Rama Manikya (d. 1676), also called Ram Manikya or Ramdev Manikya, 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 1676 to 1685.

Life

The eldest son of Maharaja Govinda Manikya, as a prince Rama acted as one of his father's military commanders. In December 1661, he was dispatched against his rebellious uncle Nakshatra Roy and engaged him in the Battle of Amtali, during which Rama was defeated. This loss forced his father to temporarily abandon the throne and leave Tripura for a number of years. Following Govinda's death in 1676, Rama ascended the throne, though he soon faced rebellion from his nephew Dwarika Thakur. The latter assumed the royal title Narendra Manikya and with the aid of Nasir Muhammad, the

Afghan Afghan or Afgan may refer to: Related to Afghanistan *Afghans, historically refers to the Pashtun people. It is both an ethnicity and nationality. Ethnicity wise, it refers to the Pashtuns. In modern terms, it means both the citizens of Afghanist ...

Nawab Nawab is a royal title indicating a ruler, often of a South Asian state, in many ways comparable to the Western title of Prince. The relationship of a Nawab to the Emperor of India has been compared to that of the Kingdom of Saxony, Kings of ...

of Sarail, overthrew Rama. The deposed king turned 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 ...

governor of

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 ...

Shaista Khan Mirza Abu Talib (b. 22 November 1600 – d. 1694), better known as Shaista Khan, was a general and the Subahdar of Mughal Bengal. He was maternal uncle to the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, and acted as a key figure during his reign. Shaista Khan ini ...

, for aid. The latter dispatched his army in Rama's support, allowing him to recapture the throne, with Khan taking Narendra captive 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 ...

. At some point, Rama led an incursion north towards

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 ...

, reaching as far as the city borders. In Tripura itself, he performed extensive infrastructure development, excavating several

tanks A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; t ...

(reservoirs) and erecting temples. One such was in honour of

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

(suggesting a personal affinity with

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...

) as well as repairing the Temple of Tripura Sundari, which had previously been damaged from lightning strike. Many villages located throughout modern-day

Tripura State Tripura () is a state in northeastern India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 3.67 million. It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the east and by Bangladesh to the ...

and

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

are named in his honour. Rama died in old age in 1685, with his consort Ratnavati performing '' Sati'' in his funeral pyre. He was succeeded by his son Ratna Manikya II, at the time only five years old.

Notes

References

{{reflist Kings of Tripura History of Tripura 1685 deaths