The Tripuri people have a calendar called Tring or Twipra Era, commencing from 590 AD.
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A House Divided–Trilochan was the sixteenth king to rule at Dimapur. The date of his reign was the last part of the 14th century. He had twelve sons of whom Drikpati (later Drikdhwaja on ascending the throne as ‘dhwaja’ was the general royal attribute used by most of the later Dimasa kings with their names was mthe eldest and Dakshin, the second. When king Trilochan grew old, Dakshin stirred up a quarrel for the throne claiming that he should be given priority over his elder brother Drikpati. Ambitions and adventurous in nature he kept on quarrelling but was unsuccessful. Yet, guide by wild ambition, he decided to leave the palace to search for a new fortune elsewhere. Goddess Ramachandi or the goddess of war was the tutelary deity of the warrior Dimasa kings. A goddess of war and power she was worshipped by the kings in the palace temple. She was also their spiritual guide. A sword was worshiped by them as the symbol of the divine deity. The goddess was the source of strength an power of mighty kings. So, Dakshin decided to take this deity with him. He entered the temple and caught hold of the sword and tried to run away. The temple priest, however, raised a hue and cry when, at once, royal attendants and armed guards appeared and blocked his way. Drikpati also arrived soon after. Scenting the sinister motive of his younger brother, he immediately fell upon him. As a result, there followed a tussle between the two brothers, and in course of their tussle, the blade went out of the hilt. The younger brother got the hit and elder the blade.
The aforementioned story would appear to bear out historical fact. Traditionally, a naked sward is still being worshipped by the Dimasa as the symbol of goddess Ranachandi. Naked swords are also being used bythem for sacrificing birds and animals before the gods and goddesses. On the other hand, the Tipras (Tripuris), the followers of Dakshin, use wooden cudgels (as symbol of hit) for making such sacrifices a practice which is, however, on the wane at present. Yet instances had been found of giving formal touches of wooden cudgels on the shoulders of the birds and animals before using swords for sacrifices in interior places till recent times. Taking wooden hilt which he considered to be symbol of the divine deity and also as a piece of regalia, Dakshin left the palace with his followers. He moved southwards and built his camp on bank of river kopili in present Nagaon district of Assam which was a part of the Herambo kingdom (Dimasa kingdom).
Old king Trilochan became greatly worried for his son Daskhin, So, he asked Drikpati to bring him back to the palace. Accordingly, Drikpati, along with his three brothers and retinue, trekked down to Kopili and tried utmost to take him back. Other brothers also made efforts as much as possible to persuade him. Daskhin, however, remained resolute and unyielding. So, all their efforts ended in a fiasco, and they had to return disappointed.
Dakshin felt disturbed by the visit of his brothers at his camp which was a track of only about 40 km from the capital. So, to build a safe distance, he decided to go to a far-off place. Thus after a brief stay, he moved further to the south and crossed over to the other side of the lofty Borail hills. To secure more safety he further crossed the river Kolongma (i.e. Bra-Borok or Bra-Kro which was finally reduced to Barak) and trekked up to Dholai further south. Protected by the Borail ranges and the river Kolongma, Dakshin built camp at Dholai in the present district of Cachar, the southern part of the Heramboo kingdom. He built a temple there and installed the sacred hilt, he carried with him as goddess Ranachandi. The place still bears footmarks of the establishment built by the prince and is known as Telisifang or Telisifa in short, a distortion of Tulosifang, a Dimasa word for ‘Tulosibon’ meaning the bushes of basils. Ambitious as he was he gradually tried to exert himself upon the local people, who however belied his hopes. The people, of whom the Dimasas were in majority, had already heard of the unfair quarrel he picked up with his elder brother for the throne, which they disapproved. They refused to acknowledge him s their king. But fortunes favour the brave. Brave and adventurous the prince moved still further to the south and penetrated deep into the hilly country in search of his fortune. Here in the interiors he built his new camp without what more stumbles were in store for him. But thanks to his star, fair weather seemed to have appeared after the clod. Because, although the local hill people had offered him some resistance initially, they offered full honour and dignity to him when they came to know that the stranger was none but a prince of their own kingdom. So, Dakshin, who was brooding over his misfortunes so long. Finally he chose this hilly land to build his permanent establishment. The place was inhabited by a medley of hill tribes. The chief among them were the Kukis. Thus, he built his seat here and ruled as the ‘Master of all survey’ as the Heramboo king caused no further vexation to him in this southern most part of his kingdom. In the meantime old king Trilochand died and Drikpati (Drikdhwaja hence forward), the crown prince ascended the throne at Dimapur. Thus, the Heramboo kingdom got divided into two parts – the Northern (greater part) and the Southern (smaller part) between the two brothers. This fact of division is found mentioned in the administrative report of captain. T. Fisher, the first superintendent appointed after annexation of the Heramboo kingdom by the British East India Company in 1852 AD
It is a matter to be surmised if Dimasa women had accompanied the adventurer prince and his retinue. But, undoubtedly, intermarriage took place between them and the local women.
