AGARTALA: The 118th birth anniversary of Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur turned into a day of tribute in Tripura on Wednesday, as Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha led the state government in honouring the last effective ruler of the Manikya dynasty, garlanding his statue at Zero Point in Agartala and describing him as the “architect of modern Tripura.”
However, the occasion also became one of political reflection, as royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma questioned whether his grandfather’s vision for the Tiprasa people had actually been fulfilled, even as tributes poured in from across the state.
Speaking at the Zero Point ceremony, Dr Saha said the Maharaja’s contributions to Tripura could not be adequately expressed in words. “It is a matter of great joy that Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur is called the architect of modern Tripura. Today is his 118th birth anniversary, and people across Tripura are remembering him. The less we say about his contributions, the less it seems,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the Maharaja had made significant contributions to education, roads, urban development, administrative reforms and the overall development of Tripura, and credited his progressive outlook to his exposure to different parts of India and abroad. He also recalled the Maharaja’s role in developing Agartala’s roads, buildings and municipal administration, noting that one of the city’s oldest municipalities was established during his reign.
Dr Saha said the present government had been working since 2018 to recognise the contributions of the Manikya rulers. “Since 2018, after the BJP-led government came to power, we have tried to pay respect to the Maharajas and acknowledge their contributions,” he said. Referring to Zero Point itself, he recalled that the area was once an unnamed, island-like patch of land near Kaman Chowmuhani before the government restored the historic zero milestone and installed the Maharaja’s statue there.
The Chief Minister also spoke of the Maharaja’s association with Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. “Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore had a special relationship with Rabindranath Tagore,” he said, adding that Tagore had visited Tripura several times at the Maharaja’s invitation and shared a close bond with the royal family.
Dr Saha stressed the need to pass on this history to younger generations. “Our next generation should know about the work he had done and read about him. His vision and thinking should be understood by the younger generation,” he said. Invoking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call of “Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi,” he said development and heritage needed to move together, and pointed to the Maharaja’s inclusive style of governance. “He had a very broad outlook. His exposure to different parts of the country and abroad broadened his thinking. He worked by taking everyone along,” he said.
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Dr Saha alleged that previous governments had failed to give the Manikya rulers their due recognition and said his government was working to bring their historical contributions before the public. He announced that a detailed programme on the Maharaja’s life, vision and contributions would also be held at Rabindra Bhavan. The Chief Minister was accompanied at the Zero Point ceremony by BJP state president and MLA Abhishek Debroy, Agartala Municipal Corporation Mayor Dipak Majumder, BJP state general secretary Bipin Debbarma and Councillor Ratna Datta, among others.
Meanwhile, the erstwhile royal family member and grandson of Maharaja, Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarman, marked the anniversary with a separate message from Agartala, saying he was unable to step out due to swelling in his leg. While welcoming the floral tributes being offered at statues and portraits of the Maharaja across the state, he questioned whether the former ruler’s vision and dreams had actually been realised.
Pradyot referred to a land protection law enacted by Maharaja Bir Bikram in 1940 to safeguard Tiprasa land by restricting its purchase and sale by non-indigenous people in protected areas. According to him, subsequent governments introduced the Tripura Land Revenue framework after Independence, and the area once protected under the Maharaja’s law eventually became part of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council.
“Today we honour the Maharaja and seek votes in his name, but his vision, that land in the Tiprasa region should remain with the Tiprasa people, has still not been implemented,” Pradyot said.
He placed particular emphasis on land titles, arguing that people cannot enjoy real security without legal ownership of the land they live on, and pointed to Mizoram and tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland as examples of stronger land-related protections for indigenous communities.
He said the inability to issue land titles within the Sixth Schedule area remained a major concern, arguing that the Maharaja’s dream was to ensure that no poor Tiprasa villager remained landless.
“If we truly wish to honour the Maharaja, we must fulfil his dream,” Pradyot said, adding that indigenous families should be able to obtain registered land titles and pass them on to their children. He also said that ministers, MLAs, MDCs, executive members and chairpersons would eventually leave office, while land rights would offer lasting security to future generations.
Calling for a “United Tripura” with rights for its indigenous people, he said the Maharaja’s legacy should be measured not merely through ceremonies but through concrete steps to protect land and secure the future of Tiprasa families.
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Beyond the political sphere, the anniversary was marked through a series of institutional programmes in Agartala. The Tribal Welfare Department, Government of Tripura, observed the Maharaja’s birth anniversary for the first time through a special event at Pragya Bhavan, with Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma attending as chief guest and formally inaugurating the programme.
The occasion also brought together the department’s educational initiatives for tribal students, including the distribution of printed study materials under the Smart Class Project, run by the department in association with the Institute for Career Advancement, which provides chapter-wise solved study notes to tribal students across all 100 government ST hostels covered by the project.
At Bir Bikram Memorial College in Agartala, the Department of Kokborok, in collaboration with the Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh, Tripura, organised a solemn and colourful programme. It began with Vande Mataram, followed by the felicitation of dignitaries and the ceremonial lighting of the lamp. Dr Rupak Das, Secretary of the Teachers’ Council, spoke on the importance of remembering the Maharaja’s life, ideals and contribution to Tripura’s development, while ABRSM Tripura president Tirtharam Reang, the special guest, recalled his benevolent nature and concern for his people.
College Principal Dr Mihir Pal, who presided over the programme, paid tribute through a self-composed poem. Students presented Hojagiri and other cultural performances, and a quiz on the Maharaja’s life and legacy was also organised. The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Assistant Professor Hamari Jamatia and the National Anthem.
Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur was born on August 19, 1908, into the Manikya dynasty, which had ruled Tripura since 1280. He became the 184th and penultimate Maharaja of the Kingdom of Tripura in 1923 and ruled until his death on May 17, 1947.
He was succeeded by his son, Maharaja Kirit Bikram Kishore Deb Barman, who remained the nominal king until Tripura’s merger with India in 1949. August 19 is observed as a public holiday in Tripura, with schools, colleges and government offices remaining closed across the state to mark the occasion.
