History of Tripura in Brief

Tripura, fixed in the north eastern part of India was a princely state, before becoming the integral part of the Republic of India. Not much is known about Tripura's early history. It first finds reference in the Ashokan pillars of the 3rd century BC. In the 1300s AD, Tripura came under the control of the Manikya dynasty, a family of Indo-Mongolian origin. In the early part of 17th century AD, Tripura came under the administration of the Mughals. But the local rulers (the Manikyas) continued to retain some of their power. After the British established their colonies in Kolkata, they conquered some parts of modern Tripura but applied no administrative control for more than a century. To the British, Tripura was known as Hill Tippera. Even when a representative was appointed in the year 1871 AD, the Manikya Maharajas had enough independence, though they were asked to seek British approval on the accession of a new ruler.

Monarchy in Tripura ended on 9th September 1947. One of the greatest of the Manikya rulers was Bir Chandra Manikya Bahadur of the 19th century AD. He was a great poet and musician and made an attempt to modernise and organise Tripura's administration, and abolish the practice of slavery and sati. The last ruling Maharaja of Tripura, Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya, ascended the throne in year 1923 and, before his death in the year 1947, settled that Tripura should accede to the newly independent country of India. Tripura officially became part of India on Oct. 15, 1949, and a Union Territory on 1st November 1956. It became a constituent state of the Indian Union on Jan. 21, 1972