Mughal invasion of Tripura

01The hill kingdom

The Manikya kings of Tripura ruled the hills east of the Bengal plain from Udaipur, on the Gomati river, where the temple of Tripura Sundari stands, one of the Shakti Peethas. They had long fought the Bengal sultans for the plains of Comilla. After Islam Khan reduced the Bhuiyans in 1611–12, Tripura was the next independent power on the Mughal border. Yashodhar Manikya refused to send elephants and tribute, and in 1618 Ibrahim Khan Fath Jang sent two armies against him.

02Udaipur falls

The Mughals advanced up the river valleys, beat the Tripura forces and occupied Udaipur. Yashodhar Manikya was captured and taken to the Mughal court. The Rajmala, the royal chronicle of Tripura, says that he later gave up his throne and spent his last years as a pilgrim at Mathura and Vrindavan, where he died. The Mughal occupation of the hill capital did not last; disease and the difficult country wore it down, and Tripura’s kings were ruling again from Udaipur within a few years.