History of Tripura


The history of Tripura is a long drawn story which dates back to the time of the Mahabharata. At the very helm of the Kingdom of Tripura, encompassed the whole of Eastern Bengal stretching from the Bay of Bengal in the South to the Brahmaputra river in the North and West and Burma in the East. The earliest trace of the history of Tripura can be found in the Ashokan pillar inscriptions. The history of Tripura points out that around the 7th Century the Tripuri Kings with the title of 'pha' which means father, ruled from the Kailashahar region in North Tripura.

In the 14th Century the history of Tripura witnessed a change with the sifting of the capital from Kailashahar to Udaipur. It was around the same time that the Tripura kings adopted the title of Manikya and the Manikya dynasty which had a Indo- Mongolian origin ruled Tripura for around 3000 years. This was probably the most glorious episode of the history of Tripura and the dominance of the Manikyas was also acknowledged by the Mughals who were the central rulers.

The 17th Century is a major watershed in the history of Tripura when the administration of the region passed on the hands of the Mughals with some restrained powers of the Manikyas. With the coming of the colonial era the Britishers extended their control over Tripura but granted some independence to the Manikya kings.

The Royal history of Tripura ended in the year 1947 when monarchy in the state was completely terminated. Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya was the last ruling Manikya king of Tripura and it was after his death that Tripura was acceded to the Union of India. In the year 1949 Tripura became an Union Territory of India and remained so until 1972 when it was made a constituent state of the Indian Nation.

Tripura Kings



The history of Tripura points out at its regal past and the Tripura Kings are an integral part of this royal past. An in depth study of the past of Tripura reveals the long dynamic history of the Tripura Kings. Long back in the 7th Century the Tripura Kings adopted the title of 'pha' and ruled the region from the then capital city of Kailashahar in North Tripura.It was in the 14th Century that the most important dynasty of Tripura ascended the throne. The Tripura Kings of the Manikya dynasty ruled the region for more than 3000 years and shifted there capital to Udaipur and finally to Agartala. The prestige and power of Tripura reached its apex under the Tripura Kings of the Manikya dynasty.

The most popular Tripura Kings include:

  • Chandra
  • Budh
  • Pururoba
  • Ayu
  • Nahush
  • Yayati
  • Druhya
  • Babhru
  • Setu
  • Anarta
  • Gandhar
  • Dharmma(Gharma)
  • Dhrita(Ghrita)
  • Durmad
  • Pracheta
  • Nojugrai (Nogjog)
  • Torjung
  • Tor Raj(Rajdharma)
  • Hamraj
  • Birraj
  • Shriraj
  • Shriman (Shrimanta)
  • Lakshmitaru
  • Ananta Manikya
  • Udai Manikya
  • Jai Manikya(Loktor fa)
  • Amar Manikya
  • Rajdhar Manikya
  • Jashodhar Manikya
  • Kalyan Manikya
  • Gobinda Manikya
  • Chhatra Manikya(Nakhshtra Rai)
  • Ramdev Manikya
  • Ratna Manikya-II
  • Narendra Manikya
  • Mahendra Manikya
  • Dharma Manikya-II
  • Mukunda Manikya
  • Jai Manikya
  • Indra Manikya-II
  • Vijy Manikya-II
  • Krishna Manikya
  • Rajdhar Manikya
  • Ramgana Manikya
  • Durga Manikya
  • Kashi Chandra Manikya
  • Krishna Kishore Manikya
  • Ishan Chandra manikya
  • Tarlakshmi(Roopban)
  • Mailkshmi(Lakshmiban)
  • Nageshwar
  • Jogeshwar
  • Parachi(Shata Dharma)
  • Parabasu
  • Parishad
  • Arijit
  • Sujit
  • Pururaba-II
  • Bibarn
  • Birendra Kishore Manikya
  • Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur
  • Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur
  • Kirit Pradyot Manikya Bahadur
  • Puru Sen
  • Megh Barna
  • Bikarna
  • Basuman
  • Keerti
  • Kaniyan


Manikya Dynasty



The very first historical evidences about Tripura appears in the Rajmala, the royal chronicle of the Tripura Manikya dynasty. The Tripura Manikya dynasty originated in the 1280 A.D when the King of Tripura Ratna Fa assumed the title of Manikya. Indo- Mongolian in origin, the Tripura Manikya dynasty ruled over the region for hundreds of years. It was under the regime of the Tripura Manikya dynasty that the Kingdom of Tripura reached the apex of its hey days. Under their rule a number of military victory earned Tripura the suzerainty over Myanmar, Bengal and Assam. The prosperity of the Tripura Manikya dynasty was all round ans their fame and power was even acknowledged by the Mughals who were their contemporaries in North India.

Origin of name



Every aspect of the history of Tripura is extremely intriguing and there are a number of controversies regarding Tripura- origin of name .There are a number of historians who debate the origin of the name of Tripura and they put forward a number of theories regarding Tripura- origin of name. A major problem in tracing Tripura- origin of name is the lack of authentic documents on the history of the region. Rajmala is probably the only written document on the region which sheds light on its history. The Rajmala, which is the court chronicle of Tripura, points out that the region had an ancient king named Tripur. It is believed that Tripur was a tyrant king and many historians argue that it was after him that the region was named. However, this theory about Tripura- origin of name has been challenged by historians who argue that Tripur is an a- historical and imaginary character.

The etymological origin of the word Tripura explains its origin to a large extent. The compound word of Tripura when broken gives two separate words, 'Tui' (water) + 'Pra' (near). The geographical location of the region thoroughly justifies its name.