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The legend has it that the title Manikya was a gift (a Mani in Sanskrit) from a frog. The title then established itself as the Manikya Dynasty, which ruled the land of fourteen gods, Tripura. But how did the ancient kingdom of Tripura become a modern-day secular state of India?
Happened on 15th October 1949
Cocooned by serene hills and lush greens, the kingdom of Tripura has always been peaceful and prosperous. It all started when Maharaja Maha Manikya ascended the throne in 1400, initiating the Manikya lineage of kingship. Much about the ancient history of the land comes from the royal chronicle of Rajmala.
The entry of the British into the picture brought a series of rapid changes in the Indian subcontinent. The most prominent one being where British paramountcy spread its wings to every nook and corner of the subcontinent, colonising it. Under the British Raj, Tripura came to be known as a Princely State. It soon became a British protectorate with the promise of safety in 1809. It gave free license to the British to intervene in the internal affairs of Tripura.
Everything was peaceful, or so it seemed, until the invasion of Kukis. Contenders of the throne would often take their help which led to instability. British being the messiah, interfered in the situation and passed an official deed to regulate the uninterrupted royal succession. Every successor now had to be approved by the Viceroy of India. It cunningly maimed the freedom of the kingdom.
Even though Tripura remained aloof from the Indian freedom struggle, it played a vital role during the process of nation-building.
India's sovereignty was at its infancy when it gained Independence. An interim government was there at work, but building a nation was a mammoth task in itself. One of the toughest challenges faced by young India was the inclusion of the Princely States into its territory.
As we all know, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was the man of the match who saved the day. He convinced every ruler of Princely State to join the Union of India and become a secular, united front.
Bir Bikram Kishore Debbarman was the last ruling king of Tripura before it became a part of India. His sudden demise in 1947 left no option for his wife, queen Kanchan Prava Devi to take over the Council of Regency and handle the administration. There was an increasing insistence on behalf of the Indian government to sign the Merger Agreement. The queen tried to stall for as long as she could.
Finally, she could not help but give in to the pressure and signed the 'Tripura Merger Agreement', which came into effect on 15th October 1949.
Tripura thus officially joined India with the status of a 'C' state. Chief commissioners appointed by the President of India governed all the C states. After becoming a Union Territory in 1956, Tripura's struggle to become a secular, linguistic state thus begun. The long-drawn struggles were successful when Tripura gained official statehood in 1972.
So this was Tripura's journey, from a kingdom to a protectorate to a secular state of India.
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