TRIPURA - the land of Beauty and Tranquility

                                       NeerMahal 

                                               Sitting infront of Ujjayanta  Palace 

        At the Bangladesh Border - a small friendly ceremony like Wagah border takes place between Bangladesh and India 

At Unakoti 

Tripura, also known as Hill Tipperah - is the land of Devi Tripura Sundari, of pretty palaces, of lakes, jungles and valleys, of mysteries and stories, of cane and bamboos and of many tribes and their heritage and culture. Tripura is an ancient kingdom which has been mentioned in the Mahabharata as Kirat Pradesh and also in the Vedas and Puranas. It was a proper principality and ruled by the Manikya dynasty since 14^th century. It decided to be a part of India after independence in 1949. Interestingly it is surrounded by Bangladesh from three sides and all its 8 districts share an international border.

In my blog I write about Himachal, but I am making an exception as very few of us know much about north eastern states and I wanted to share my experience of this lovely state. Before going to Tripura I also had little knowledge about it - but as it’s said when you don’t know what to expect you appreciate everything more and that’s what happened with me –I loved the state and my visit there.  

So what did I like in Tripura?-  I’ll say -

1- Natural scenic landscapes - lakes, jungles, forest rest houses - and the greenery 

2- Mystical carvings of Unakoti and Chabi mura

3- Beautiful Agartala and its palaces and buildings

4- Bamboo and cane craft

5- Local cuisine

6- Folk music and dances

7- The way it is progressing at a fast pace 

And

8- It's lovely people and their unparalleled hospitality

 Our trip started from Agartala. Do you know why it’s called Agartala ?– Because it is the land of Agarwood or woods of God or Oud trees which are used for incense and perfumes. And these perfumes are really good.

The highlight of Agartala is the Ujjayanta Palace built by the last Manikya king - Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore and had I not seen it myself I would have never imagined that a state like Tripura will have such a magnificent and beautiful palace. It is now a museum and its newly started 'Light and Sound' show introduces you to the rich history of this state. The other equally beautiful palace is the 'Neer Mahal' (a summer palace built by the same Manikya ruler in the middle of a huge lake) – the king was so fascinated by the Jal Mahal of Udaipur that got this built in 1930’s – and it’s simply beautiful.

Ujjayanta Palace - with its sprawling gardens and two beautiful lakes

Neer Mahal 

Assembly Building

Forest Head Quaters 

The best thing about Agartala is that they are following the same theme - the Ujjayanta  palace theme - for most of their new up coming buildings – be it the Secretariat or the Legislative Bhawan, official buildings, the schools, colleges and even the railway station. It is also developing its open spaces beautifully – with new War Memorial with its Laser show, a park showcasing the entire Tripura and many others. There is also an Oxygen park and Orchidarium (truly magnificent) developed and maintained by the forest dept. 

The Orchids at Orchidarium 

 It is the biggest city in the state and their major economical hub. It is a mix of modern and traditional look with all the amenities possible. It’s on its path to progress with many central government projects being executed especially roads – bringing much needed better connectivity and prosperity to the state.

In the evening we got an opportunity to see the folk culture of Tripura in the dinner organised by the state. All the dances were beautiful but the most impressive was the only Girls’ band of Tripura – mixing Bollywood and their traditional songs – I loved their spirit, their dress and their style. Also it showcased how empowered and confident are the girls in this state.

The only Girls Band of Tripura

The most popular Tribal dance with lamps and other props

With the officers and spouses of the state

 Outside Agartala it is forest and more forests and small towns – but beautiful landscape with rubber plantations, Banana trees, Bamboo and cane. Also green paddy fields, gentle curves on the roads and lots of goats and cows. The forest cover of Tripura is almost 80% of the state land and the forest department is maintaining it well with many touristy spots created for tourists. 

Beautiful landscape - just green all around 

One interesting visit was a boat ride in the Gomti River between the two mountains and thick forest – Chabi Mura – a unique landscape looking like amazon rain forest. Developed and maintained by the forest depratment there are many lovely trails here – we also did a small one and wished that we had more time. But the sight to behold on this boat ride were the huge stone carvings of God and Goddesses on the mountain rocks – truly mystical as not much is known about them. There are many more carvings still hidden in the forest and waiting to be discovered.

The Gomti river between the two mountains

The Devi Mahishasurmardini carving - really breathtaking 

I got down of the boat and climbed up to offer flowers to the Devi and also to show how huge it is.

The small trails inside the jungle - where you can go only by boat

The carvings on the rocks

We visited two of the forest rest houses and the one at Sepahijala is one of the most beautiful that I have seen till now. We were supposed to stay the night here but instead decided to drive up to Unakoti – one of the most celebrated sites in Tripura.

The beautiful rest house at Sepahijala amidst a wild life sanctuary

 Unakoti - (means one less than one crore) - This site hosts huge rock carvings and statutes of Hindu god and goddesses on an entire mountain nestled amidst thick forest and waterfalls. It is believed that there are one less than one crore carvings and statues on this mountains. This place holds lots of mysteries and stories  - who carved these statues, who ordered them and how they were done is not much known yet and it creates a wonder in the minds of the visitors.  

ASI has taken it over and exploration is on for more statues and carvings.  This site is also known as the Angkorwat of the east as these carvings were also in obscurity and have been brought to tourist map recently. The place is worshipped by the local tribal and it is said these were carved by the tribals only between 7^th to 9^th centuries.The whole place was a sight to behold and  truly mystical, divine and definitely  worth visiting. I would have loved to spend an entire day climbing these steps and going on small treks admiring the carvings and the natural beauty around- but alas ... only had limited time. 

 The blog on Tripura cannot be complete if I don’t talk about their delectable cuisine – a nice mix of Bengali and Tribal flavours. I loved the Hilsa cooked in different styles, the tender bamboo shoots with green chillies and fish, the Banana flowers koftas and Jack fruit and many local vegetables. Not to miss the sweets made of paneer and the coconut water.  And we can’t miss the rubber wood furniture and the cane and bamboo crafts – the identity of the state.

Picture Courtsey - Internet

The  Tribal art at State Guest House

 The tiles mural depicting the cultural heritage of Tripura in the Secretariat Building 

 But what was the most endearing was the hospitality of the officers – starting from the top boss - the Chief Secretary – Mr J.K Sinha and all the officers and their wives to all the local officers and local people. Special mention of Mr Prasad Rao and Paushali Roy – both Forest officers and such sweet humans.  So much warmth and affection that it was humbling.

One more noticeable thing was the bonhomie amongst the officers of the 3 main services - IAS, IPS and IFoS; something which is slowly eroding in most of the states. This is good for the development of the state. 

Prabodh with the Chief Secretary Tripura -  Mr J K Sinha

 

Our constant companions - Prasad Rao and Paushali 

At the Oxygen park with forest officers

 Tripura is no doubt a land of beauty - beauty of nature and humans; of peace and tranquility. It was a state rife with insurgency but thankfully it ended after 2007-08. Now one can see that Tripura  treasures the old traditions and has old charm – people are sweet and simple and there is friendly relationship between the tribals and non tribals and also with their neighbour country– Bangladesh. It is now on road to progress and will prosper even more in coming years. A state worth visiting and a state which will give it's visitors life long memories - like us. 

The beautiful State Guest House - not less than any five star hotel