TRIPURA

Fast Facts Area:                          10,486 sq km Population:              3.1 million Capital:                     Agartala Climate Summer (March to June) - Warm Monsoon (July to September)- Warm and Humid Winter (October to February)- Chilly and very cold Clothing Summer - Cottons Winter - woolens. Languages Spoken Bengali, Kokborak, Hindi, English Best Time to visit September to March

INTRODUCTION:

Tripura, the Tiny State:

 Tripura, completely off the beaten track, is mainly a hilly territory with altitudes varying from 50 to 3080 ft above sea level. Most of the population, however, lives in the plains. Encompassing a sensitive border zone where India meets Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh, the region is remote - only the narrow Siliguri corridor connects it to the rest of India. The second smallest state of India, it is one of the most ancient of the princely states.

Characterized by moderate temperatures and a highly humid atmosphere, Tripura is a storehouse of tribal crafts and culture as well as music and dancing. Tripura has mainly a Bengali community, in spite of the 19 Scheduled Tribes that form a major chunk of the population. Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and Christianity are the main religions followed in Tripura. The tribals, with a rich and varied culture, belong mainly to the Reang, Chakma, Halam and Usai communities. The majority of tribals live in elevated houses of bamboo called 'Tong'.

Tripura, the second smallest state in the country, is almost surrounded by Bangladesh. Inspite of having 19 tribes, the majority of the population of Tripura is Bengali. Situated in one of the remotest corner of the country, Trpura is one of the best potential places that cater the taste of everything from palaces to lakes and hill station.

Neermahal, a summer resort at south Tripura, built by late Maharaja Birbikram Kishore Manikya way back in 1930, attract a good number of tourists every year. The Ujjayanta Palace, a dominating built in Agartala, was built by Krishna Kishore Manikya Bahadur in 1901.

The ancient land of Tripura located in the North Eastern region of India between 22.56 deg and 24.32 deg North Latitude and 90.09 deg and 92.20 deg East Longitude and is bounded on the north, west, south and south-east by the international boundary of Bangladesh. In the east it has a common boundary with Assam & Mizoram. 60% of the total area is under hills and forests. This tiny state has an area of about 10,500 sq. kms and is inhabited by largely 19 tribes Bengali, Manipuri and other communities.

History :

The ancient history of Tipperah or Tripura is shrouded with mystery. We come to learn from Rajamal that more than 150 tribal kings ruled Tripura since the legendary period and King Ratnapha got the title "Manikya" from the Lord of Gauda. But recent readings of Tripura Coins have proved that Ratna had his two predecessors Maha Manikya and Dharma Manikya. Hence it is perhaps reasonable to conclude that with Mahamanikya, the historical period of the "Manikya" Dynasty started, which continued till 1949. The history of the rulers of Tripura in medieval period is the story of continual fights, particularly with the Sultans of Bengal.

During the British period, some English officials were eager to occupy Tripura, but it was opposed by others. However, the office of the British Political Agent of Tripura was created in 1871. After the death of Birbikram Kishore Manikya in May 1947, a Council of Regency under the leadership of his widowed wife Maharani Kanchanprava Devi took over the charge of the administration on behalf of the minor prince.

The Regent's rule came to an end on September 9, 1947, when due to popular pressure, the agreement of Merger of Tripura with the Indian Union was signed by the Maharani on 15th October 1949. Finally, Tripura became a full-fledged State in January 1972. The original inhabitants of the land, i.e. the hill people were noted for their tolerance and passive obedience. It is only in the 19th century that they started protesting against the oppressive Feudal System.

Flora & Fauna:

Sepahijala Wild Life Sanctuary, is about 25 kms from Agartala covering an area of about 18 sq kms.It houses about 150 species of birds and the unique spectacled monkey. There is also a botanical garden, zoo, lake and boating facilities nearby. The Trishna Wild Life Sanctuary is located about 100 kms away.

Wildlife:

Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary

State: Tripura, in the north east of India.
Best time to Travel: Through out the year.
Weather Conditions: Hot & Humid, pleasant in winters.
Location: Located in the south eastern corner of Tripura in India.

