Dharma Manikya I

The eldest of the five sons of his father Maha Manikya, Dharma was not initially intended to inherit the throne. According to court histories, he had originally decided on a monastic life, abandoning material desires and embarking on pilgrimages as an itinerant mendicant.[3] It was while he was visiting the holy city of Benares in 1431 that he received news of his father's death, as well as of the violent struggle for the vacant throne which had ensued among his brothers and the military leaders. The story continues that accompanied by eight Brahmins, Dharma hastened back to Tripura. There he was welcomed by the people and unanimously chosen as the next ruler.[4]

Early in Dharma's reign, his territories were invaded by the Sultan of Bengal, Shamsuddin Ahmad Shah, who compelled a tribute of money and elephants. In turn, Dharma launched his own assault, occupying and plundering the city of Sonargaon.[5][4] Further Bengali lands were attacked by his armies, with Patrikara, Gangamandal, Meherkul and Khandal all being annexed into Tripura.[6] Around this time, Min Saw Mon, the exiled ruler of Arakan, visited the royal court. Dharma contributed both financially and militarily to the former's reconquest of his kingdom.[7]

Traditions describe Dharma as a powerful administrator as well as a patron of learning and culture; the latter of which is most evident in his commissioning of the Rajmala, a history of the Manikya dynasty. His religious zeal is also notable, shown both through donations of large amounts of lands to Brahmins, as well as by his construction projects, which include temples and the famous Dharmasagar tank in Comilla.[8][9]

Numismatic evidence suggests that Dharma is identical to the Tripura ruler referred to in the Rajmala as "Dangar Fa". This is due to coins bearing the name of Dangar Fa's supposed son and successor, Ratna Manikya I (mistakenly identified as Dharma's great-grandfather in the text),[10] place the latter's reign as being immediately after that of Dharma. This would suggest that Dharma was in fact Ratna Manikya's father and that episodes linked with "Dangar Fa" in the Rajmala are instead associated with him.[8][11]

Thus, according to the events narrated in the chronicle, Dharma divided his kingdom into seventeen parts, each to be parcelled to all but the youngest of his eighteen sons.[note 1] The shunned son, Ratna, was instead given as a hostage to the Sultan of Bengal, Rukunuddin Barbak Shah. However, Ratna allied with the Sultan and launched an invasion of Tripura, defeating his father and brothers.[12] While his other sons were imprisoned, Dharma himself was expelled from the kingdom by the new monarch. He eventually died in exile on the Thanamchi hill, to the east of Tripura.[13][14][note 2]

• Bhattacharyya, Banikantha (1986). Tripura Administration: The Era of Modernisation, 1870-1972. Delhi: Mittal Publications.
• Chib, Sukhdev Singh (1988). Tripura. Ess Ess Publications. ISBN 978-81-7000-039-6.
• Durlabhendra; Sukheshwar; Baneshwar (1999), Sri Rajmala, vol. I–IV, translated by Kailāsa Candra Siṃha; N.C. Nath, Agartala: Tribal Research Institute, Govt. of Tripura
• Gan-Chaudhuri, Jagadis (1980). Tripura, the land and its people. Leeladevi Publications. ISBN 9788121004480.
• Ghoshal, Anindita (2018). Tejimala Gurung (ed.). In the Belly of the Tiger, almost: Mughal-Tripura Interface in the Eighteenth Century. ISBN 978-93-85839-12-2. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
• Goswami, Debabrata (1996). Military History of Tripura, 1490 to 1947. Agartala: Tripura State Tribal Cultural Research Institute & Museum, Government of Tripura.
• Ray, Ajay (1976). Tripura, the Enchanting Land. Directorate of Public Relations & Tourism, Government of Tripura.
• Saha, Sudhanshu Bikash (1986). Tribes of Tripura: A Historical Survey. Agartala: Rupali Book House.
• Sarma, Ramani Mohan (1987). Political History of Tripura. Puthipatra.
• Singh, G. P. (1980). The Turko- Afghan and Mughal invasions of Tripura (Hill-Tipperah) Raj (1240-1733 A.D.). The Journal of the Assam Research Society. Kāmarūpa Anusandhān Samiti.
• Sur, Hirendra Kumar (1986). British Relations with the State of Tripura, 1760-1947. Saraswati Book Depot.