Agartala

Famous for:
Agartala is the capital of Tripura and is known for its beauty, temples, palaces and lakes.


Video: Driving through Agartala city

Background
Ruled by the Manikya dynasty, Agartala became an important city and came to be known for its twin modern palaces,
Ujjayanta and Kunjaban, which were built during the regime of Maharaja Radha Krishna Kishore Manikya Bahadur (1850).
About 2/3 of the area of State of Tripura is under forest and its beautiful capital city, Agartala, attracts tourists for its pollution free air, pleasent weather, natural beauty, temples, palaces and Lakes.
Many tribes live in the forest and mountains of Tripura and Agartala represents a mix of culture with different ethnic groups residing here.
It is also very close to Bangladesh and many international tourists either enter Agartala from Dhaka or leave India from Agartala.


Video: Agartala during the autumn festival

What to see:
Ujjayanta Palace
Location: in the heart of the Agartala city
It is a magnificent palace built by Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya in 1999 - 1901. It is a 'royal' house, covering one sq. km. area with 28 hectares of parkland with gardens and fountains laid out in the pattern of the Mughal Gardens.

Kunjaban Palace
Location: 1 km North of Ujjayanta Palace
Built by Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya in 1917 as a suburban palace for retreat, it was originally known as Pushbanta Palace. Rabindranath Tagore had stayed in the eastern apartment of the palace in 1926 and the Palace is now the official  residence of the governor of Tripura. The southern side of the Palace garden, known as Rabindra Kanan is open for public.

Tripura Government Museum
Location: Post Office Chowmohani
The museum houses several arts and crafts of the State of Tripura along with old archaeological findings in the region, coins, tribal sculpture, paintings, Bronze images, etc
The museum remains closed on Sundays and all national and state holidays. The visiting hours are 10 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm.

Old Agartala
Location: 8 km from Agartala city
Old Agartala is famous for its shrine of the Chaturdas Devta Bari - the temple of fourteen Gods.

Buddha Temple
Location:Venuban Vihar, on the airport road
A small Buddhist temple having some beautiful metal idols of Lord Buddha, which were brought in from Burma.


Video: Trip from Agartala to Burma border thru Northeast India

Places around:
Rudrasagar Lake and Neer Mahal
Location: 55 Kms from Agartala
Neer Mahal is a major tourist attraction and is the only lake palace in East India. It was built in the middle of the Rudrasagar lake as a summer resort by Maharaja Birbikram Kishore Manikya  in 1930. An annual boat race is organized around July-August.

Udaipur
Location: 55 km from Agartala
Udaipur was ancient capital of Tripura and is famous for its many lakes and the Tripura Sundari temple dedicated to goddess Kali. A big fair is held every year during Diwali at this temple.

Debtamura
Location: 75 km from Agartala on the banks of the river Gomati, between Udaipur and Amarpur.
It has the 15th and 16th century Chabimura or rock images of Hindu Gods like Shiva, Vishnu, Kartik, Mahisasur, Durga and other deities on the bank of the river.

Unakoti
Location: 178 km from Agartala
Unakoti, meaning one less the Crore, is a pilgrimage site for Shiva worshipers. It dates back to the 8th and 9th century and according to a legend, the rocks were actually 99 lakh gods and goddesses who were traveling with Lord Shiva to Kashi and were cursed to become rocks  by Lord Shiva  when they failed to wake up in morning to continue the journey.
The place is surrounded by waterfalls on all sides and in the center is a 30-feet-high statue of Lord Shiva which is called Unakotishwara Kal Bhairava.

Pilak
Location: 100 Km from Agartala
Spread in an area of 10 sq km, it is famous for the excavation of 8th and 9th century stone carvings and terracotta plaques.

Mata Tripureshwari Temple
Location: 3 km from Udaipur, 58 Km from Agartala
It is amongst the 51 pithasthans from the Hindu mythology and has a statue of Goddess Kali in the form of a tortoise. There is also a smaller idol of Kali known as Chotto Ma, which the local kings carried with them during their hunting trips or during war.

Jampui Hills
Location: 200 Km from Agartala near Mizoram border
The hills here form the highest hill ranges in the state and are a major tourist attraction. The place is also known as the land of the permanent spring.

Dumboor Lake
Location: 117 km from Agartala
It is a large lake (41 sq. km) with 48 islands. It is a famous tourist spot and large number of migratory birds also visit this lake during winters.

Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary
Location: 25 km from Agartala on Agartala-Udaipur road
Spread over an area of 18.50 sq km, the wildlife Sanctuary is home to aruond 150 species of birds and is known for the spectacled monkey. The sanctuary also has a 3 sq km lake with boating facilities,  a zoo, a toy train and botanical garden.

Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary
Location: 100 km from Agartala
Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary is famous for bison's and migratory birds


Video: Agartala - The Most happening City In North east India 

Reaching there:
Air: The Agartala airport (12 km from city) has regular flights from Kolkata and Guwahati. The flight from both the places takes about 45 minutes.

Rail: Kumarghat (140 Km) is the nearest railway station to Agartala. Kumarghat is connected to Guwahati. Dharama Nagar (200 Km) is the other railwaystation for Agartala.

Road: NH 44 (Shillong-Passi-Badarpur-Agartala-Sabroom) connects Agartala with Guwahati via Shillong (24 hours).
Buses ply between Agartala and Silchar, Shillong and Dharma Nagar.

Bangladesh is very near to Agartala and the time required to travel to Dhaka from Agartala is around 3 hours.

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