Rajdhar Manikya I

As heir apparent

Born Rajdhar Narayan, he was the second son of Maharaja Amar Manikya. Following the premature death of his elder brother Rajadurlabha, Rajdhar was named heir apparent in his place and granted his former title of Yuvraj.

Alongside his younger brothers, Amaradurlabha and Jujhar Singh, Rajdhar contributed significantly to his father's military campaigns. In 1581, in what was likely the first expedition of Amar's reign, Rajdhar was dispatched against the insubordinate zamindar of Taraf, Syed Musa. When the latter fled to Fateh Khan, the ruler of Sylhet, Rajdhar marched a formidable military force into the region. In the battle that followed, Khan was defeated and Syed Musa arrested. Rajdhar escorted Khan to Udaipur, where he submitted to the Maharaja's authority.

Following the conquest of Noakhali and Chittagong by the Arakanese king Min Phalaung, Rajdhar, commanding a large contingent, was sent into the occupied regions to drive out the invaders. The army landed in Chittagong and Rajdhar, alongside his brother Amaradurlabha and the generals Chandradarpa-Narayan and Chattrajit Najir, led the capture of six enemy camps successively before halting at Ramu. The Arakanese, following a failed retaliatory assault, blockaded the troops, resulting in the latter's supplies soon dwindling. Additionally, the Portuguese soldiers who formed part of the Tripura army were enticed to desert, turning their camps over to the enemy. This forced the Tripuri to begin retreating back to Chittagong, though at the Karnaphuli River, they were attacked and defeated by the Arakanese, resulting in heavy casualties. However, upon reaching Chittagong, Rajdhar had the army reorganised and launched a counter-assault, capturing seven of the enemy fortresses and forcing their retreat.

After a brief hiatus, a second invasion of Chittagong was launched by Min Phalaung. The Tripura army were routed in the ensuing conflict, with Rajdhar's younger brother Jujhar Singh being killed and he himself suffering a serious bullet wound. The Arakanese then invaded Tripura itself, penetrating all the way to Udaipur and having it sacked and plundered. As a result of this humiliation, Rajdhar's father committed suicide, with his mother later performing Sati in the king's funeral pyre.