Know the Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura
 

Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary is the second sanctuary of the South Tripura district located in the south-east corner of the state. Its area is 389.54 km. Close to the sanctuary, there is a vast water reservoir covering almost 300 sq km of an area. This water reservoir attracts several resident and migratory water birds. Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura has Elephants, Bison, Sambar, Barking deer, Wild goat or Sarow apart from many other animals and reptiles. This is a very ideal destination for the tourists interested in eco-tourism. The sanctuary boasts of a rich flora and fauna. One can find numerous medical and therapeutically botanical species in abundance in the surroundings of the sanctuary.

Journey to Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary
Airport: The nearest airport is at Agartala (100 km). One can easily reach the sanctuary from here by road.

Road Transport : The sanctuary is almost 100 km away from Agartala and the distance between the Matabari to Gumati Wildlife Sanctuary is approximately 20 Km. The sanctuary can be approached via Ambassa and Gandachara or via Amarpur-Jatanbari.

Staying Near the Gumati Wildlife Sanctuary
One can stay at Agartala during one's visit to the Gumati Wildlife Sanctuary. Agartala has numerous accommodation in various categories, not too fancy. But, the accommodations are good enough for every traveler.

Rowa Wildlife Sanctuary

State: Tripura, in the north eastern part of India.
Best time to Travel: Through out the year.
Weather Conditions: Hot & Humid, pleasant in winters.
Location : The Rowa Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura is located in the northern district of Tripura, India.

Know the Rowa Wildlife Sanctuary

The Rowa Wildlife Sanctuary, situated in the north of the district, can be approached from Panisagar and is adjacent to the National Highway. Rowa Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura is a small wildlife sanctuary covering an area of 85'85 hectares and it is one of the few remains of the natural forests left. This sanctuary is easily accessible to the tourists from all around. Rowa Wildlife Sanctuary provides plenty of scope for study by the botanists, ecologists, environmentalist and students of wildlife system

The Ecosystem of the Rowa Wildlife Sanctuary The Tripura Rowa Wildlife Sanctuary houses more than 150 species of birds, wild beasts and primates. The sanctuary with bountiful of forest reserves, including both botanical and zoological is worth a visit. It is the most ideal destination for the tourists, who are more inclined towards eco-tourism. The forest is rich with a large number of economic plants such as medicinal & aromatic, treat fodders, fruit producing trees, oil-seed producing trees, spices & orchids and other ornamental plants.

Journey to Rowa Wildlife Sanctuary
Airport: One can reach Agartala by air, being the nearest airport from the sanctuary. From here one can take a bus or taxi to the sanctuary.

Road Transport: It can be accessed from Panisagarh, about 180 km away from Agartala and is close to the National Highway.

Staying near the Rowa Wildlife Sanctuary
Panisagarh Tourist Lodge is the ideal place for accommodation, located near the Rowa Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura, India.

Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary

State: Tripura, in the north east of India.
Best time to Travel: Throughout the year. Winters witness abundant seasonal migratory birds and summers provide cool green effect to nature lovers.

Weather Condition: Hot & Humid, pleasant in winters.
Location: The Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary is about 35 km away from Agartala and the NH 44 in the West Tripura District connecting Agartala with Udaipur, the district head-quarters of South Tripura district passes through it.

Know Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura

The Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura is at a distance of 35 km from Agartala and the NH 44. Tripura Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary is spread over an area of 18.53 sq km and boasts of a rich collection of wildlife particularly of birds and primates. One can appreciate both in-situ and ex-situ conservation of flora and fauna at Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary. The Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura is the hot spot of bio-diversity with abundant stock of flora, fauna, birds, etc.

Journey to the Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura
Airport: Agartala is connected by airlines flights with Calcutta, Guwahati, and Delhi.

Railheads: The two nearest railway stations are Kumarghat (160 kms) and Dharama Nagar (200 kms). Both the stations on the North-East Frontier Railway, connected with Lumding & Guwahati, where as Lumding and Guwahati are connected with Calcutta and other major stations in India.

Road Transport : Good motorable roads connect Agartala with Silchar- 288 kms, Guwahati- 599 kms, Shillong- 499 kms, Dharmanagar- 200 kms. Tripura Road Transport Corporation buses connect Silchar, Shillong and Dharma Nagar to Agartala.

