October 15, 1949: When erstwhile princely state of Tripura became a part of India

New Delhi: Tripura is a state in India’s northeast and is the third-smallest state in the country. It covers an area of 10,491 sq km and is the seventh-least populous state. It has Mizoram and Assam to the east and Bangladesh to the north, south and west. The capital of the state is Agartala which is also the state’s largest city. In this article, we will take a look at the time when the erstwhile princely state was merged with India after Independence.

When and how was Tripura merged with India?

Tripura is one of the oldest places in India and its history dates back to the time of Mahabharata. Its princely rulers claimed descendants from the king Yayati in the Mahabharata. Historians have found Upper Paleolithic tools of fossilised wood in the Khowai and Haora valleys. Apart from Mahabharata, the state has been mentioned in other ancient religious texts like the Puranas. It has also been mentioned in the Edicts of Mauryan Emperor Ashoka.

Tripura’s ancient name is Kirat Desh which refers to the Kirata Kingdoms. For centuries, the region was ruled by the Twipra Kingdom. In the 15th century, Rajmala, a chronicle of Tripuri kings was first written and it gives a list of 179 kings from antiquity up to the modern age.

Over the centuries, the boundaries of the kingdom changed and Muslim invasions took place from the 13th century. In 1733, the Mughal Emperor brought Tripura into its fold although their rule never extended to the hill regions. The emperor influenced the appointment of the Tripuri kings. During British rule, Tripura became a princely state. One of its modern kings, Bir Chandra Manikya made his administration like the British India and enacted reforms including the Agartala Municipal Corporation’s formation. The last king Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur regined for the period from 1923 to 1947.

After August 15, 1947, the princely state was merged with India. Maharani Kanchan Prava Devi signed the Tripura Merger Agreement on September 9, 1949, in New Delhi on behalf of her son Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya per the consent of her late husband Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur. The princely state effectively merged with India on October 15, 1949.