Govinda Manikya (d. 1676) 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 1660 to 1661 and again from 1667 to 1676. Though viewed as a capable and successful ruler, Govinda's reign was interrupted by his temporary overthrow and usurpation by his younger brother.

Life

The eldest son of Maharaja Kalyan Manikya, Govinda succeeded upon the latter's death in 1660. However, he was overthrown within a year of his ascension by his brother, Chhatra Manikya, who claimed the throne with the aid of the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

, forcing Govinda into exile. Govinda fled into the

Chittagong Hill Tracts The Chittagong Hill Tracts ( bn, পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম, Parbotto Chottogram), often shortened to simply the Hill Tracts and abbreviated to CHT, are group of districts within the Chittagong Division in southeast ...

where, according to 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 sou ...

'', he developed a friendship with Shah Shuja, the similarly exiled brother of the Mughal emperor

Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

. However, chronological data indicates that a meeting between the two princes is impossible. Govinda later took refuge in

Arakan Arakan ( or ) is a historic coastal region in Southeast Asia. Its borders faced the Bay of Bengal to its west, the Indian subcontinent to its north and Burma proper to its east. The Arakan Mountains isolated the region and made it accessi ...

, whose ruler aided him in recovering Tripura in 1667. Accounts are contradictory regarding whether Govinda had Chhatra killed at this point, or if the latter had already died previously. To placate the Mughals, at whose behest his brother had become ruler, Govinda agreed to send five elephants annually as tribute to the emperor. Govinda generally maintained good relations with the empire, with Tripura being able to enjoy a de facto independent status. He is viewed as having been an able administrator, as well as a patron of the arts and learning. During his reign, the third section of the ''Rajmala'' was completed and the '' Brihannaradiya Purana'' was translated into

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

. Govinda died in 1676 and was succeeded by his son Rama Manikya. Centuries later, he was immortalised by his depictions in the plays of

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

, ''Visharjan'' and ''Rajarshi''.

References

{{reflist Kings of Tripura History of Tripura Dethroned monarchs Rabindranath Tagore 1676 deaths