Agartala

INTRODUCTION

The capital town of the eastern state of Tripura, Agartala, is a mini storehouse of rich cultural diversity. It lies on the Haora River and is located 2 km from Bangladesh. This is due to the city's physical proximity with the Indo-Bangladesh border, which is just 2 km away. Agartala moved to its present location in 1850, under the regime of the king - Maharaja Radha Krishna Kishore Manikya Bahadur. It is known for its twin modern palaces - Ujjayanta and Kunjaban.

LOCATION

Agartala is located in the western part of Tripura, astride the Haroa River. It is 1680 km from Calcutta and 599 km from Guwahati. National Highway No. 44 connects Agartala to Guwahati via Shillong. It takes about 24 hours by road from Guwahati to reach Agartala. The journey time by road between Dhaka and Agartala is approximately 3 hours.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

The best time to visit Agartala is between October and April. Towards the extremes of this period, one might experience a few showers, but they are quite refreshing. The town is known for its cultural and historical worth, and one can easily notice bright bamboo and cloth umbrellas over ponds. Such parasols are part of the tribal customs of grandsons commemorating the deaths of their grandfathers on their anniversaries.

HISTORY

Agartala was once part of a Hindu kingdom, until the state was taken over by the Mughals in 1733. The British took over the reigns of governance in 1808 and Tripura was a princely state until 1956, when it became a Union Territory. When Tripura gained statehood in 1972, Agartala became the state capital.

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Ujjayanta Palace Agartala standing in the heart of the city, is a famous royal house, covering an area of one sq. km.. Styled in Greek sculpture, Ujjayanta Palace was built by Maharaja RadhakishoreIan Manikaya in 1901 at a cost of 10 lakh of rupees. The palace is set with the huge lughole style gardens, adorned by pools and fountains, the superbly tiled floors, curved wooden ceiling and exquisitely crafted doors. The three storeyed mansion has a mixed architecture with three high domes(the centre one being 86' high). Its well laid out gardens have two large tanks on either side and the fountains are laid out in the patterns of the Mughal gardens. The palace is floodlit at night.

The major interest of the town is the Ujjayanta Palace, which was built in the Indo-Saracenic style in 1901 by Maharaja Radhakishore Manikya. It is a two-storeyed mansion, with 28 hectares of parkland, and now houses the office of the State Legislative Assembly. In the grounds, there are two temples-Umanneshwar and Jagganath-both of which are ochre in color.

Another important attraction is the Kunjaban Palace built in 1917 by Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya. It is located about 1 km away from the Ujjayanta Palace on a hillock. The Palace is the official residence of the Governor of Tripura. The southern part of the Palace is open to public and has been named as Rabindra Kanan.

Ujjayanta Palace: Ujjayanta Palace, the famous royal house which stands at the heart of the city within a compound covering an area of one sq. kms was built by Maharaja Radhakishore Manikya in 1901. This palace is set with the huge Mughal style gardens, beautified pools and fountains, magnificent tiled floors, curved wooden ceiling and beautiful crafted doors. Flood lighting and fountains have also added to its beauty. The palace is a two storied mansion having a mixed type of architecture with three high domes, the central one being 86' high. It has well laid garden parks all around it and two large tanks on two sides with the leading road in between them. The water courses and fountains are laid in the pattern of Mughal garden.

Situated about 55 km from Agartala is Neermahal, Tripura's major tourist attraction. It is a summer resort built in the middle of a lake named Rudrasagar, with a total area of about 5.35 sq. km. It is the only lake palace in Eastern India and has been built in a mixture of Hindu and Mughal architectural styles. Neermahal is a former royal palace built by King Bir Bikram Kishore Debbarman of the erstwhile Kingdom of Tripura in 1930.

PLACES AROUND AGARTALA

Near this capital city, there are few places known for the rock cuts and carvings. These include Debtamura, Unakoti and Pilak.

Debtamura is situated at 75 km away from Agartala, on the banks of the river Gomati, between Udaipur and Amarpur. These are carved with images of Hindu Gods like Shiva, Vishnu, Kartik, Mahisasur, Mardini Durga and other deities. These images date back to the 15th and 16th century.
Unakoti is located at a distance of about 178 km from Agartala and is a pilgrimage site for Shiva worship. It dates back to the 8th and 9th century. It is surrounded by waterfalls on all sides. In the center is a 30-feet-high statue of Lord Shiva who is called Unakotishwara Kal Bhairava. The main attraction of this place is the Ashokasthami festival, held every year in the month of April.
Pilak is located at a distance of about 100 km from Agartala and is famous for its carvings in stone and terracotta plaques. These belong to the 8th and 9th century and are spread within an area of 10 sq. km. There are mammoth stone images of Narasimha and Avlokiteshwara to be seen here.
An important pilgrimage point for the Hindus is the Mata Tripureshwari Temple, which is among the 51 pitha stalas according to the Hindu mythology. It is situated at a distance of 58 km from Agaratala. It houses the statue of Goddess Kali. Since it is in the form of a tortoise, it is also called the Kurma Pith.
At a distance of about 14 km from Agartala is located the Chaturdas Devta Bari Temple. The famous tribal festival of Karachi is a major attraction of this temple and is held in the month of July annually.
Maa Bhubaneshwari Temple was built on the right banks of the Gomti River by Maharaja Govinda Manikya in the 17th century. The Buddha Vihar on Airport Road is in the North of the city and houses the Burmese statues of Lord Buddha. Other important temples of Agartala are Lakshmi Narayan temple, Jagannath temple, Uma Maheshwari temple, and Durga temple.
Jampui Hills are located at a distance of about 200 km from Agartala and is famous as the land of the permanent spring. It is at a range of about 300 ft above sea level. The place is known for its natural splendor and serene atmosphere.
Located 55 km south is the city of lakes, Udaipur, which is known for its Mahadev temple and Tripura Sundari temple. Also nearby Agartala are the Sepajhila wildlife sanctuary and Krishna wildlife sanctuary. Dumboor, a locale of abundant natural gaiety, is 100 km from Agartala and is famous for its lake and Sankranti Mela held in January. In the vicinity, one can find the temple of Lake Kamlasagar.

FAIRS & FESTIVALS

The Durga Puja season is generally the busiest time of the year and one can then experience the richness of Indian cultural extravaganza. Agartala is also known for its tribal festivals like Karachi, and Garia Puja.

HOW TO REACH

BY AIR - The Airport is 12 km to the north and leads on to Agartala via the Ujjyanta Palace. Agartala is well connected with Guwahati, Silchar, Udaipur, Melaghar and Unakoti.

BY RAIL - The nearest railhead is at Kumarghat.

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