Staying near the Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura
There are various private hotels at Agartala as well as State Government Tourist lodges. In addition, at different tourist centres Tourist lodges of the state Government are available for tourists.

There is a Forest Dak Bungalow ' Absarika' and 5 cottages inside the sanctuary for accommodation. The tourists lodges which are coming up with lakes around it- the solitude and the nearness to nature are by themselves a source of serene pleasure.

The Ecosystem of the Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura

The Landscape
Botanical garden, zoo, a boating facility in the lake and the various species of trees attract visiting tourists from all over. The landscape is lush green with stokepile of various vegetations. Agar (aggreria agglocha) (the state tree), Nageshwar (Mesua ferrea- state flower), Dukul (the green Imperial pegion-state bird) and groups of Spectacled langur (Phary’s leaf monkey-State animal) can easily be sighted inside the sanctuary area.

The Flora
The sanctuary is rich in flora. The Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura has 456 plant species of monocotyledon and dicotyledon. Trees of Sal, Chamal, Garjan and Kanak exist predominantly. The secondary species consist of Pichla, Kurcha, Awla, Bahera, Hargaja, Amlaki, Bamboos and grasses. Sanctuary has the 4489 cum per ha.of timber biomass. Sanctuary has abundant Rauwalfia serpentina and home to other endangered and endemic species.

The Fauna
There are 5 species of primates in this sanctuary. The crab eating Mongoose which was last sighted about 72 years ago in India has been discovered again in this sanctuary. The sanctuary has been planned as both a wildlife sanctuary and as an academic as well as research centre.

Presbytis, or spectacled langur, an endemic species of Tripura is abundant here. Tropical moist deciduous Forest of Sepahijala harbors five different species of primates like Rhesus macaque, Pigtailed macaque, Capped langur, Spectacled langur, slow lories and a lot of many other wild animals. One can easily come across these wild animals in the forest of Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary. At one time the sanctuary was marked for varieties of wild animals including leopard, clouded leopard, jungle fowl, and civets, barking deer, wild pig.

The Birds
There are about 150 species of birds in this sanctuary. During winter lots of migratory birds visit the sanctuary. It is absolutely thrilling to watch them. Wonderful habitat of Sepahijala attracts lot of migratory birds of which lesser whistling teal, white ibis, open billed stork is of prime importance.

Trip within the Kaziranga National Park
There are arrangements available for a joy ride on an elephant's back as well as a ride on the toy train and for boating in paddle as well as rowing boats in Sepahijala lake. Al these rides will take you to the remote areas of the sanctuary offering you an opportunity to come close to the inhabitants of the sanctuary.

Sightseeing in Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary
Sepahijala zoological park
It came into existence initially (in 1972) with setting up of one Deer Park to protect the land from encroachment. It consists of five distinct sections Viz. (i) Carnivores section (ii) Primate Section (iii) ungulate section (iv) Reptile section (v) Aviary section.

Lake
There are quite a good number of lakes in this Sanctuary, which quenches thirst of wild animals. The "Abasarika" (Forest rest House) ‘Amrit Sagar” has boating facilities for the tourists. IT has pedal boats for couples, motorized boats and non-motorized boats for families. The lake is completely surrounded by natural forests and inhabits a variety of seasonal migratory and resident birds. The boat ghat is also equipped with life saving jackets and other related accessories.

Botanical Garden
You can get acquainted with various species of plants here. Medicinal plants with more than sixty species are the prime attraction of this Garden. The area has unique congregation of bio-diversity with high IVI and species diversity.

Toy Train
It is a unique opportunity for the people of Tripura to have experience of train journey. 5 minutes drive on toy train is worthwhile to have experience on passing through different type of habitats.

Picnic Spot
The Extensive area has been developed away from the roadside for picnickers to enjoy the natural beauty. The area is surrounded with beautiful Rubber plantation on one-side and Palm trees on the other with two lake. The area offers rest sheds, benches, urinal and drinking water facilities and kitchen facilities. Self-cooking facilities are also available.

