Tripura is one of the few states whose royal dynasty had its own era. The Tripura Era was the only era used during the Manikya dynasty rule of five thousand years history. In all the official communications, royal communiqué, religious and cultural sphere the Tripura Era was only used during the Raj period.
The use of  Tripura Era had been found in the historical records, in the coins issued by different Tripuri kings, the copper plate inscription, inscription in the walls temple established different Manikya kings and many more documents and letters.
The  Tripura Era's New Year is on the 1^st of Vaishakh which corresponds to 14 or 15 of April of Christian era, depending on whether that year is a Leap year or not. The months are named  in pan Indian months, time since its inception 1419 years back by Tripur king Hamtorfa alias Himtifa alias Jujharufa in 512 Saka Era.
Some years back few western culture minded by the influence of by western religion wanted to shift Tripura Era New Year and re-write the history of  Tripura Era in synchronize with Christian Era New Year. In doing so, they have done a fake research and collected opinions from some senior Tripuri people, which they did not consider the opinion expressed by them in re-determining the Tripura Era's New Year. So it was basically an eye wash, to implement imported western ideology of new year to Tripura Era in the chilling cold of December. These committed western influenced youths artificially fixed Tripura Era's New Year day on 22^nd of December with out any mass support and historical proof.

Cultural Evidence of Tripura New Year in 14^th April or 1^st Vaisakh: 

There are endless cultural evidences which proves that  Tripura Era New Year was in first of Vaisakh or 14^th April. These are many folk songs which directly proves which day is the New Year of Tripura Era. Though the western culture influenced over enthused youths took the references of such Tripuri folk songs, but its actual meaning were all misinterpreted. Here are some of the songs taken references from the ‘Prachin Tripuri Lok Sangeet Sankolon.' By Narendra Debbarma.

This book was written long back in the year 1974 AD. It is the collection of folksongs from sang by various radio folk artists from all over the state of Tripura during that period.

The above Tripuri folksong lyric is translated in English as "When Fifteenth of Magh month has passed, Falgun month starts peeping, in the fifteenth of Falguna, Chaitra month starts to peep, and Majhilata (Madhavi) flower starts to blossoms. Wild Khummake flower starts to blossoms and Lord Goria comes to this world. At the end of Chaitar month, New year Vaisakha will come and sowing of paddy in the Huk or Jhum will have to begin."

The above lyric is translated as, "The winter is over, spring has arrived, leave the winter apparels, and take the spring apparels. Toskuma bird has tweeting huhu, who knows the secrecy of seasonal changes. Birds of different feathers are singing song in the in this spring and heart is full of joy and excitement and new year is just knocking the door."

The copy of folksong above is translated as, "Half of the Chaitra month is gone, so Vaisakh month is just peeping in, new year is just coming back. The rain has brought the new leaves of trees and flowers are like Khumtoya is blooming with sweet fragrance."

There are two lyrics of Tripuri folksongs. It is translated this way, "O Dear one! The rain on first of the New Year has brought changes in the ground and the Khumtoya has which blooms emerging out of ground have blooms out in the New Year." The khumtoya flower blooms out in and around mid of April.

There are two folksongs lyrics. First one is translates as "The rain of New Year has come and the smell of burn soil of jhum land is emitting out. The wild cock is crowing and my heart is full of joy and spirit listening the it." Second song is translated as: "As soon as the chaitra months will be over Vaisakh month will enter and new year will turn back, O my heart you just introspect."

 In the above photo copy again there are two folksongs lyrics: the first one speaks out as, "The rain of the new year has soften the burnt soil of jhum, Oh sweet heart! Llet us go to work in the jhum field like that of our parents." Second one speaks out as,  "The beginning of the New Year we have to plan out our strategy for Jhum cultivation, if we want to starts our livelihood like that of our mothers it is the right time."

From the above eight lyrics of Tripuri folksongs, which had been sang by generation to generation since time immemorial, it is not known who was the author of these lyrics. In all of the songs it is shown that the New Year of Tripura Era or Tring was on 13/14th of April since its antiquity. These documents proves that New year day of Tring or Tripura era was on 1st of Vaisakh of traditional Indian months, and the false claim of Tring new year on 22nd December was baseless, misleading and with vested interest under the influences of foreign religion.

