Photo Courtesy: tripuratimes
Agartala: Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha paid tribute to the late Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur on Wednesday. The state marked the birth anniversary with a ceremony at Zero Point in Agartala. Officials laid floral wreaths before his portrait to honor the ruler.
Shah called the late monarch the architect of modern Tripura in a post on X. He credited the Maharaja with laying the state's foundations through welfare-focused governance and foresight. "Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur is remembered as the architect of modern Tripura for his unmatched contributions in education, infrastructure, and governance," Shah stated.
Dr. Saha addressed party workers in Agartala, asserting that previous governments long ignored the contributions of India's royal dynasties. He claimed recognition for these leaders only gained momentum under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Chief Minister cited specific infrastructure achievements, including the urban layout of Ramnagar, the road connecting Ujjayanta Palace to Maharajganj Bazaar, and the founding of MBB College.
The Maharaja maintained strong ties with poet Rabindranath Tagore, supporting Visva-Bharati University and inspiring works like Visarjan and Rajarshi. He also provided patronage to music legend S.D. Burman. The Chief Minister noted that when the Maharaja died in 1947, his wife, Maharani Kanchan Prabha Devi, led the Regency Council to complete Tripura's integration into India.
State BJP president Abhishek Debroy confirmed the party had honored the ruler long before 2018. Recent efforts include renaming the Agartala airport after the Maharaja and installing a statue there. Agartala Mayor Dipak Majumder and Ward No. 20 corporator Ratna Dutta also attended the tribute event to emphasize the importance of passing these historical ideals to the next generation.
Updated at 19th August 2026 at 6:15pm
This year marked the Maharaja's 118th birth anniversary. During a follow-up event at the Rabindra Shatabarshiki Bhavan, the state government presented the Maharaja Bir Bikram Smriti Puraskar 2026 to Dr. Dhammapiya Maharaj.
Chief Minister Saha linked current policy to the ruler's legacy, claiming the state is now correcting past attempts to distort history. He added that the administration is working to bring tribal communities back into the mainstream while preserving heritage structures and traditions linked to the princely era.
The Chief Minister credited the Maharaja with pushing for harmony between tribal and non-tribal groups during his reign. He noted that the ruler's extensive travels abroad helped shape his administrative style and approach to building modern civic institutions in the state.
Updated at 20th August 2026 at 1:45am
Royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma injected a sharp dose of political reality into the day, skipping the ceremonies due to a leg injury but issuing a direct challenge to the government. While he acknowledged the floral tributes, he blasted the state for using the Maharaja's name for votes without honoring his 1940 land protection law. He argued that the current Tripura Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act and the realities within the Sixth Schedule failed to prevent indigenous landlessness, citing the stronger protections found in Mizoram and Nagaland as benchmarks the state must reach to truly respect his grandfather's vision.
Government observances expanded beyond the wreath-laying at Zero Point. The Tribal Welfare Department held its first dedicated event at Pragya Bhavan, where officials handed out study materials for the Smart Class Project to students in 100 government ST hostels. At Bir Bikram Memorial College, the Department of Kokborok and the Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh staged a cultural program featuring Hojagiri dance performances and an academic quiz focused on the late ruler's life.
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