Yashodhar Manikya

Yashodhar Manikya (d. 1623), also known as Jashodhar Manikya, was the Maharaja of Tripura from 1600 to 1618. His reign is considered to be the nadir of the kingdom's history, with the temporary overthrowing of the monarchy and the region's incorporation into the Mughal Empire.[1]

Yashodhar Manikya
Maharaja of Tripura
Reign	1600–1618
Predecessor	Ishwar Manikya
Successor	Mughal interregnum
Born	1551/52
Died	1623 (aged 72) Mathura, Mughal Empire
House	Manikya dynasty
Father	Rajdhar Manikya I
Religion	Hinduism

Kingdom of Tripura
Part of History of Tripura
Kings of Tripura Maha Manikya c. 1400–1431 Dharma Manikya I 1431–1462 Ratna Manikya I 1462–1487 Pratap Manikya 1487 Vijaya Manikya I 1488 Mukut Manikya 1489 Dhanya Manikya 1490–1515 Dhwaja Manikya 1515–1520 Deva Manikya 1520–1530 Indra Manikya I 1530–1532 Vijaya Manikya II 1532–1563 Ananta Manikya 1563–1567 Udai Manikya 1567–1573 Joy Manikya I 1573–1577 Amar Manikya 1577–1585 Rajdhar Manikya I 1586–1600 Ishwar Manikya 1600 Yashodhar Manikya 1600–1623 Interregnum 1623–1626 Kalyan Manikya 1626–1660 Govinda Manikya 1660–1661 Chhatra Manikya 1661–1667 Govinda Manikya 1661–1673 Rama Manikya 1673–1685 Ratna Manikya II 1685–1693 Narendra Manikya 1693–1695 Ratna Manikya II 1695–1712 Mahendra Manikya 1712–1714 Dharma Manikya II 1714–1725 Jagat Manikya 1725–1729 Dharma Manikya II 1729 Mukunda Manikya 1729–1739 Joy Manikya II 1739–1744 Indra Manikya II 1744–1746 Vijaya Manikya III 1746–1748 Lakshman Manikya 1740s/1750s Interregnum 1750s–1760 Krishna Manikya 1760–1783 Rajdhar Manikya II 1785–1806 Rama Ganga Manikya 1806–1809 Durga Manikya 1809–1813 Rama Ganga Manikya 1813–1826 Kashi Chandra Manikya 1826–1829 Krishna Kishore Manikya 1829–1849 Ishan Chandra Manikya 1849–1862 Bir Chandra Manikya 1862–1896 Radha Kishore Manikya 1896–1909 Birendra Kishore Manikya 1909–1923 Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya 1947–1949 1949–1978 (titular) Kirit Pradyot Manikya 1978–present (titular)
Tripura monarchy data
Manikya dynasty (Royal family)
Agartala (Capital of the kingdom)
Ujjayanta Palace (Royal residence)
Neermahal (Royal residence)
Rajmala (Royal chronicle)
Tripura Buranji (Chronicle)
Chaturdasa Devata (Family deities)
Shamsher Gazi (Usurper)

Early reign

The son and heir of Rajdhar Manikya I, Yashodhar was not able to immediately claim the throne upon his father's death in 1600; the kingdom's nobles were hesitant in supporting his ascension due to the inauspicious horoscope at the time of his birth. He eventually took the throne after fighting off his kinsman Ishwar Manikya, who had claimed power in the meantime, as well as attempts by pretenders such as Dharma Manikya (supported by the rival Arakan Kingdom) and Virabhadra Manikya.[2][3]

Like Rajdhar, Yashodhar was a devout ruler who continued the spread of Vaishnavism in the kingdom which had begun under the former's reign. As with his father, he had little interest in administration and warfare, resulting in the weakening of royal power and the decline of the army.[4] However, there are records of some military campaigns during his reign. This included conflict with the Arakanese king Hussein Shah as well as raids against the Bhulua Kingdom, which ultimately resulted in the latter's destruction.[5]

Mughal conquest

In 1618, Ibrahim Khan Fath-i-Jang, the Mughal governor of Bengal, launched a land and sea assault on Tripura, with the intention of incorporating the kingdom into Bengal. Alongside a formidable naval fleet, two land forces were dispatched, consisting of 1000 cavalry, 60,000 infantry and 200 war-elephants. The Tripura army was quickly overwhelmed, with the capital Udaipur being captured. Yashodhar, along with his wives, fled into the jungle but were soon taken captive and escorted to Dhaka.[6]

Though he was offered the return of his throne on the condition of providing tribute to the Mughal emperor, Yashodhar refused.[7] He was kept in Mughal custody for the remainder of his life, first being imprisoned in Varanasi and then in Mathura. It was there that he died in 1623, while meditating, at the age of 72.[8][6][9] Tripura remained under the control of the Mughal empire until the ascension of Yashodhar's distant kinsman Kalyan Manikya in 1626.[10]

References

1. Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra (1948). The History of Bengal. II. University of Dacca. p. 243.
2. Singh, Jai Prakash (1980). Coinage of Bengal and Its Neighbourhood. Numismatic Society of India, Banaras Hindu University. p. 34.
3. Choudhury, Vasant (1996). "The Arakanese Governors of Chittagong and Their Coins". Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh: Humanities. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. 41: 151.
4. Das, Ratna (1997). Art and Architecture of Tripura. Tribal Research Institute, Government of Tripura. p. 16.
5. Sarma, Raman Mohan (1987). Political History of Tripura. Puthipatra. p. 91.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
6. Chib, Sukhdev Singh (1988). This beautiful India: Tripura. Ess Ess Publications. p. 11. ISBN 978-81-7000-039-6.
7. Chaudhuri, Dipak Kumar (1999). The Political Agents and the Native Raj: Conflict, Conciliation, and Progress, Tripura Between 1871 to 1890. New Delhi: Mittal Publications. p. 3. ISBN 978-81-7099-666-8.
8. Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra (1974). History of mediaeval Bengal. G. Bharadwaj. p. 362.
9. Saigal, Omesh (1978). Tripura: Its History And Culture. Delhi: Concept Publishing Company. p. 36.
10. Sarma (1987, p. 96)