Udai Manikya I

Udai Manikya I (died 1572), also known as Gopi Prasad, was the Maharaja of Tripura from 1567 to 1572. Though from a lowly background, he later rose to become one of the most powerful figures in the kingdom. Following the death of the previous monarch, his son-in-law, Udai took royal power himself, for a time supplanting the ruling dynasty with his own line.

Udai Manikya I
Maharaja of Tripura
Reign	1567–1572
Predecessor	Ananta Manikya
Successor	Joy Manikya I
Born	Gopi Prasad
Died	1572
Consort	Hira Mahadevi[1]
Issue	Joy Manikya I Ratnavati
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 I 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 Udai Manikya II 1744 Joy Manikya II 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 Birendra Kishore Manikya 1909–1923 Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya 1923–1947 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)
Pushbanta Palace (Royal residence)
Neermahal (Royal residence)
Rajmala (Royal chronicle)
Tripura Buranji (Chronicle)
Chaturdasa Devata (Family deities)
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Life

Originally named Gopi Prasad, he was of humble origins.^[2] He began his career during the reign of Vijaya Manikya II, serving as a gomasta (rent-collector) in Dharmanagar,^[3] though was later driven out of this position after having climbed a tree belonging to a Brahmin.^[4] Thereafter, he was appointed as a cook in the royal kitchens, then a chowkidar, before ultimately rising to become Commander-in-Chief of the Tripura army. His influence further increased when Vijaya, wishing to ensure the ambitious officer's loyalty, married his own son to the latter's daughter, Ratnavati.^[5]

Upon the ascension of his son-in-law, Ananta Manikya, to the throne in 1563, Gopi Prasad expanded his already extensive power,^[6] keeping the new king completely under his control.^[2] This arrangement proved to be short-lived, when, in 1567, Ananta died under uncertain circumstances. According to differing versions of the Rajmala, this was either the result of a fever or through strangulation on Gopi Prasad's orders.^[7][8] Regardless, the latter subsequently claimed royal power and adopted the regnal name Udai Manikya, assuming the erstwhile ruling dynasty's cognomen.^[3]

Udai proved to be a talented administrator and renamed the kingdom's capital, changing it from Rangamati to Udaipur after himself. He extensively worked to beautify the city with the construction of buildings, temples and reservoirs, among which were the Chandra Gopinath Temple and the Chandrasagar. He was less successful in warfare however, having become involved in a 5-year-long conflict with Sulaiman Khan Karrani, the Sultan of Bengal, resulting in the heavy loss of money, 40,000 troops and the area of Chittagong.^[9][7]

Tradition states that Udai had 240 wives, several of whom, on charges of infidelity,^{[note 1]} he had executed through being trampled by elephants or devoured by dogs. Udai himself was poisoned to death in 1572, after having ingested a pill of quicksilver supplied by a certain woman. He was succeeded by his son Joy Manikya I.^[9]

Notes

1. A visiting prince of Bengal was said to have numbered among their paramours.^[4]

References

1. Majumdar, Ramesh Chandra (1974). History of mediaeval Bengal. G. Bharadwaj. p. 361.
2. Roychoudhury, Nalini Ranjan (1983). Tripura through the ages: a short history of Tripura from the earliest times to 1947 A.D. Sterling. p. 21.
3. Sarma, Ramani Mohan (1987). Political History of Tripura. Puthipatra. p. 75.
4. Long, James (1850). "Analysis of the Bengali Poem Raj Mala, or Chronicles of Tripura". Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. XIX. Calcutta: Asiatic society: 547.
5. Sarma (1987, pp. 72, 75)
6. Sarma (1987, pp. 73–75)
7. Roychoudhury (1983, p. 22)
8. Sarma (1987, p. 6)
9. Sarma (1987, p. 76)