Rama Manikya (d. 1676), also called Ram Manikya or Ramdev Manikya, 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 ...
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 ...
from 1676 to 1685.
Life
The eldest son of Maharaja
Govinda Manikya
Govinda Manikya (d. 1676) was the Maharaja of Tripura 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 ...
, as a prince Rama acted as one of his father's military commanders. In December 1661, he was dispatched against his rebellious uncle
Nakshatra Roy and engaged him in the Battle of Amtali, during which Rama was defeated. This loss forced his father to temporarily abandon the throne and leave Tripura for a number of years.
Following Govinda's death in 1676, Rama ascended the throne, though he soon faced rebellion from his nephew Dwarika Thakur. The latter assumed the royal title
Narendra Manikya and with the aid of Nasir Muhammad, the
Afghan
Afghan may refer to:
*Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia
*Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity
** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...
Nawab
Nawab (Balochi language, Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب;
bn, নবাব/নওয়াব;
hi, नवाब;
Punjabi language, Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ;
Persian language, Persian,
Punjabi language, Punjabi ,
Sindhi language, Sindhi,
Urd ...
of
Sarail
Sarail ( bn, সরাইল, Shorail) is an upazila of Brahmanbaria District located in the Chittagong Division and near the Dhaka Division, Bangladesh.
History
The leader of the Baro-Bhuiyan zamindars, Isa Khan, had his first and temporary ...
, overthrew Rama. The deposed king turned to 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 ...
governor of
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
,
Shaista Khan
Mirza Abu Talib (22 November 1600 – 1694), better known as Shaista Khan, was a general and the subahdar of Mughal Bengal. A maternal uncle to the emperor Aurangzeb, he acted as a key figure during his reign. Shaista Khan initially governed ...
, for aid. The latter dispatched his army in Rama's support, allowing him to recapture the throne, with Khan taking Narendra captive to
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
.
At some point, Rama led an incursion north towards
Sylhet
Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate an ...
, reaching as far as the city borders. In Tripura itself, he performed extensive infrastructure development, excavating several
tanks
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine ...
(reservoirs) and erecting temples. One such was in honour of
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
(suggesting a personal affinity with
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...
) as well as repairing the
Temple of Tripura Sundari, which had previously been damaged from lightning strike. Many villages located throughout modern-day
Tripura State
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 ...
and
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
are named in his honour.
Rama died in old age in 1685, with his consort Ratnavati performing ''
Sati
Sati or SATI may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Sati'' (film), a 1989 Bengali film by Aparna Sen and starring Shabana Azmi
* ''Sati'' (novel), a 1990 novel by Christopher Pike
*Sati (singer) (born 1976), Lithuanian singer
*Sati, a character in ''Th ...
'' in his funeral pyre. He was succeeded by his son
Ratna Manikya II
Ratna Manikya II ( – 1712) was the Maharaja of Tripura from 1685 to 1693 and again from 1695 to 1712.
Only a small child when he became ruler, Ratna spent much of his life under the control of external forces, having been used as a puppet-mona ...
, at the time only five years old.
Notes
References
{{reflist
Kings of Tripura
History of Tripura
1685 deaths