Tripura MLA urges PM Modi to name a Delhi road after Maharaja Bir Bikram, proposes temple replica in national museum

Tipra Motha Party MLA Ranjit Debbarma has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting the renaming of a road in New Delhi in honour of Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur who is the last ruling monarch of the princely state of Tripura.

The MLA also proposed the installation of a statue of the Maharaja and the setting up of a replica of the historic Tripureswari Temple, including the Chaturdash Devta Mandir, at the National Museum in Delhi.

Debbarma, in his letter, highlighted the pivotal role of Maharaja Bir Bikram in laying the foundation for modern Tripura and facilitating its merger with the Indian Union. He noted that the Merger Agreement was signed on September 9, 1949, by Maharani Kanchanprava Devi, the Maharaja’s wife, along with representatives of the princely state, leading to Tripura’s formal accession to India on October 15, 1949.

“The Mata Tripureswari Temple at Udaipur and the Chaturdash Devta Mandir at Khayerpur, both established by the Tripura royal dynasty, have long been centres of faith and devotion, transcending caste and creed,” Debbarma stated.

Drawing parallels with Delhi’s Tikendrajit Marg, named after the crown prince of the erstwhile Kangleipak kingdom (present-day Manipur), Debbarma argued that Tripura’s royal legacy too deserves national recognition.

He urged the Prime Minister to consider naming a road in the national capital as Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur Marg, erect a statue in the Maharaja’s honour at a suitable road junction, and construct a replica of the Tripureswari Temple—complete with the fourteen deities of the Chaturdash Devta tradition—within the Indian National Museum.

Tipra Motha, founded by royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, the Maharaja’s grandson, is currently an ally of the ruling BJP in Tripura.