118th birth anniversary of Maharaj Bir Bikram observed through programme in Rabindra Shata Varshiki Bhawan

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, August 19, 2026

The 118th birth anniversary of Maharaj Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya (1908-1947) was observed officially with a programme held in the Hall No-1 of Rabindra Shata Varshiki Bhawan today. Among those who attended the memorial programme to pay tribute to the Maharaja who incidentally was the last ritually coronated ruler of the Manikya dynasty were the chief minister Dr Manik Saha, the state president of BJP and MLA Abhishek Debroy and AMC mayor and MLA Dipak Majumder.

Addressing the programme the chief minister said that Maharaja Bir Bikram was a far-sighted visionary leader who initiated the process of modernization of the state and its development despite having limited resources . He was also the man who had opened the doors of state for the terror stricken people leaving erstwhile Eastern Bengal and East Pakistan because of pre and post-partition rioting who had lived as his subjects in the ‘Chakla Roshanabad’ area. “Maharaja Bir Bikram had been the first among Tripura kings to have visited Europe and America twice and had met top personalities such as Mussolini of Italy and then US president Franklin Roosevelt; upon his return he had introduced development programmes based on his experience and had designed Agartala as a planned city” said Dr Saha.

He said that it was a matter of great regret that Maharaja Bir Bikram had died so young , at the age of 39 only but before his death he had authored the formal royal edict paving the way for princely Tripura’s merger with the Indian union on April 28 1947 , defeating the conspiracy of a section of royals and local Muslim League conspirators to have Tripura merged with Pakistan. “That would have been a disaster for the state and its people and the late Maharaja with his foresight had realized what the right decision would be and saved the lives and well being of Tripura’s future generations ; we respect his contribution and legacy” the chief minister said .

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