Vijaya Manikya II

Vijaya Manikya II (c. 1516 – 1563), also spelt Vijay or Bijoy, was the Maharaja of Tripura from 1532 to 1563. Succeeding to the throne at a young age, Vijaya proved himself to be a formidable military leader, initiating a series of conquests into several surrounding kingdoms, including the powerful Bengal Sultanate. During Vijaya's reign, the might and influence of Tripura reached its zenith, leading to him being viewed as one of its greatest monarchs.

Vijaya Manikya II
Maharaja of Tripura
Reign	1532–1563
Predecessor	Indra Manikya
Successor	Ananta Manikya
Born	c. 1516
Died	1563 (aged 47)
Wives[1]	Lakshmidevi Vijaya Sarasvati Vamadevi
Issue	Dungar Fa Ananta Manikya
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

Vijaya was born the son of Deva Manikya, himself the son of the famous Dhanya Manikya.[2] When he was a child, Vijaya's father was assassinated in a conspiracy orchestrated by the Brahman Lakshminarayana and one of Deva's queens, who placed the latter's son, Indra Manikya I, on the throne. Vijaya himself was imprisoned, though was later freed by the commander of the army, Daityanarayana, who named him king in 1532 after having Lakshminarayana killed.[3]

According to the Rajmala, Vijaya was initially under the protection of the commander, whose daughter he was married to. However, the young king began to chafe under the thumb of his father-in-law, who held the actual control of the kingdom and used Vijaya as a puppet-monarch. The Rajmala continues that in response, Vijaya had Daityanarayana killed.[4][5] However, there is some evidence that the text had conflicted details regarding Vijaya with that of an earlier monarch, Vijaya Manikya I, who was also controlled by a military leader with the name Daityanarayana.[6]

Military expansion

Vijaya's reign is viewed to have heralded a new era in the history of medieval Tripura.[4] The death of Daityanarayana curtailed the tremendous influence of the army chiefs in the kingdom's administration, allowing Vijaya to consolidate executive power in his own person. He was thus freed to focus his full powers in achieving his considerable military ambitions.[7]

Great efforts were implemented in modernising the kingdom's army and strengthening its influence. Archers, elephants, artillery and a navy were organised and incorporated into its ranks, while military camps were established at Tripura's frontiers to better defend its sovereignty. In line with trends occurring throughout the Indian subcontinent, cavalries became an intrinsic part of the army during Vijaya's reign, being established with the aid of Afghan soldiers.[8] Chronicles state that these reforms resulted in a formidable military composed of 200,000 infantry, 10,000 cavalry, 1000 elephants and 5000 boats.[9][10]

This realisation of Tripura's military might allowed a period of aggressive territorial conquests to be initiated, resulting in the extensive expansion of lands under Vijaya's control. The regions of Sylhet and Jaintia were conquered and incorporated into the kingdom, the ruler of Khasiya voluntarily submitted to Tripuri suzerainty and Chittagong was recaptured from the Afghan rulers of Bengal.[9][7][11]

However, as a result of the defeats inflicted by Vijaya on their countrymen, the Afghans in his army revolted, with 1000 Pathan horsemen marching on Chittagong. The rebels were soon captured and Vijaya had them sacrificed at the altar of the Fourteen Gods. The Sultan of Bengal,[note 1] who may have been disturbed by the gruesome deaths or was perhaps attempting to take advantage of the distraction provided by the rebellion, launched an invasion of Tripura. 10,000 foot soldiers and 3000 cavalry assaulted the kingdom, resulting in a protracted eight-month conflict in Chittagong. However, Tripura emerged victorious, with the Bengali commander also being sacrificed to the gods.[11][13]

Vijaya launched a counter assault, with his armies raiding deep into east Bengal. He himself commanded his 5000 riverboats down the Brahmaputra River to the Padma, occupying Bikrampur and having Sonargaon plundered and burned. The Sultan, having been distracted by an internecine war with the Mughal Empire, was unable to oppose Vijaya, leaving the latter the unrivalled master of the region.[12][11]

Interactions with contemporary rulers

Vijaya was a contemporary of the Mughal emperor Akbar, with him finding mention in the Ain-i-Akbari.[14][note 2] He maintained relations with Mukunda Deva, the ruler of Odisha, to whom he entrusted the care of his elder son Dungar Fa.[16] It is possible that an alliance had existed between these two kings in opposition to the Sultans of Bengal.[17] He also interacted with the ruler of the Kachari Kingdom, through whose intercession Vijaya spared the king of Jaintia when the latter initially refused to submit to his authority.[18]

In the Darrang Raj Vamsavali, a Koch royal chronicle, the Koch king Nara Narayan and his brother Chilarai are claimed to have invaded Tripura around the time of Vijaya's reign, inflicting a devastating defeat on its ruler. However, it is unlikely that this ruler can be identified with Vijaya himself, given that it is implausible that such a powerful monarch would have suffered so great a loss. Given that it finds no mention in Tripuri sources, it is instead believed that the defeat had been exaggerated or that it had occurred under Vijaya's successor.[9][19]

Death

In 1563, Vijaya died of smallpox at the age of forty-seven, having reigned for more than thirty years. As was custom, his wives performed Sati, following his body into the funeral pyre.[14][20][21] At the time of his death, Tripura had reached its greatest extent, controlling the entirety of eastern Bengal as well as the southern portion of the present-day Indian state of Assam.[13] Vijaya's successes are acknowledged in the Rajmala, which describes him in the following manner:[22]

A king like Dhanya Manikya is rare in the world. His son Deva-Manikya was a jewel. King Vijay Manikya is his son. The crest-jewels of other kings rub his feet. He possesses immense power and shines among the circle of kings.

He was succeeded by his son Ananta Manikya, who proved to be less able than his father.[14] Tripura subsequently experienced a period of gradual decay.[23]

Notes

1. Probably Ghiyasuddin Bahadur Shah I.[12]
2. The Ain-i-Akbari refers to him with the following words: "Adjoining Bhati is an extensive tract of territory inhabited by the Tipperah Tribes. The name of the ruler is Vijay Manik. Whoever obtains the Chieftainship bears the title Manik after his name and the nobles that of Narayan. He has a force of two hundred thousand footmen and a thousand elephants. Horses are scarce."[15]

References

1. Choudhury (1986), p. 134.
2. Raatan (2008), pp. 147–48.
3. Sarma (1987), pp. 62–63.
4. Sarma (1987), p. 63.
5. Sircar (1979), p. 90.
6. Sircar (1975), p. 109.
7. Sarma (1987), p. 65.
8. Goswami (1996), pp. 51, 118.
9. Guha Thakurta (1999), p. 8.
10. Bhattacharjee (1991), p. 73.
11. Chib (1988), p. 9.
12. Sarma (1987), p. 66.
13. Goswami (1996), p. 118.
14. Raatan (2008), p. 148.
15. Gan-Chaudhuri (1980), p. 23.
16. Liberman (1992), p. 49.
17. Roychoudhury (1983), p. 21.
18. Sarma (1987), pp. 65–66.
19. Nath (1989), pp. 63–64.
20. Sarma (1987), p. 73.
21. Chatterji (1951), p. 134.
22. Durlabhendra, Sukheshwar & Baneshwar (1999), p. 95.
23. Das (1997), p. 16.

Bibliography

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