Amar Manikya

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

Amar Manikya
Maharaja of Tripura
Reign	1577-1586
Predecessor	Joy Manikya I
Successor	Rajdhar Manikya I
Died	1586
Issue	Rajadurlabha Manikya Rajdhar Manikya I Jujhar Singh
House	Manikya dynasty
Father	Deva Manikya
Religion	Hinduism

Kingdom of Tripura
Part of History of Tripura
Kings of Tripura Maha Manikya c. 1400–1431 Dharma Manikya I 1431–1462 Ratna Manikya I 1462–1487 Pratap Manikya 1487 Vijaya Manikya I 1488 Mukut Manikya 1489 Dhanya Manikya 1490–1515 Dhwaja Manikya 1515–1520 Deva Manikya 1520–1530 Indra Manikya I 1530–1532 Vijaya Manikya II 1532–1563 Ananta Manikya 1563–1567 Udai Manikya 1567–1573 Joy Manikya I 1573–1577 Amar Manikya 1577–1585 Rajdhar Manikya I 1586–1600 Ishwar Manikya 1600 Yashodhar Manikya 1600–1623 Interregnum 1623–1626 Kalyan Manikya 1626–1660 Govinda Manikya 1660–1661 Chhatra Manikya 1661–1667 Govinda Manikya 1661–1673 Rama Manikya 1673–1685 Ratna Manikya II 1685–1693 Narendra Manikya 1693–1695 Ratna Manikya II 1695–1712 Mahendra Manikya 1712–1714 Dharma Manikya II 1714–1725 Jagat Manikya 1725–1729 Dharma Manikya II 1729 Mukunda Manikya 1729–1739 Joy Manikya II 1739–1744 Indra Manikya II 1744–1746 Vijaya Manikya III 1746–1748 Lakshman Manikya 1740s/1750s Interregnum 1750s–1760 Krishna Manikya 1760–1783 Rajdhar Manikya II 1785–1806 Rama Ganga Manikya 1806–1809 Durga Manikya 1809–1813 Rama Ganga Manikya 1813–1826 Kashi Chandra Manikya 1826–1829 Krishna Kishore Manikya 1829–1849 Ishan Chandra Manikya 1849–1862 Bir Chandra Manikya 1862–1896 Radha Kishore Manikya 1896–1909 Birendra Kishore Manikya 1909–1923 Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya 1947–1949 1949–1978 (titular) Kirit Pradyot Manikya 1978–present (titular)
Tripura monarchy data
Manikya dynasty (Royal family)
Agartala (Capital of the kingdom)
Ujjayanta Palace (Royal residence)
Neermahal (Royal residence)
Rajmala (Royal chronicle)
Tripura Buranji (Chronicle)
Chaturdasa Devata (Family deities)

Early life

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

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

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

1. Sarma (1987, p. 77)
2. Long (1850, pp. 547–48) harvtxt error: no target: CITEREFLong1850 (help)
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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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. sfnp error: no target: CITEREFKhan1999 (help)
11. Sarma (1987), p. 81.
12. Sarma (1987), pp. 82–84.
13. Long (1850), p. 550. sfnp error: no target: CITEREFLong1850 (help)