Mukunda Manikya (d. 1739) was the

Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...

Tripura Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...

from 1729 to 1739.

Life

Originally named Chandramani Thakur, he was the youngest of the four surviving sons of Maharaja Rama Manikya. Each of his elder brothers had successively ruled Tripura; under Ratna II's rule, Chandramani had been sent as a hostage 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 ...

viceregal court at

Murshidabad Murshidabad (), is a town in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. This town is the headquarters of Lalbag subdivision of Murshidabad district. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hooghly river, Bhagirathi Riv ...

, while during the reigns of

Mahendra Mahendra () is a Sanskrit compound word deriving from ''mahā'' (great) and ''indra'' (the title of the king of the devas) from Hinduism. It has been used in compound royal styles. History and politics Royalty * Mahendra or Mahinda – ...

and Dharma II, he was appointed ''Barathakur'' and ''Yuvraj'' respectively. When he succeeded Dharma in 1729, Chandramani assumed the regnal name Mukunda Manikya. He proved to be a pious monarch, donating lands to

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

s and

Kshatriya Kshatriya () (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority"; also called Rajanya) is one of the four varnas (social orders) of Hindu society and is associated with the warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...

s. He attempted to maintain cordial relations with the Mughals, sending his son

Panch Cowrie Thakur Indra Manikya II (d. 1746) was the Maharaja of Tripura during the mid-18th-century. His reign was spent struggling for control of the kingdom with his relative Joy Manikya II. Life Originally named Panch Cowrie Thakur, he was one of the sons of ...

as a hostage and informing on a plot to kill the Mughal

Faujdar Faujdar under the Mughals was an office that combined the functions of a military commander along with judicial and land revenue functions. The term faujdar contained pre-Mughal origins. During those times, the term referred to a military offic ...

Udaipur Udaipur (Hindi: , ) (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura'') is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, about south of the state capital Jaipur. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Udaipur district. It is the historic capital of t ...

by his cousin Rudramani. However, in 1739, he was overthrown by the Mughals due to failing to provide Tripura's annual tribute of five elephants. Udaipur was raided and Mukunda, alongside his sons Bhadramani, Krishnamoni and nephew

Gangadhar Gangadhar (1936–2003) was an Indian actor known for his work in Kannada cinema. A character actor who transitioned from stage to films in the mid-1960s, he had a brief period of success when his performances in social-dramas such as '' Gejj ...

, were arrested. Unable to bear this humiliation, he poisoned himself, with his queen performing '' sati'' in his funeral pyre. He was succeeded by Rudramani (afterward known as Joy Manikya II), who was chosen over Mukunda's sons after he drove the Mughals out of Udaipur.

Notes

References

{{reflist Kings of Tripura History of Tripura Dethroned monarchs 1739 deaths 18th-century suicides Suicides in India