TRIPURA – “The Land of eternal spring.”
Tripura, the third-smallest state in the country is located in Northeastern part of India. It covers 10,491 sq. Km (4,051 sq mi) and is bordered by Bangladesh (East Bengal) to the north, south, and west, and the Indian states of Assam and Mizoram to the east. Indigenous communities, known in India as scheduled tribes, form about 30 per cent of Tripura’s population. The Kokborok speaking Tripuri people are the major group among 19 tribes and many sub tribes.
The state has favourable climatic conditions for cultivation of various fruit and horticultural crops. It is rich in natural resources such as natural gas, rubber, tea and medicinal plants. Tripura is endowed with rich and diverse bamboo resources. It is also the second largest natural rubber producer in the country after Kerala.
Agartala the capital of Tripura is arguably one of the most diversely populated cities of India. Tripura has always been a home to various mix of tribes and all these tribal amalgamation has led to an influx of people representing their own clan. Agartala, with its verdant forest cover, near perfect green backdrop, great tourist sites and laid back attitude presents a sight of an ideal tourist destination. The rich and varied tribal culture thriving on the high mountains and vast and alluring green valleys add its own charm to the attraction of the state.
Tripura (mythology): Tripura (Tamil: Tiripuram, Thai: Triburam) meaning three cities, was constructed by the great Asura architect Mayasura. They were great cities of prosperity, power and dominance over the world, but due to their impious nature, Maya’s cities were destroyed by god Tripurantaka, an aspect of Shiva. The three cities were made of iron, silver and gold and were located on earth, in the sky and in heaven, respectively.
How To Reach:
BY AIR:
The Agartala airport in Tripura is the nearest airport. At a distance of 5mins from Agartala. This airport is connected to Kolkata and Guwahati by direct flights. One can get a taxi or an auto to reach the destination.
BY TRAIN:
The nearest railway station is Kumarghat which is 140kms away from Tripura. The Kumarghat station is connected to the railheads of Kolkata, Delhi, Indore, Chennai and Bangalore. Taxis are available near the station to reach Tripura.
BY ROAD:
National Highway 44 is the only main highway that connects this state with the rest of India.
Agartala is 44 Kms from Teliamura, 109 Kms from Manu, 133 Kms from Kumarghat, 295 Kms from Silchar, 300 Kms from Aizawl, 313 Kms from Dwarband, 459 Kms from Shillong, 557 Kms from Imphal, 558 Kms from Guwahati. There are state and private buses to ply a decent service to the visitors.
Destinations:
Wildlife & Eco Tourism Destinations:
Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary & Clouded Leopard National Park.
Clouded Leopard National Park is a part of Sipahijala Wildlife Sanctuary. This park was established in the year of 2007. It covers an area of about 5.08 square kilometres (1.96 sq mi). It is 28 kms from Tripura. It is located in Bishalgarh, Sepahijala District.
The sanctuary has no less than 456 plant species, many kinds of bamboo and a variety of grasses and medicinal plants also grow in the sanctuary. The moist, deciduous forest is the habitat of different species of primates like Rhesus macaque, Pigtailed macaque, Capped langur, Spectacled monkey, Slow loris and several other wild animals like Leopard, Clouded leopard, Jungle fowl, Civets, Barking, Deer, Wild pig, etc. The avian population of the sanctuary is also rich with a variety of winged stork, Whistling teal and the White ibis. The additional attractions for the tourist at Sepahijala are spectacular view of coffee and rubber plantations, boating facilities in the lake and joy ride in the toy train.
Location: From Agartala 28 km.
Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary.
Situated about 111 km from Agartala. It’s area is 194.704 sq.km. apart from the healthy forest coverage and plant-plethora, the great attraction of this Wildlife Sanctuary is a sizeable population of Gaur or Indian Bison. Another facet of Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary is the fact that it is also the habitat of and home to highly endangered only ape species of Indian subcontinent i.e, the Hoolock Gibbon and primates like Capped Langur and Golden Langur.
Gumti(Gomati)Wildlife Sanctuary.
It is the largest sanctuary of Tripura. The sanctuary is located in the south-East corner of the state in between the Gomati District & Dhailai District. Its area is 389.54 square kilometres (150.40 sq mi). Adjoining the sanctuary, there is a vast water reservoir covering approximately 300sq.kms. This water reservoir attracts many resident and migratory water birds, It also has Bison, Barking Deer, Asian elephant, sambar, water buffalo, deer, Phayre’s leaf monkey, serow, wild goat and a few migratory birds. Reptiles have also been sighted in the sanctuary
Location: From Agartala 110 Km.
Heritage Sites:
Tripura State Museum (Ujjayanta Palace):
The Tripura Government Museum is also called the Tripura State Museum established in the year 1970. The inauguration of the newly transferred museum was done by the vice president of India in the year 2013.
The name Ujjayanta Palace was given by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. The gleaming white Ujjayanta Palace located in the capital city of Agartala evokes the age of Tripura Maharajas. It is a unique experience to witness living history and Royal splendour within the walls of Ujjayanta Palace. The main objective of the museum is to procure and present the history of nature and man of the north eastern part of the ancient country of India.
