General Information
Location : It is surrounded by Bangladesh on all sides except for a narrow strip in the northeast where it shares boundaries with Assam and Mizoram.
State Capital : Agartala
Best Time to Travel : Through out the year.
Language : Bengali, Tripuri and Manipuri.
Tribes : Tripuri, Mog, Reang, Chakma, Halam(Malsum), Garo, Lusai and Darlong.
Climate : Temperature varies between 10 to 35 Degree Celsius; Average Annual Rain Fall 2100mm,
Highest Rain Fall 2855 mm(Kamalpur); Lowest Rain Fall 1811 mm (Sonamura).
Introduction
Tripura, the north eastern state of India is nestled in the far east of India, just 2 km away from the neighbouring country of Bangladesh. The state headquarters is located at Agartala, which is also the capital of the State. Tripura is one of the seven states in the north eastern part of India. It is bounded on the north, west, south and south-east by Bangladesh whereas in the east it has a common boundary with Assam and Mizoram.
History of Tripura in Brief
Tripura, fixed in the north eastern part of India was a princely state, before becoming the integral part of the Republic of India. Not much is known about Tripura's early history. It first finds reference in the Ashokan pillars of the 3rd century BC. In the 1300s AD, Tripura came under the control of the Manikya dynasty, a family of Indo-Mongolian origin. In the early part of 17th century AD, Tripura came under the administration of the Mughals. But the local rulers (the Manikyas) continued to retain some of their power. After the British established their colonies in Kolkata, they conquered some parts of modern Tripura but applied no administrative control for more than a century. To the British, Tripura was known as Hill Tippera. Even when a representative was appointed in the year 1871 AD, the Manikya Maharajas had enough independence, though they were asked to seek British approval on the accession of a new ruler.
Monarchy in Tripura ended on 9th September 1947. One of the greatest of the Manikya rulers was Bir Chandra Manikya Bahadur of the 19th century AD. He was a great poet and musician and made an attempt to modernise and organise Tripura's administration, and abolish the practice of slavery and sati. The last ruling Maharaja of Tripura, Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya, ascended the throne in year 1923 and, before his death in the year 1947, settled that Tripura should accede to the newly independent country of India. Tripura officially became part of India on Oct. 15, 1949, and a Union Territory on 1st November 1956. It became a constituent state of the Indian Union on Jan. 21, 1972.
The Physiology of Tripura
Tripura is hilly with numerous deep river valleys. The hills are covered with thick forests and extensive bamboo groves. The south is more open and most of the people live there. The capital, Agartala, is also in the south.
Total area 10.492 Sq.Km., 84% international Border with Bangladesh(839 Km.); 60% Hilly Terrain, 60% Forest, 52.76% Forest cover; 39% Reserve Forest, 25% Net Shown Area; 30% Operational Holding, Average Holding 1.02 Hect.; Irrigation 13% of Cropped area.
Places To See
Tripura has an internationl border with Bangladesh on three sides and it shares boundaries with the states of Assam and Mizoram. The multi-cultural Agartala, the elegant Ujjayanta palace, the serene Dumboor Lake and the magnificent Neermahal with its royal reflection on the lake are some of the favourite tourist spots of the state.
Festival
Though the state has all the major festivals of the country like the Durga Puja, Doljatra(Holi), Buddha Jayanti and Diwali, traditional festival namely Garia and Gajan Festival, Manasi Mangal are also popular in all parts of the state.
Arts and Culture
All the tribal communities in Tripura together form the culture of Tripura. The main features of the respective communities and tribes can be explained through their folk dances. Garia, Jhum, Maimita, Masak Sumani and Lebang Boomani dances of Tripuri community, Bizu dance of Chakma community, Cheraw and Welcome dances of Lusai community, Padisha and Abhangma dances of Mog community and Gajan, Dhamail, Sari, Rabindra dances of Bengali community are some of the popular folk dances of Tripura.
Excursions From Agartala
Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary
Located at a distance of 33 kms, the sanctuary has a variety of attractions namely a botanical garden, picnic spot, elephant rides, toy train, lakes and a zoo.
Pilak
100 kms away, there is a small museum of Buddhist sculptures of the 8th -9th century. Tourist looking for a accommodation can stay at tourist lodge in Halflong Cherra.
Must-Buy
Cane and bamboo craft made in Tripura are popular in the country. A person can buy these products from Purbasha on M.B.B.Sarani, Tantumani. Exotic Handlooms are also available at Tripura Handicrafts, Akhaura Road .
Accessibility to the State
By Air
There are flights from Guwahati( Assam ) and Kolkata to Agartala. The former one takes 40 minutes and the latter takes 50 minutes. Flights are operated by Indian Airlines. The city is only 5 kms away from the airport and taxis and auto-rickshaws are available to commute to other parts of the city.
By Rail
The nearest railhead to the city is the Kumarghat which is 140 kms away and it is connected to Guwahati railway station.
By Road
National Highway 54 connects Agartala with Guwahati and further on the highway joins National Highway 40 to reach Shillong. Guwahati and Shillong are 599 kms and 499 kms away respectively. There is a route to the city of Dhaka at Bangladesh which takes around 6 hours. Local Transport Un-metered private tourists taxis and auto-rickshaws are used for commuting within the state.