Tipra-the new name of the people :- The people of the new kingdom became known as Tripra, apparently a new name given by Dakshin (now a king) to his people, a very appropriate name meaning big water : Ti = water, Pra = big, Synonym to ‘Dima’ carrying identical meaning (Di = water, Ma=big) chosen to mark a common ractial origin with the Dimasas, Tripura is a Sanskritized form of the genetic word “Tipra”. Thus admittedly, it was the Dimasa prince Dakshin who founded the rulling House of Tripura and the kingdom primarily built by him was, in fact, a Dimasa kingdom. The ancient history prior to the formation of the kingdom of Tipra (Tripura) belongs to the Dimasa kings of earlier period. The territory of the new kingdom was well within jurisdiction of Kamrup, the ancient kingdom of the Dimasas since time immortal. We, have a reference to Pragjyotish (Kamrup) mentioned in the Ramayana :
[Herein existed above the vast and fathomless abode of Varuna (i.e. sea), a mountain called varaha, 64 yojana (approximately 500 miles) wide having golden peaks and upon this mountain was situated a golden a golden city named Pragjyotisha.]
In the Visnu Purana, Kamrup is stated to have extended around the temple of Kamakhya (which was in the center of Kamrup) in all directions for 100 vojanas (around 800 miles) which was suggestive of the fact of inclusive of the whole of North-eastern region, Bhutan and East Bengal. From the accounts given in the Yogini Tantra, Kamrup may similarly be held to embrace the Brahmaputra Valley, Bhutan, Rangpur, Koch Bihar, Mymensing, Sylhet, Garo Hills, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Cachar including Tripura. It is worthy of note that the name of Tripura kingdom doesn’t find place in the account of Hiuen Tsang, the Chinese pilgrim who visited Pragjyotispur, the capital of king Bhaskar Barman in the seventh century, which testifies to the fact of non-existence of the Tripura kingdom in those days. For the sake of clarity, it may be stated that the capital was shifted from Pragjyotishpur to Haruppeswar (Tezpur) by king Harjra Narman in the 9th Century. The capital was again shifted to Koundilyanagar (Sodiya) in the 10th century and then again to Dimapur in the later part of the 11th century. Dakshin was the second son of king Trilochan of Dimapur. The seat of the new kingdom built Dakshin was given the name of Rangamatia. It got its name probably because of the red soil of the hills. It is a matter to be surmised who succeed him. But if the Tripura Rajmala is to be quoted, Tadayakshin was the next king to rule after him. It appears that years after, king Uday Manikya newly built his capital at Rangamatia and named it Udaypur after his name. It was situated far to the south-eastfrom Agartala, the later and the last capital of the kingdom. Rajmala (The History of Tripura) :- The Rajmala composed by Kailash Chandra Sigha and published in 1896 (1303 Bangabda) agrees that Dakshin was the second and Drikpati, the eldest son of king Trilochand. In the genealogical table, Dakshin is described as the third king of Tripura kingdom and Drikpati, the king of Cachar kingdom.
