Originally named Panch Cowrie Thakur,[2] he was one of the sons of Maharaja Mukunda Manikya by his wife Prabhavati.
His cousin Joy Manikya was chosen by the populace as his successor over Mukunda's sons after the former drove the Mughals out of Udaipur.
[4] Panch Cowrie, who developed a grudge against Joy, approached Alivardi Khan, the Nawab of Bengal, for aid in claiming Tripura in 1744.
[2] However, Indra was unable to rule peacefully, as Joy ran a parallel government from the Matia Hills and had the support of influential Zamindars.
[4][6] The kingdom remained divided between the partisans of the rival rulers for a time, until Indra was ousted after Joy gained the support of the Mughals.