceeded to the capital Rangpur where he ascended to the ...

having little interest in continuing his father's habits. By the time these envoys had arrived in Tripura, in January 1715, Mahendra too had died, having reigned for only 14 months. He was succeeded by his ''Yuvraj'', Durjoy Singh, who took the name Dharma Manikya II.

Notes

References

{{reflist Kings of Tripura History of Tripura 1714 deaths