Maha Manikya
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Maha Manikya (died 1431), also known as Chhengthung Fa, 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 ...
of
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 about 1400 to 1431. Contrary to narratives provided by early histories, evidence indicates that Maha Manikya was the founder of the kingdom, having established dominance over neighbouring tribes in the early 15th century. He is further thought to be the first holder of the title "Manikya", taken in recognition of a historic victory over the neighbouring
Bengal Sultanate The Bengal Sultanate (Middle Bengali: , Classical Persian: ) was a Post-classical history, late medieval sultanate based in the Bengal region in the eastern South Asia between the 14th and 16th century. It was the dominant power of the Ganges- ...
. The dynasty which he founded continued using the title until Tripura's merger with
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
in 1949.


Chronology and name

Maha Manikya is estimated to have reigned from about 1400 until 1431. The ''
Rajmala ''Rajmala'' is a chronicle of the Kings of Tripura, written in Bengali verse in the 15th century under Dharma Manikya I. Overview The ''Rajmala'' chronicles the history of the Manikya kings of Tripura. While it serves as an invaluable s ...
'', the royal chronicle of Tripura, contains little information regarding his life. There, he is described as the son of
Mukut Manikya Mukut Manikya was briefly the ruler of Tripura during the late 15th century. Mukut gained the throne following the brief reigns of Pratap Manikya and Vijaya Manikya I Vijaya Manikya I (d. 1488) was the Maharaja of Tripura briefly during the l ...
, himself the son of the dynasty's supposed founder,
Ratna Manikya I Ratna Manikya I (d. 1487), also known as Ratna Fa, was the Maharaja of Tripura from 1462 to the late 1480s. Though he had gained the throne by overthrowing his predecessor, Ratna's reign was notable for the peace and prosperity it had entailed in ...
, a descendant of the mythological
Lunar dynasty The Lunar dynasty (IAST: Candravaṃśa) is a legendary principal house of the Kshatriyas varna, or warrior–ruling varna (Social Class) mentioned in the ancient Indian texts. This legendary dynasty was said to be descended from moon-related ...
. Upon ascending the throne, Maha is said to have proved himself a virtuous ruler and distinguished scholar, with no mention of any military engagements during his reign. There are notable reasons to be doubtful of the narrative provided by the ''Rajmala'' however. Numismatic evidence proves that Maha could not have been the son of Mukut, given that the latter had only begun his rule in 1489. It is further believed that it was in fact Maha who had founded the dynasty and be the first to possess the ''Manikya'' cognomen, rather than Ratna Manikya, who evidence shows had actually reigned over thirty years after the former's death. Given that his son
Dharma Manikya I Dharma Manikya I, also known as Dangar Fa, was the Maharaja of Tripura from 1431 to 1462. His reign was notable for its territorial expansions as well as for his religious and cultural contributions. Ascension The eldest of the five sons of his ...
is identified with the ruler named in the ''Rajmala'' as "Dangar Fa", it is judged that Maha can be equated with the latter's predecessor in the text: "Chhengthung Fa". This was likely what he was originally called, given that "Maha Manikya" (literally meaning "Great Manikya") would be a very unusual personal name, especially considering that "Maha" is merely a prefix which is meaningless as a given name.


Reign

It is believed that Chhengthung Fa (later Maha Manikya) was a Tripuri chief who had established the Tripura kingdom in the early 15th century by subjugating neighbouring tribes, namely the
Kukis The Kuki people, or Kuki-Zo people,Rakhi BoseIn Tense Manipur, Sub-Categorisation And 'Creamy Layer' Could Open A Pandora's Box Outlook, 11 September 2024. uoting general secretary of the Committee on Tribal Unity (COTU), Kangpokpi''At prese ...
, Jamatias and Reangs among others. This was possible due to the Tripuri having the largest tribal population as well as its inhabitancy of the productive and fertile valleys bordering
Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
, lying between
Sylhet Sylhet (; ) is a Metropolis, metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as o ...
and
Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...
. These events are believed to have occurred around the time that
Raja Ganesha Raja Ganesha was a zamindar ruler and the first Hindu Sultan of the Bengal Sultanate, who took advantage of the weakness of the first Ilyas Shahi dynasty and seized power in Bengal. Contemporary historians of the medieval period considered him ...
had established temporary sovereignty over Bengal, when the influence of its Sultan was weak. According to the ''Rajmala'', Chhengthung Fa later incurred the wrath of an unidentified ruler of Bengal when a man bearing a gift for the Sultan was robbed while passing through Tripura. When he learned that a large army was dispatched against him, Chhengthung Fa was prepared to sue for peace but was prevented from doing so by his queen, Tripura Sundari. She declared submission to be an act of cowardice and convinced her husband to fight, taking command of the soldiers herself and leading them to victory over Bengal. It is likely that it was as a result of this impressive triumph that Chhengthung Fa took the title "Maha Manikya", with the "Manikya" suffix being subsequently inherited by his successors. However, due to the similarity between the coins of Sultan
Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah (; born as Jadu/যদু) was a 15th-century Sultan of Bengal and an important figure in medieval Bengali history. Born a Hindu to his aristocratic father Raja Ganesha, the patriarch of the Ganesha dynasty, he assumed t ...
and that of a later Tripura ruler, it has been suggested that some part (or perhaps temporarily, the entirety) of the kingdom had submitted to Bengal during Maha's reign, though this is disputed among historians. Maha died in 1431 and following a brief struggle among his children and generals, he was succeeded by his eldest son
Dharma Manikya I Dharma Manikya I, also known as Dangar Fa, was the Maharaja of Tripura from 1431 to 1462. His reign was notable for its territorial expansions as well as for his religious and cultural contributions. Ascension The eldest of the five sons of his ...
. The descendants of another son, Gagan Fa, inherited the throne in later centuries, beginning with Kalyan Manikya in 1626.


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * *{{cite book, last=Singh, first=Jai Prakash, title=An Introduction to the History of the Manikyas of Tripura, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_VBuAAAAMAAJ, year=1999, publisher=North Eastern Hill University Publications, location=Shillong Kings of Tripura History of Tripura 1431 deaths