Tripura, a small state in northeast India

26-27 November 2023

Tripura, a culturally vibrant state in India’s northeast, has a long history marked by the Manikya dynasty, which ruled for nearly 500 years. The kingdom maintained autonomy under the Mughals and later became a princely state under the British. After India’s independence, Tripura acceded to the Indian Union in 1949 and became a full-fledged state in 1972. Its culture blends Tripuri tribal heritage with profound Bengali influences, seen in its festivals, music, and temples.

The capital, Agartala, grew around the royal court and is known for its wide avenues, markets, and historic sites. Its most iconic landmark is the Ujjayanta Palace, built in 1901 by Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya. Surrounded by lakes and Mughal-style gardens, the palace blends neoclassical and Indo-Saracenic elements and now houses the state museum.

South of the capital lies Udaipur, one of Tripura’s oldest towns and a former royal capital. It is renowned for the Tripura Sundari Temple, a major Shakti Peetha built in 1501 by Maharaja Dhanya Manikya. Set beside a serene water tank, it remains one of the state’s most sacred pilgrimage sites.

Nearby stands the elegant Neermahal, the “Lake Palace of Tripura,” built by Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya in the 1930s. Rising from the waters of Rudrasagar Lake, this stunning blend of Hindu and Mughal architecture served as the royal summer retreat. Together, Tripura’s palaces, lakes, temples, and lush hills reveal a legacy of royalty, spirituality, and natural beauty.

The gate to the Tripura State Museum, giving access to the garden in front of the Ujjayanta Palace, Agartala.

View to the Ujjayanta Palace, the former royal palace of the princely state of Tripura, from the garden.

View to the Jagannath Bari, a 19th century 4-storey octagonal Hindu temple across Rajbari Lake near the Ujjayanta Palace, Agartala.

The Ujjayanta Palace, the former royal palace of the princely state of Tripura. It was built by Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya in 1901. It housed the State Legislative Assembly up to 2011.

View from the Ujjayanta Palace, towards the southern gate, across the garden; it is now the state museum of Tripura.

A Hindu “puja”, a ceremony to honour a recently deceased guru, whose photo is displayed; in a temporary temple, just behind Veda Homestay in Agartala.

Religious music in a Hindu “puja” ceremony to honour a recently deceased guru, in a temporary temple, Agartala.

During the Hindu “puja”, in a temporary temple in Agartala.

The altar with the photo of a recently deceased guru, in whose honour a Hindu “puja” is performed in Agartala.

Women honouring a recently deceased guru, in a Hindu “puja” ceremony, Agartala.

Women dancing to honour a recently deceased guru, in a Hindu “puja” ceremony.

During a Hindu “puja”, a ceremony to honour a recently deceased guru, in a temporary temple, just behind Veda Homestay in Agartala.

Honouring a recently deceased guru in a temporary temple in Agartala.

A Hindu “puja”, a ceremony to honour a recently deceased guru, whose photo is displayed; in a temporary temple, in Agartala.

A boy administers the “tika” or “tilak” on the forehead of devotees (the ajna chakra or third eye, symbolising spirituality), at a Hindu “puja”, a ceremony in a temporary temple, Agartala.

Kamala Sagar, Jooth lake, a “tank” (artificial pond) at the border with Bangladesh, about 27 kilometres from Agartala. It was dug by king Dhanya Manikya (1490–1520).

The village of Kamalasagar on the border with Bangladesh, with the Kasba Kali Bari, Kasbeswari Kali Mata or Kamalasagar Kali Temple.

Kasba Kali Bari, Kasbeswari Kali Mata or Kamalasagar Kali Temple, built on a hill-top by Maharaja Dhanya Manikya in the late 15th century.

Kalyan Sagar, the lake below the Tripura Sundari (Shaktipeeth) Temple, Matabari, Uttar Chandrapur, near Udaipur, 56 kilometres southeast of Agartala. It dates back to the period of Maharaja Kalyan Manikya (1625 – 1660).

Steps going up to Tripura Sundari Temple, in the ancient city of Udaipur. The temple complex is dedicated to Goddess Tripura Sundari and attracts devotees from all over the country.

The Tripura Sundari Mandir in Udaipur, a Hindu temple of the Goddess Tripura Sundari, better known locally as Devi Tripureshwari.

The Tripura Sundari Mandir, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas, which are considered highly sacred in the Shakta tradition. The temple was constructed by Maharaja Dhanya Manikya Debbarma in 1501.

A priest with devotees in the Tripura Sundari Mandir, a Hindu temple of the Goddess Tripura Sundari, better known locally as Devi Tripureshwari, in Udaipur.

Women lighting candles outside the Hindu temple of the Goddess Tripura Sundari, about 55 kilometres from Agartala.

A shop with religious articles at the Tripura Sundari Mandir, a Hindu temple in Udaipur.

Religious items for sale at the Hindu temple of the Goddess Tripura Sundari, Udaipur.

The Shri Bhubaneshwari Mandir, in Rajnagar, Udaipur.

The Shri Bhubaneshwari Mandir, a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Bhubaneswari, built by Maharaja Govinda Manikya between 1667 and 1676 in Rajnagar, Udaipur.

The old Rajbari Palace, behind the Shri Bhubaneshwari Mandir, in Rajnagar, a historically significant area in Udaipur.

The picturesque Udaipur Railway Station with its ground painting.

View to Neermahal palace in Rudra Sagar Lake, the largest water palace in India built between 1930 and 1938 by Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya.

A fisherman on Rudra Sagar Lake, 20 kilometres west of Udaipur and 50 kilometres south of Agartala.

Neermahal palace, situated in the middle of Rudrasagar Lake (Twijilikma), in Melaghar about 50 kilometers south of Agartala.

Neermahal, also known as Twijilikma Nuyung (“Water Palace“), a former royal palace, built by Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur between 1930 and 1938

Located in the middle of Rudra Sagar Lake near Melaghar, Neermahal blends Hindu and Mughal architectural styles.

Surrounded by scenic wetlands, Neermahal once hosted boat races and moonlit gatherings. Today, visitors can reach the palace by boat.

Construction of Neermahal, the ‘lake palace’ of Tripura, the summer residence of the royal family, started in 1930; the palace is said to have taken nine years to build.

Walkways and pavilions of Neermahal Palace, built in the middle of Rudra Sagar Lake as a summer residence of the royal family of Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya.

Fishermen on Rudra Sagar Lake in Melaghar, about 50 kilometers south of Agartala.

Looking back at the Neermahal, built by Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Debbarma, of the ‘Manikya Dynasty’, the second longest remaining dynasty in the world today.

View to the Neermahal palace, on Rudra Sagar Lake, from Neermahal Starting point.

The Sri Veeramma Kali Temple, in Rangamura, Melaghar, 49 kilometres south of Agartala, one of the most revered spiritual landmarks in the state of Tripura.

A row of statues in the Sri Veeramma Kali Temple, in the Rangamura area of Melaghar. The temple was (re)established in recent years.

View to the rice fields, from the Sri Veeramma Kali Temple, in Rangamura, Melaghar, 49 kilometres south of Agartala.