Buisu: Tripuri New year Festival:
The new year festivals of Tripuri people is Buisu or Bisu depending upon the region pronounced. The word derived from Bisi means year, so new year is called Bisu. It is a new year eve, celebrated for three days as Haribisu, Bisu and Mahabisu from 13th 14th and 15th of April. it has a great importance in Tripuri peoples life. Any new family of newly wed couple starts their independent life from this day. the old pots, daily useable different earthen pots, cane items etc are thrown away and new one in replaced with old one. The ancestors who had left in the previous year are given rice, foods, and other delicious preparations and juices, sweets and drinking etc from this day till seventh day. This new year festivals clearly proves that Tripura era new year day fall on first of Vaisakh.

But some converts to western religion are trying to level Bisu as different festivals other than Tripura eras new year, so that the new year can be justified in 22nd of December. They cannot specify what actually Buisu festivals is. In fact most of the Tripuri religious festivals have two names like, Goria is also known as Sena, fourteen gods worship is known as Kharchi, Durga puja is known as Osa Mutai, Laxmipuja or worshiping of Khuluma is known as Hojagiri, Ker is also known as Lamabumani etc and similarly new year celebration is also known as Buisu.

Other North Eastern people's New year:
Bisu is not only celebrated by Tripuris alone in the north east, but also by the entire people of that region other than who were converted to western religion, who also used to celebrate the fastivals before conversion. Though most of the north eastern people do not have any historical era but they do celebrate the turning of the new year which is known as Bihu by many tribes. The Bodo close to Tripuri people also celebrate similar new year in the same day as Buisagu. The Assamese celebrate on as Bihu which is basically copy from Bodo group of people. The Chakma observe as Bihu, Mog as Songkren, and other people like that of Mizo, Naga, Manipur, and othe people of Arunachal also observe in these day as new year. So Tripuri people also celebrate the Bisu as new year.

Below is the copy from the book Mizoram by Proff. Lalthangliana.

the above facts was accepted by Kamal Narayn Chouduri in the books of 'Folklores in of North eastern India'.

So Bisu or Bihu is celebrated all over north east as the year turn over and arrival of New Year. Bisu is nothing but the New Year festival of Tripuri people. There used to be a grand feast, dance and songs in the past. It is followed by the biggest religious festival the Goria, and it starts with the Tripura New Year.
Historical Evidence of Bisu celebration:
Apart from the oral tradition, there is one historical records that  proves that Tripuri people used to celebrate new year around mid of April, which falls on first of Vaisakh even 170 years back. it was noted in the book of "My journey to India" by Robert Collins. The clipping of statement is attached bellow.

Notwithstanding the above cultural records and historical documents few years some western influenced Tripuri people tried to celebrate  Tripura era new year on 22^nd December 3 days before X-mass, though historically New Year day was on 1^st of Vaisakh (14^th of April). This has been at done to match with the western culture and religion and alienating the indigenous Tripuri vis-à-vis Indian culture.

Royal Historical Documents and records of Tripura New year:
Now I would like to put forward here, some documented historical records of Manikya Dynasty to show that the new year of Tripura Era wasl on 1^st of Vaisakh. ( Compiled from Royal Tripura State Gazette).

This is the document of 1315 TE (1905 AD) of Royal Government's notice on school holidays, showing that first of Vaisakh was holiday due to  new year day of Tripura Era.

The above copy was the official notification letter of regarding house tax recommended by the King, Radha Kishore Manikya which he signed on 12/8/1313 TE, (1903 AD) the eight month here is Agrahyan which was counted from Vaisakh as first month, which proves that Tripura eras new year was in the Vaishakh month.  

 The above document was of of 1873-74 AD, a report of political agent of Tripura. It is reported that the Agartala municipal act was brought in to operational on 1^st of Vaisakh being new year of TE. It is there fore proved that Tripura era's new year day was first of Vaisakh even 133 years back.

Go to Top

Many royal records and donation of land on copper plate by different kings of Tripura of more than 300 years old record shows that the Saka era and Tripura era month followed same sequence and date, some of the records are presented here with.

Maharaj Govinda Manikya's copper plate of 1081 TE (1671 AD) showed the same date and month of Phalgun the 7^th.  

The above copy of copper plate inscription of Govinda Manikya had same month and date of Aswin the 11^th for both 1086 TE (1676 AD) and Saka era.

