Ratna Manikya II
1685–1693
1695–1712
Ratnadev
c. 1680
1712 (aged 31–32)
- Satyavati
- Bhagavati
- 118 other wives
c. 1400–1431
c. 1400–1431
1431–1462
1462–1487
1487
1488
1489
1490–1515
1515–1520
1520–1530
1530–1532
1532–1563
1563–1567
1567–1573
1573–1577
1577–1585
1586–1600
1600
1600–1623
1623–1626
1626–1660
1660–1661
1661–1667
1661–1673
1673–1685
1685–1693
1693–1695
1695–1712
1712–1714
1714–1725
1725–1729
1729
1729–1739
c. 1739–1744
c. 1744–1746
c. 1744
1746
1746–1748
1740s/1750s
1750s–1760
1760–1783
1785–1806
1806–1809
1809–1813
1813–1826
1826–1829
1829–1849
1849–1862
1862–1896
1909–1923
1923–1947
1947–1949
1949–1978 (titular)
1978–present (titular)
Background and first reign[edit]
Born Ratnadeva, he was the eldest of Maharaja Rama Manikya's four surviving sons and the only one to be born of his chief queen.[2][3] During his father's reign, he held the post of Yuvraj.[4]
Rama died in 1685 and Ratna, then only 5 years old, ascended the throne under the name Ratna Manikya. The state of confusion which had ensued upon his father's death continued throughout the early years of Ratna's reign. Due to his young age, control of the state was held by his maternal uncle, Balibhima Narayana, who is described in the Champakvijay (a contemporary political work) as having been an oppressive ruler.[5] Narayana eventually fell afoul of the Subahdar of Bengal, Shaista Khan, who, in reprisal for an invasion of the Mughal territory of Sylhet,[6] launched an assault on Tripura in 1693. Narayana was imprisoned and the young Ratna was overthrown and replaced with his cousin, Narendra Manikya, who had aided Khan in the campaign.[1]
Second reign[edit]
Narendra reigned for about two years, during which time Ratna was kept by his side and treated affectionately.[7] The former was eventually deposed by Shaista Khan, who had been influenced against him by another cousin,[8] Champak Ray, among others. Ratna was subsequently restored to the throne, though once again had little actual power, having become a puppet-ruler under Ray, who was named his Yuvraj. The latter was eventually assassinated by the king's supporters.[9]
Finally secure as ruler in his own right, Ratna enacted a number of administrative changes, such as restoring earlier ministerial positions as well as creating new ones. One of his brothers, Durjoy Singh, was named the new Yuvraj while another, Ghanashyam, was made Barathakur.[note 1] Ratna also had dealings with other kingdoms, having battled King Paikhomba of Manipur in 1696, as well as sending another brother, Chandramani, as a hostage to the Mughal court.[11] Between 1710 and 1715, a series of embassies and letters in Sanskrit were exchanged between the court of Tripura and that of the ruler of the Ahom kingdom, Rudra Singha, with the purpose of developing a Hindu confederation against Mughal attacks.[12][13]
Due to the internal instability during his reign, Ratna had little opportunity to contribute to public works within his kingdom. Among the few he did commission was the Sateroratna Mandir, a temple dedicated to the god Jagannath in Comilla, located in what is present-day Bangladesh. Images of the goddess Kali were also installed in Comilla as well as at the temple at Kasba.[12]
Overthrow and death[edit]
Towards the end of his reign, a conspiracy was launched against Ratna by his brother Ghanashyam. The latter was assisted by Murad Beg, an influential noble at court whose married sister had been dishonoured by the king.[14][12] Murad was dispatched to Dhaka, where he recruited some itinerant forces as well as a high-ranking local officer against Ratna. Ghanashyam himself was frequently absent from the capital, using the excuse that he was holding wild elephants. According to the Rajmala, Ratna was informed by his supporters that his brother was plotting against him, though he ignored the information. Historian Ramani Mohan Sarma suggests that this inaction may either have been due to the king's inexperience with diplomacy resulting in a misplaced trust in Ghanashyam, or that he was fearful of moving against his powerful brother.[15]
In 1712, Ratna was forcibly removed from the throne and confined to the royal apartments. Ghanashyam, who took power under the name Mahendra Manikya, later had him strangled to death, with his body being cremated on the banks of the Gomti River.[16][17] Ratna's wives, said to have numbered 120,[1] all immolated themselves on his funeral pyre.[18]