Pratap Manikya (d. 1487) was a
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 ...
of
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 ...
during the late 15th century.
Reign
Though Pratap Manikya is stated in 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 ...
'' to be a son of
Dharma Manikya I
Dharma Manikya I, also known as Dangar Fa, was the Maharaja of Tripura from 1431 to 1462. His reign was notable for its territorial expansions as well as for his religious and cultural contributions.
Ascension
The eldest of the five sons of his ...
, later scholarship proved this to be chronologically improbable. It is instead believed that he was Dharma's grandson, with his father being
Ratna Manikya I
Ratna Manikya I (d. 1487), also known as Ratna Fa, was the Maharaja of Tripura from 1462 to the late 1480s. Though he had gained the throne by overthrowing his predecessor, Ratna's reign was notable for the peace and prosperity it had entailed in ...
.
There were also uncertainties regarding the years of Pratap's rule. A coin supposedly minted during his reign bears the year
Saka
The Saka ( Old Persian: ; Kharoṣṭhī: ; Ancient Egyptian: , ; , old , mod. , ), Shaka (Sanskrit ( Brāhmī): , , ; Sanskrit (Devanāgarī): , ), or Sacae (Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) were a group of nomadic Iranian peoples who hist ...
1412 (1490 CE), though the modern-style script has led to doubts regarding its authenticity. It is notable that Pratap's immediate successors struck coins in 1488 and 1489 respectively.
[
A younger son of his father, Pratap's rule had been propped up by the support of prominent army generals in opposition to his elder brother Dhanya, against whom he waged a civil war. According to the ''Rajmala'', because of his impiety, Pratap soon lost the support of these nobles, who launched a conspiracy against him. The chronicle continues that due to his formidable physical strength and stoutness, Pratap had to be killed at night while he slept.
He was succeeded in quick succession by the minor Vijaya Manikya (who may have been his son)][ and Pratap's younger brother Mukut, before the throne finally settled on Dhanya, whose long reign lasted until 1515.]
Notes
References
{{reflist
Kings of Tripura
History of Tripura