Saka era and Tripura Era & Bangabda had same month and date

 Before the Indian calendar reform of 1957 AD, most of the Indian calendars months were same as that of Saka era, whether it was of Tripura era, Bengali era. Photo copy excerpts from ‘The history of Tripura' by E F Sandys-1915 AD also proves it.

Summery of Calendar Reform Reports

But after the calendar reform, two set of months counting system was introduced one civil calendar and religious calendar, the Saka era months was modified to correspond 22^nd March, first chaitra as new year. Other eras followed the religious months counting and followed considered Vaisakh as new year.  

Opinion of distinguished Tripuri people

Some people who were trying to re-discover Tripura new year in some other day did collected information & opinion regarding the new year day of Tripura era from 21 distinguished Tripuri people in the field of politics and culture, way back in the year 1994. Majority of them favoured Tripura new year to be in the first of Vaisakh either of so called Bengali era (Basically Tripura era) or Saka era that is around 15^th of April.

But with out accepting the opinion of majority  people, they have just arbitrarily fixed the date of Tripura new year on 22^nd December, which is culturally not acceptable among Tripuri masses. as the day fall on the Paush month which is a unholy month for Tripuri people to celebrate any auspicious occasion. The summery is given below: (Vide Historical back ground of Tring)

Tripura era and Bengali vis-à-vis Assamese Era

The single point argument of the proponent of 22nd December as Tripura new year day is that 1st Vaisakh new year was copied from or influenced by Bengali Era. But the data and the records shows the reverse as TE is older then BE by tree years so elder era can not learn from younger era, there is no question of copying from BE. The new year celebration of BE in modern days is not so old phenomenon, because in them it is basically of cultural program of performing Rabindra Nritya, Rabindra Sangeet and Najrul geeti only and it is limited to some educated and city based people only. But Tripura era's new year Bisu celebration started time since immemorial, and it is based in the rural folk among both the educated and uneducated alike.

Records and research by scholars like Amalendu Mitra and Kamal Narayan Choudhuri claimed that the new year celebration on 1st of Vaisakh as Bisu was borrowed from the mongoloid people of north east India, who celebrated it time since immemorial. Some of the photo copies of the excerpts are attached here with. So it is indigenous new year or Tripuri people not copied or influenced by Bengali era's new year. Hence there is no basis and justification to say that Tripuri new year is influenced by Bengali new year.

New Year of Neighboring Mongoloid Dominated Countries

The new year on and around 14th of April was not limited to people of north east Indian mongoloid people but it is also almost all the south east Asian Mongoloid people. It is also to be mentioned here that the new year day of whole of south and south east Asian nations begins during the mid of April and last for 2-3 days like Tripuri Bisu which is also celebrated for three days. Here I am attaching only one records of each nation.

Nepal New Near:

There are numerous evidences which show that the new year day of Nepal falls on around the 14th of April. Here it is only the one.

Sri Lanka new year:

Similarly Sri Lankan new year is also celebrated around 13/14th of April and it is same as that of Tripuri new year Bihu.   
   

Go to Top     

   Myanmar (Burma) new year:  

The above copy of the inter net also shows that the new year day of Burma is same as that of Tripura era on second week of April.

Thailand new year

 Thai new near is also celebrated for three days on 12, 13, 14th of April like that of Tripuri new year which is also celebrated for three consecutive day on similar days.

Laos New year:

The New year of Laos is also corresponds with that of Tripura era which lasts for three days as shown in the photocopy of inter net site.

Khmer or Cambodia new year:

The New year of Cambodia or Khmer is almost same as that of Tripura era who celebrates for three days as shown in the photocopy of inter net site.

So from the documents and records listed above, it is proved beyond doubt that the new year day of Tripura era on first of Vaisakh or around middle of April is not copied from Bengali era, rather it was the indigenous new year of Tripuri people vis-à-vis of whole of the Indo-Mongoloid people of north east and south east Asian nations, which was adopted by Bengali era, and spread up to Sri Lanka through Buddhist missionary.

Just because some one had adopted Tripuri culture and it became obscure for us to prove that it was originally ours should not deter us to accept our own calendar and New Year. Most of the cultures of eastern India was originally of Indo-Mongoloid but it had been hijacked by other people, which most of us do not know, consequently we are discarding our own cultural heritages and adopting foreign cultures, which is very dangerous and detrimental to the existence of thousands of years old cultures and civilization heritages.

Go to Top