This Palace was built by Maharaja Radha kishore Manikya in 1901A.D; this Indo-Saracenic building is set in large Mughal-style gardens on a lake front. The museum of the Ujjayanta Palace is spread of an area of 4 large halls constituting of as many as 76 galleries. The total number of displays presented by the authority for the visitors are as many as 1406 that includes gold coins, silver coins, bronze statues & coins, murals, terracotta plaques, stone inscriptions, copper plates, sketches 7 paintings, textiles and ornaments. The stone statues and tablets from different archaeological sites like Pilak. Jolaibari, Udaipur and other places of Tripura are of great historical significance.
Location: Agartala, West Tripura.
Neermahal Water Palace:
Neermahal is also called the water palace. It is situated in Melaghar, 53 kms. away from Agartala, This magnificent lake palace was constructed as a summer resort in 1930 by late Maharaja Birbikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur in the middle of a natural lake called Rudrasagar having an area of 5.35 Sq.Km. The construction was undertaken by Martin & Burn Co. and it is the only lake palace in the entire eastern India.
The Rudrasagar lake attached to it witnesses a large number of migratory birds in every winter. Every year a boat race is organized in July/August. The visiting tourists can enjoy boating facility in the lake.
A good combination of Hindu and Mughal architecture is noticed on the domes of the palace. There are mainly two parts of the palace – one on the western side known as Andar Mahal which was used by the royal family and another on the eastern side which was used for the security personnel and servants. There are 15 rooms in the main Andar Mahal. There is a beautiful garden laid in the western side of the palace. In the garden there is an open stage where drama, theatre, etc. use to be organised.
Location: Melaghar, Sepahijala District.
Bhubaneswari Temple:
Bhubaneswari Temple located on the eastern fringe of Udaipur town by the bank of river Gomati under Gomati District. To reach the Temple one has to cross over Gomati River. The Bhuvaneswari Temple Tripura is an uncommon example of sanctuary engineering. This sanctuary of Bhubaneswari is now under the control and supervision of the Archaeological Survey of India. Maharaja Govinda Maniukya built the Temple between 1660-1675 A.D. This Temple is immortalized in Rabindranath Tagores famous plays known as Rajarshi and Bisarjan. Maharaja Govinda Manikya also features as an important character in Tagore plays. While approaching Bhubaneswari Temple one also finds the ruins of the palace of Govinda Manikya. Down below the Temple quietly flow the river gomati offering a placid sight.
Location: From Agartala 55 km and Udaipur 1.5 km.
Jampui Hills:
Jampui Hill is located about 200 km away from Agartala.
Jampui Hill is a popular hill station in North-Tripura district. It is situated at an altitude of 3,000 ft above sea level in North Tripura District. The view of rising and setting sun from various viewpoints in Jampui hills is a wonderful sight for the tourists. Tourists visiting the Jampui hill cannot afford to miss the view of the sunset and the sunrise. Comprising orchard farms, tea plantations and lush greenery, the spot will leave you enchanted. It attracts a multitude of domestic and foreign tourists as it is one of the best camping spots and ideal for trekking. The slopes of the hills are great for orange plantations, where visitors can smell the sweet aroma of the fruit in the air while exploring the area.
Winter is the best time to visit Jampui Hill as the Orange and Tourism Festival is held here every year in November. During the festival, oranges are artistically arranged in the form of wildlife and various forts of the country. Tibetan handicrafts, tea leaves, oranges and coffee beans are some of the items sold in stalls.
Also known as the land of eternal spring, the place offers panoramic views of the Chittagong Hills, the Kanchanpur-Dasda Valley and the sundry hill ranges of Tripura and Mizoram.
Unakoti:
It is located around 178 km away from Agartala.
Tripura is home to one of the most spectacular heritage sites in South Asia — the giant bas-relief sculptures of Unakoti. Unakoti’s ‘Lost Hill of Faces’ is a centuries-old Shaivite pilgrimage spot.
The ancient site has gigantic sculptures of Hindu deities that have been curved out of the rock hill and that are believed to date back to between the 8th and 9th centuries. Most of them are about 30 to 40 feet high and have an earthy rawness that is more akin to the tribal style of art than to the classical Indian style. The most famous one of them is the Unakotishwara Kal Bhairav, a 30-foot high carving of Shiva’s head as well as other instances from the Hindu Mythology. Its most eye-catching feature is its 10-foot high intricate headdress that is flanked by a warrior-like Goddess Durga (standing on a lion) on one side and Goddess Ganga (sitting atop Capricornrn) on the other.
A religious gathering called ‘the Ashokastami Mela’ is held in the month of April annually.
How to reach Unakoti:
On road vehicles or helicopters can be used to access Unakoti. Helicopter services are available from Agartala and Kailashahar. The nearest railway station is at Kumarghat (20km). Kumarghat has trains coming from both Agartala (Tripura) and Lumding (Assam). Lumding is connected to trains from Guwahati,Assam and other states.