Mahendra Manikya (d. 1714) 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 1712 to 1714.

Background

Originally named Ghanashyam Thakur, he was born the second son of Maharaja Rama Manikya. His elder brother was Ratna Manikya II who, after having been previously overthrown by a cousin, was restored to the throne by 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 ...

s in 1695. However, in return Ghanashyam was temporarily sent to the Mughal court as a hostage. At some point, he was awarded the title of ''Barathakur'' by his brother. In 1712, Ghanashyam launched a conspiracy against his brother, having gained the assistance of Murad Beg, an influential member of the royal court. The latter was sent to

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

, where he recruited some itinerant forces as well as the assistance of Muhammad Sapi, a local high-ranking officer. Ratna Manikya was forcibly removed from power and Ghanashyam claimed the throne, assuming the regnal name Mahendra Manikya. He had his predecessor first confined to the palace apartments and then killed soon after, with two of the latter's prominent officers also being beheaded.

Reign

Though little is known about his reign, with 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 ...

'' only describing him as being an "impious ruler", Mahendra appears to have enacted some reforms to the administration. His brothers Durjoy Singh and Chandramani were named ''Yuvraj'' and ''Barathakur'' respectively. He also attempted to strengthen ties with the neighbouring Ahom kingdom, located in what is present-day

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

. Assamese envoys, already present in Tripura at the time of his ascension, were formerly received at court, with Mahendra sending his own representative, Aribhima Narayana, back with them to

Rangpur Rangpur may refer to: Places In Bangladesh *Rangpur Division, one of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. *Rangpur District, district of Bangladesh in Rangpur Division. *Rangpur, Bangladesh, metropolis and a major city in northern ...

. Subsequently, a series of warm correspondence, embassies and gifts were dispatched between Mahendra and the Ahom king,

Rudra Singha Swargadeo Rudra Singha (– 27 August 1714), with Tai name Sukhrungphaa, was the 30th Ahom king, reigning from 1696 to 1714 A.D . His father Gadadhar Singha freed Assam from the Mughal disturbances and internal conspiracies, thereby Rudra Sin ...

. However, in August 1714, soon after a third embassy to Tripura was sent, Rudra Singha died, with his successor

Siva Singha Swargadeo Siva Singha ( – 14 December 1744), with Tai name Sutanphaa, was the 31st king of Assam from the Ahom dynasty who reigned from (1714 to 1744 A.D.) He was the eldest son of King Rudra Singha. Siva Singha was with his dying father at Guw ...

having little interest in continuing his father's habits. By the time these envoys had arrived in Tripura, in January 1715, Mahendra too had died, having reigned for only 14 months. He was succeeded by his ''Yuvraj'', Durjoy Singh, who took the name Dharma Manikya II.

Notes

References

{{reflist Kings of Tripura History of Tripura 1714 deaths