Twipra

The Twipra Kingdom (), anglicized as Tipperah, was one of the largest historical kingdoms of the Tripuri people in Northeast India.

Legend

A list of legendary Tripuri kings is given in the Rajmala chronicle, a 15th-century chronicle in Bengali written by the court pandits of Dharma Manikya I (r. 1431). The chronicle traces the king's ancestry to the mythological Lunar Dynasty. Druhyu, the son of Yayati, became king of the land of Kirata and constructed a city named Trivega on the bank of Kapila river. His kingdom was bounded by the river Tairang on the north, Acaranga on the south, Mekhali on the east, Koch and Vanga on the west. The daughter of the King of Hedamba was married to King Trilochona of Trivega. The King of Hedamba, having no heir, made the eldest son of Trilochona the king of his land. After the death of Trilochona, his second son Daksina became King of Tripura. Daksina shared the wealth of the kingdom among his eleven brothers. Being the eldest son of Trilochona, the King of Hedamba demanded his kingdom from his brothers. In denial, the enraged King of Hedamba attacked Tripura and destroyed the capital. The eleven brothers left Trivega and moved to Khalangma on the bank of river Varavakra and found the capital Khalangma. In the 8th century, the kingdom shifted its capital eastwards along the Surma river in Sylhet, near the present-day town of Kailasahar in northern Tripura.

The religion of the Tipra had 14 deities known as Chaturdasa Devata and is still preserved in the Chaturdasha Temple in Agartala, which is maintained by the Tipra priests known as Chantais, who oversee the festivals of the Kharchi and Ker according to traditions.

History

Chinese chronicles

Twipra is mentioned in Ming Shilu as ''Di-wu-la''. By the early 15th century, its territory was occupied by ''Da Gu-la'', an unidentified state.

Cheitharol Kumbaba

In Cheitharol Kumbaba chronicles of Manipur, Tripura is referred to as Takhen.

Islamic-invasions era

The earliest historical records concerning the Twipra kingdom appears in the 15th century, when it first came under pressure from the Islamic invaders. This is also the time of origin of the Manikya Dynasty, when Chhengthung Fa adopted the title ''Manikya'', becoming Maha Manikya, with the cognomen being held by all Kings of Tripura until the death of Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya in 1947. Under Ratna Manikya I, the capital shifted to Rangamati on the banks of the river Gumti, now in South Tripura.

Tripura was one of the states that pushed back successive waves of invasions from Turks, Afghans, and Mughals. On many occasions, Tripuris (Tiprasa) also pushed back Burmese and Arakanese invasions from the East. At its height it comprised what is now Tripura, Sylhet division of Bangladesh, Cachar region of Assam state and the Chittagong Hill Tracts of what is now Bangladesh, and even managed to remain free and independent before the British takeover.

The plains of Tripura, however, fell to the attacks from Mughals. The plains territories comprise today's South-East Dhaka and Comilla areas. While the plains areas were thus Islamized, the Hills of Tripura served as a continuous bulwark against penetration to the East. The Tripura Hill Kings were major sponsors of Hindu traditions and customs. In the modern age, they are remembered as one of the longest and most stable dynasties from the Indian East.

Dhanya Manikya (reigned 1463 to 1515) expanded Twipra's territorial domain well into Eastern Bengal. Rangamati was renamed Udaipur after Udai Manikya. The kingdom flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries with kings such as Govinda Manikya putting up a strong defence against the pressure of the Muslim kingdoms to the west. However, the plains areas fell away from Tripura state due to the actions of a renegade Tripuri prince who was backed by Mughal governors of Eastern Bengal plains. After this, plains Twipra became a separate Mughal client kingdom, with the Mughal rulers exerting influence on the appointment of its kings. However, the Mughals could never penetrate the Hills territories to the east.

British India

The princely state of Tripura existed outside British India, in a subsidiary alliance with it, and was a self-governing area known as ''Hill Tippera'', the present-day state of Tripura. However, the kings retained an estate known as Tippera district of the British Bengal Presidency or Chakla Roshanbad, which after the partition of India became part of the greater Comilla region of Bangladesh.

Bir Chandra Manikya (1862–1896) modelled his administration on the pattern of British India, and enacted reforms including the formation of Agartala Municipal Corporation. The last king was Kirit Bikram Kishore, son of Bir Bikram Kishore Debbarma, who ruled for two years, 1947–1949. In 1949, Tripura became part of the Republic of India. The Tripuri "heir apparent" is Kirat Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma (born 1978), the son of the last king, who is sometimes given the courtesy title of "Maharaja".

Geography

The present political areas which were part of the Twipra Kingdom are:

* Barak Valley (Cachar Plains), Hailakandi and Karimganj in present-day Assam
* Comilla, Sylhet and the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh
* The present-day states of Tripura

The Twipra Kingdom in all its various ages comprised the areas with the borders:

# The Khasi Hills in the North
# The Manipur Hills in the North-East
# The Arakan Hills of Burma in the East
# The Bay of Bengal to the South
# The Brahmaputra River to the West

Historical significance and legacy

Tripura is considered one of the oldest princely states in India, with its rulers claiming descent from the Lunar Dynasty of the Mahabharata. This ancient lineage underscores the kingdom's deep-rooted historical significance.

The cultural heritage of the Kingdom of Tripura includes the worship of the Chaturdasa Devata (Fourteen Gods) which is spiritual heritage blending Hinduism and Indigenous practices and The Tripura Sundari Temple which is dedicated to the goddess Tripura Sundari which holds immense religious significance. Festivals like Kharchi puja and unique dances like Hojagiri reflect the region's vibrant traditions.

Tripura has a significant Buddhist heritage, especially as a center for Tantric Buddhism from the 8th century onwards. Tantric Buddhism, or Vajrayana, focused on esoteric practices and rituals aimed at enlightenment. The region was influenced by figures like Virupa, a key figure in tantric teachings. Archaeological sites like Pilak have uncovered Buddhist artifacts, highlighting Tripura's role in the spread of Buddhist art and culture.

See also

* History of Tripura
* Tripura (princely state)
* Tripuri people

Notes

References

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*
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* ''Tripura Buranji'' 17th century Ahom chronicle.
* ''Progressive Tripura'', 1930
* ''Rajmala'', royal chronicle of Tripura Kings.

"Hill Tippera – History"
''The Imperial Gazetteer of India'', 1909, v. 13, p. 118.
*

Further reading

Tripura Rajmala
(1850) by Rev. James Long

External links

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{{Authority control

Former monarchies of Asia
Former monarchies of India
History of Bengal
History of Tripura
Kingdoms of Northeast India
Manikya dynasty