Rajmala
Apropos of the genealogical table cited above, it may be stated that no king by the name of Drikpati had ever ruled Cachar kingdom. The princely state of Cachar was a kingdom of later days ruled by the Dimasa kings having their seat at Maibang and lastly at Khaspur in Cachar after shifting of their capital in 1536 AD from Dimapur. Trilochand, it may be recalled, was a king who ruled at Dimapur in the 14th, century, succeeded by Drikpati, the crown prince, who too ruled at Dimapur. It may also be recalled that Trilochand had twelve sons, of whom Dakshin was the second and attributed to have founded the Tripura princedom. Routing through Kopili and Dholai enroute to Rangamatia the fact that Dakshin had used this route while on his way to Rangamatia is very apparent in the verses of two other Tajmalas of Tripura—one composed by Kailprasanna Sen (Published in 1926) and the other, published by the Government of Tripura in Education Department in 1967, though, however, they are found to be highly exaggerates in what way Dakshin has been eulogized as a king rule on the bank of Kopili and at Dholai. However, exaggerations are allowed in panegyrical compositions as they are always a piece of laudatory works composed in praise of the kings. In such compositions such as the Rajmalas, panegyrist bother little about fact. As such, the Rajmalas lack credibility and can’t be wholly relied upon as authoritative books. Below are two extracts from the Rajmalas :-
From the above verses, it becomes apparent that (A) the Rajmalas has spoken of the eleven brothers leaving out Dakshin corroborating that Dakshin was one of the twelve sons of Trilochand, the Dimasa king of Dimapur. (B) The d\story that Dakshin had fought a battle the Herambo king on the banks of Kopili is apparently a deliberate invention. In this connection, we should be reminded of the fact that the Dimasa kings assumed the designation of ‘Herambeswar’ only after shifting of their capital to Dimapur in the last part of the 11th century. Thus Dakshin is supposed to have built his establishment and fought against the Herambo king on the Kopili bank only after the Dimasa kings had used the designation of Herambeswar at Dimapur in the 11th century and not before. But Dakshin is stated as the third king amongst 140 kings (till 1896, the year of publication of the first Rajmala) in the Rajmala, which fixed him back sometime in the pre-Christian era. Thus the claim that Dakshin had held a kingdom on the Kopili bank is, from all account on consideration a baseless talk having no trace in history except a lone narration in the Rajmala. But by stating that both Drikpati and Dakshin were the sons of king Trilochan, the Rajmala has unwarily admitted the fact that the Trilochand of the Rajmala was no other king than the Herembeswar of Dimapur. Both the Dimasa and Tipras believe that they are one and the same people owing to a common racial origin. Matrimonial alliance between them is not prohibited.
According to Rajmala King Himti (also known as Jujaru Pha or Hamtor Pha), the 118th king of the Twipra Kingdom, was the first king to annex and subjugate a part of Bengal, and to mark the victory the Tring (Twipra Era) was introduced.
Twipra Bisi - days (Sal):
| Koktisal | Sunday |
| Tangsal | Monday |
| Kraksal | Tuesday |
| Srangsal | Wednesday |
| Sangrangsal | Thursday |
| Phasal | Friday |
| Chasal | Saturday |
Twipra Bisi - Months (Tal):
| Talhing | December–January | 30sal |
| Talrung | January–February | 30sal |
| Talsrang | February–March | 30sal |
| Tallang | March–April | 30sal(Leap yea-31sal) |
| Taltung | April–May | 31sal |
| Talkran | May–June | 31sal |
| Tayung | June–July | 31Sal |
| Taltuk | July–August | 31Sal |
| Talbang | August–September | 31Sal |
| Talumai | September–October | 31Sal |
| Taluang | October–November | 31Sal |
| Talbung | November–December | 31Sal |
The new year day of the Tring is based on the traditional Huk (Shifting cultivation), i.e. the Pousa of Saka Era or the 22nd December.
Under the TTAADC government and IPFT (Indigenous People Front of Tripura) and when INPT came to power, the Twipra Era was revived in 2001.To commemorate the Tripurabda, the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) authorities had organized a three-day festival "Tring festival", which concluded at the TTAADC headquarters Khumulwng in West Tripura [1]. Tripura Governor Lt Gen K. M. Seth (retired), who inaugurated the festival, the first of its kind in the state, said December 22 every year was regarded as the day one of "Twipra Bisi" (that is Tripura era), which was coinciding with the end part of jhum harvesting (shifting cultivation). The initiative to revive Tripurabda by the tribals since 1991 came to the limelight with the return of the era in the State Government calendar and diaries, the era still awaited official recognition in the records of the State Government’s Revenue Department and the Agartala Municipal Council, from where it was removed 36 and 29 years ago respectively. Tripura Tribal Welfare Minister and veteran Tribal leader Aghore Debbarma, also the member of the CPI (M) central committee, told UNI here that the State Government had no problem to use the Tripura era in its all records and official papers, if the people of the state wanted. Debbarma was also the chief guest in the inaugural function of the Tring festival, organised by the TTAADC, now controlled by the Indigenous People’s Front of Twipra (IPFT), a tribal-based party. The IPFT, an arch rival of the CPI (M), had wrested the TTAADC from the Left Front during the April-May election. When the process was on to revive the Tripurabda, tribal intellectuals, historians and political parties leaders plunged into a controversy whether the Tripurabda would be linked with the Bangabda or Shakabda. [2] [3]