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Tourism in Indian States
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Tripura > Places
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| Tripura |
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| Ujjayanta
Palace, Agartala | |
The
erstwhile royal abode of Tripura, the two storeyed mansion is a mixture of architectural
styles. High domes, well laid out gardens and parks, fountains and tanks make
it an impressive structure. At present, it houses the State Legislature Assembly.
The palace was built in 1901 by Radha Kishore Manikya. |
| Kunjaban
Palace, Agartala | | Situated
in the northern part of Agartala, Kunjaban Palace was the favourite haunt of poet
Rabindranath Tagore, when he visited Tripura. The palace was constructed in 1917
and named as Pushbanta Palace by the then ruler, Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya.
It is currently the Governor's residence. | |
Malancha
Niwas | | The
Bungalow adjacent to Kunjaban palace situated on a hillock was originally a kaccha
house where Tagore stayed during his visit in 1919. The pucca construction was
subsequently built and given the name of Malancha Niwas. |
| Neermahal |
| Neermahal,
a summer resort, built in 1930 by the late Maharaj Birbikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur
is around 55 kms from Agartala. It is located in the middle of the Rudrasagar
lake. A perfect synthesis of Hindu and Mughal architecture, the palace is the
only lake palace in eastern India. Half of the palace is an open garden which
doubles up as an open-air theatre and the other half on the western side is called
the Andar Mahal, used by the royalty. A boat race is organised every year around
July-August. | | Old
Agartala | | Five
miles from Agartala is Old Agartala, famous for its shrine of the Chaturdas Devta
Bari - temple of fourteen Gods. The images represent, only the heads of the gods
and goddesses, worshipped here, and are made of an alloy of eight metals.
| | Udaipur |
| 45 km
from Agartala is Udaipur, famous for the Tripura Sundari temple, dedicated to
Goddess Kali. This temple, is the site of a big fair held every year, during the
festival of Diwali. Udaipur is also known as the city of lakes, principal amongst
them being Amarsagar, Kalyansagar, Jagannath Dighi, Mahadev Dighi and Sukhsagar.
| | Sepahijala
Wildlife Sanctuary | | 25
kms from from Agartala, is the Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary, in the depths of
the Charilam Reserve forests. It covers around 18.53 sq. kms and houses around
150 species of birds. The spectacled monkey, a major highlight of the sanctuary,
is just one of the rare species of animals, that abound in Tripura. A forest Dak
Bungalow within the premises of the sanctuary called Abasarika offers fine accommodation.
There is also a botanical garden, zoo, lake and boating facilities nearby.
The Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary is located about 100 kms from Agartala.
The bison is the main attraction here, apart from some resident and migratory
birds. | | Dumboor |
| Dumboor
is a popular spot, placed 110 kms from Agartala, in the midst of sylvan hills.
The lake spans an area of 41 sq. kms with 48 islands within. Tirthamukh is the
name given to a hydel project located at the mouth of the Gomati river where the
Pous Sankranti Mela takes place in January, every year. This lake is a confluence
of the Raima and Sarma rivers, and is a reservoir of natural and cultured fish.
This also explains the presence of a huge number of migratory birds here during
winters. | | Lake
Kamalasagar | | Lake
Kamalasagar, 27 kms from Agartala, was excavated by Maharaja Dhanya Manikya in
the 15th century. A temple dedicated to Goddess Kali stands on the banks of this
lake, believed to have been built during the 16th century. |
| Unakoti
| | This
place, is situated at a distance of 10 km, from Kailashahar in North Tripura,
and 178 km from Agartala. The name Unakoti means one less than a crore. It is
a Shiva pilgrimage site dating back to the 8th or 9th century. According to Hindu
mythology, Lord Shiva, enroute to Kashi alongwith several gods and goddesses,
comprising a huge group of a crore pilgrims, made a night halt at this location.
He instructed all the gods and goddesses to be up before sun rise. It is said
that in the morning, except Shiva himself, none of the others was awake. He set
out for Kashi alone, cursing the others to become stone images, which explains
the exact figure of one less than a crore stone images and carvings at Unakoti.
The central Shiva carving, known as the Unkotiswara
Kal Bhairava is about 30 feet high, its headdress is 10 feet high. Famous for
its rock murals of gods and goddesses, dating back to the Buddhist period, Unakoti
is perched among sylvan hills and verdant valleys. Every year, a grand festival
known as Ashokastami festival is held here in the month of April. |
| Debtamura
| | Debtamura,
75 kms from Agartala, is located on the banks of the Gomati river, between Udaipur
and Amarpur.The rocks on the banks of the river are also called Chabimura and
are images of Shiva, Vishnu, Kartik, Mahisasur, Mardini Durga and other deities,
and date back to the 15th and 16th century. | |
Pilak
| | 100
kms away from Agartala towards the southern end of the state, is also believed
to be of the 8th and 9th century, where within an area of about 10 sq. kms carvings
were found, mostly in stone and terracotta plaques. Mammoth stone images of Avalokiteswara
and Narasimha have also been found here. Excavations are still in process at Pilak,
Debtamura and Unakoti. | |
Mata
Tripureshwari Temple | | Mata
Tripureshwari Temple at Udaipur located around 58 kms from Agartala and 3 kms
from Udaipur, ranks amongst the 51 pithasthans of India according to Hindu mythology.
It is also known as Kurma Pith because the shape of the shrine resembles a tortoise.
The idol of Ma Kali has been carved out of reddish black stone and is in the Soroshi
form. Another tinier version of the idol is also to be found which was carried
by kings during their hunting trips or war. This idol is known as Chotto Ma.
| | Fourteen
Goddess Temple | | The
Fourteen Goddess Temple is situated around 14 kms from Agartala in a region known
as Old Agartala, thus called because the capital was temporarily shifted to this
place while Maharaja Krishna Manikya was at war with Shamser Gazi. The Famous
Kharchi festival is celebrated here during July, annually, and attracts thousands
of pilgrims. Bhuveneshwari Temple, located on the banks of the Gomati
river, was built by Maharaja Govinda Manikya during 1660-75. It has been referred
to in Rabindranath Tagore's poetry and drama namely Bisharjan and Rajarshi.
Other temples to be visited in Agartala are the Buddha temple, Jagannath
temple, Laxminarayan temple, Uma Maheshwari temple and the Durga temple. In Udaipur
is the Mahadev temple. | |
Jampui
Hills | | Jampui
hills, around 200 kms from Agartala, bordering Mizoram, are a major tourist attraction.
The hill range comprises 10 villages peopled by tribes of Mizo stock, Lushai and
Reang. The highest peak in this range is around 3000 ft above sea level. Here
the weather is so pleasant that Jampui is known as the land with a permanent spring.
The colour of the hills are said to change with the colour of the seasons.
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