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The Tripura Buranji is an account of the diplomatic contacts between the Ahom kingdom and the Tripura Kingdom between 1709 and 1715. The Buranji was written in 1724 by the envoys of the Ahom kingdom, Ratna Kandali Sarma Kataki and Arjun Das Bairagi Kataki. This work gives an account of three diplomatic missions that was sent to the Twipra kingdom, incidental descriptions of palaces, ceremonies and customs; and it also provides an eye witness account of the Twipra king Ratna Manikya II (1684–1712) deposed by his step-brother Ghanashyam Barthakur, later Mahendra Manikya (1712–1714).

This manuscript falls under the class of documents called Buranjis, a tradition of chronicle writing of the Ahom kingdom; and among this class of writings, this particular manuscript enjoys an exalted position. This document is considered to be a significant and critical source of Tripura history. It is also considered to stand out among different pre-colonial travel writings from India, that described the "the landscape, habits, dress, manners and beliefs of the people, deities and temples and the intrigues for the throne within the court of Tripura."

Manuscript

The manuscript, titled Tripura Desar Kathar Lekha Sri-Sri-Rudra Singha Maharaja-dewe Tripura Desar Raja Ratna Manikya sahit priti-purbak Katati gatagata kara katha, is 146 4"x17" folios of sanchi paat made of the bark of the Aloe tree. Each folio had five lines of text on each side, with folio 108 missing. A table of contents was inserted at the end of the manuscript. The manuscript was purchased by the British Museum from one J. Rodd on 8 January 1842. It is written in the Assamese language.

Descriptions

Diplomatic protocols

The manuscript describes the strict protocols the diplomatic missions of the Ahom and Twipra kingdoms followed.

Spring festivals

The manuscript describes the spring festival, as celebrated by the Twipra king and his subjects.

Notes

1. "Tripura Buranji popularly known as Tripura Desar Kathar Lekha, the name by which the original manuscript is known bears testimony about the history of the region of a crucial period. We are fortunate that there is a Tripura Buranji written by Ratna Kandali and Arjundas Kataki." (Sarkar 2016:5)
2. "Dr. Surjya Kumar Bhuyan described the book in the following words "on the whole 'Tripura Buranji' constitutes a distinct landmark in the history of Assamese prose and Assamese historical literature with regard both to its contents and expression, occupying a position far above the average Buranji." (Chaudhuri 2016:27)
3. "Dr. H.L. Chatterjjee one of the eminent historians of Tripura eloquently praised the skill of history writing of these two Assamese Envoys." (Chaudhari 2016:28) harvcol error: no target: CITEREFChaudhari2016 (help)
4. "n Kalidas's Meghadootam and later Sandeshakavyas, in the descriptions of holy places like in Namdev's Tirthayatra in Marathi, in Vidyapati's 14th century Sanskrit work Bhuparikrama, in the 18th century Asamiya work Tripura Buranji by Ratna Kandali and Arjundas Bairagi and the like. The last-named work is especially interesting where envoys of King Rudra Sinha (1696-1714) of Assam were sent to the court of Ratnamanikya, the King of Tripura, to seek support for the proposed invasion of Bengal in 1714. As K. Satchidanandan writes, "These envoys who went on foot along with escorts to Tripura through Cachar and the foothills of Mizoram have carefully recorded in the racy style of medieval chronicles, the landscape, habits, dress, manners and beliefs of the people, deities and temples and the intrigues for the throne within the court of Tripura." (Bhattacharjee 2003:5–6)
5. "Tripura buranji; or, A chronicle of Tipperah,. written in 1724 A.D. by Ratna Kandali Sarma and Arjun Des Bairagi, Swargadeo Rudra Singha's envoys to Raja Ratna Manikya of Tipperah. From an old manuscript in the British museum, London. Edited by Rai Bahadur S.K. Bhuyan ... - Franklin". franklin.library.upenn.edu. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
6. "The Library of British Museum preserves a manuscript since January 8, 1842 written on Sanchi-Pat made of the bark of aloes wood. It was written in Assamese language by two emissaries of Ahomraj Maharaja Rudra Singha (1696ñ1714 AD) namely Ratna Kandali Sarma Kataki and Arjun Das Bairagi Kataki who were sent to the court of Maharaj Ratna Manikya, 1698–1772 AD of Tripura." (Chaudhuri 2016:26)
7. "Let us take for example the confidential letter of Sargadeo Rudra Singha Ruler of Assam had sent to the Tripura King Ratna Manikya which will show the highest standard of protocol being maintained in sending diplomatic missions at a time when the rules of international law were just taking shape and the work of Hugo Grotius was to receive the wide publicity that it afterwards came to have." (Chaudhari 2016:27) harvcol error: no target: CITEREFChaudhari2016 (help)
8. "The Assamese envoys reported that the spring Festival had all its regal splendour around it. The King himself in a ceremonial procession used to go to river Gomati with ten thousand followers and ceremonially dressed royal officials and enjoyed the festival of colours with heart's content, 'Tripura Buranji, chap. vi, pp. 15-16."(Chaudhari 2016:28) harvcol error: no target: CITEREFChaudhari2016 (help)

References

• Bhattacharjee, N K (2003). "From the Editor's Desk". Indian Literature. 46 (6). Sahitya Akademi. JSTOR 23341058.
• Kandali, Ratna (1938). S K Bhuyan (ed.). Tripura Buranji. Gauhati, Assam: Govt of Assam.
• Chaudhuri, Bikach (2016), "Tripura: A Peep into the Past", in Poddar, Satyadeo (ed.), History of Tripura: As Reflected in the Manuscripts, New Delhi: National Mission for Manuscripts, pp. 26–28
• Sarkar, I (2016), "Manuscripts and History", in Poddar, Satyadeo (ed.), History of Tripura: As Reflected in the Manuscripts, New Delhi: National Mission for Manuscripts, pp. 5–6

• Ahom kingdom
• Indian manuscripts
• History of Tripura