Multi Modal Journey
One may enjoy the travel on boat for reaching the nature travail. The nature travail consists of few convenient stairs passing through the dense natural forests.

Nature Interpretation Centre
The sanctuary offers an unique educative value to the school going children, academicians, Botanists, environmentalists, taxonomists and visitors.

Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary

State: Tripura, in the north eastern part of India.
Best time to Travel: Through out the year.
Weather Condition: Max - 37.7 degree cent. in June; Min - 6.8 degree cent. in January; Rainfall : Max - 508.20 m in July. Min - 03.58 m in December.
Location: Located in South Tripura District and it is 18 km away from the sub-divisional town of Belonia and is connected with Agartala by a state highway.

Know Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura
Covering an area of 197.7 sq km, the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura is a rich in vegetation and fauna. Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary Tripura can be approached either from Belonia in the south or from Sonamura in the northern part of the state. The Trishna wildlife Sanctuary was notified in the year November 1988. The sanctuary is rich in forest reserve with abundant patches of virgin forest reserve. The sanctuary has the unique educative value to the school going children, academicians, Botanists, environmentalists, taxonomists and visitors. The Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the most conserved forest reserves with rich Bio-diversity. The forest reserve is ideally planned for Education & Awareness and Entertainment & Amusement.
Indian Gaur (Bison) is an attraction of this sanctuary. Apart from it, there are varieties of birds, Deer, Hooklock Gibbon,Golden Langur, Capped Langur, Pheasants and many other animals and reptiles. Bison is the main attraction in this sanctuary, in addition to the resident and migratory birds.

Journey to the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary
Airport : Nearest airport is at Agartala, the capital city of Tripura. It is about 107 km from the park.

Road Transport : By road Agartala is about 95 km from the sanctuary. One can easily take a bus or taxi from Agartala to reach the sanctuary.

Staying near the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary
Accommodation is available at Forest Rest House Rajnagar, Van Mahal at Belonia and Revenue Dak Bunglow at Rajnagar

The Ecosystem of the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary
The Landscape
The landscape of Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura rich in greenery both from inside and outside. According to the crop diversity Forest of Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary can be divided into 3 (three) parts.The dense forest covers 62% of the total area, 18% is covered by degraded forest and the rest 20% is covered by bushy forest. Sanctuary also has a numbers of perennial water rivulets, water bodies, and grass land.

The Flora
Forest types of the sanctuary are classified mainly into four types. The sanctuary has Tropical Semi Evergreen Forest, East Himalayan lower Bhabar sal, Moist mixed deciduous Forest and Savanah wood land. One species of Bamboo Oxtenanthera Nigrocilliate locally known as Kaillai is found in abundance at this place, leaves of which are liked by Bison. This bamboo is said be endemic. The vegetation of the Sanctuary is unique through out its area. There are numbers of tree species, herb, Shrubs, climbers, grass etc. in the Trishna Sanctuary Tripura. There are 230 nos of trees species 400 nos herbs, 110. Nos shrubs and 150 nos climbers available in the Sanctuary. Among the floral diversity there are good nos of species of having medicinal value. Kurcha, Tulsi, Vasak, Sarpaganda, Rudraksha, Bel, Chirata, Kalamegh etc. are medicinal plants available in plenty.

The Fauna

The Trishna Sanctuary is diverse in flora and fauna stock. The sanctuary is famous for Bison locally known as “Gaba” and home to several species of “Primates”. Some of the species found here are -Bos gaurus (Indian Bison), Trachypithecus phayrie (Spectacle langur), Hylobates hoolock (Hoolock Gibbon), Macacca mulatta (Lalmukh Bandar), Trachypithecus pileatus (Capped Langur), Sus scrofa (Wild boar), Felis chaus (Wild cat), and Panthera pardus (Leopard).

The Birds
Several bird species are found inside the sanctuary. A few of then are – Pheasant tailed Jacana, Red Jungle Fowl, White breasted king Fisher, Indian Black drongo, Tailer bird, Jungle Myna, Parrot, Eagle, Hornbill, Dove etc

 Faith & Culture:

There are only four predominant communities in Tripura professing different religious beliefs - Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Christians. Most of the tribal people have their own tribal customs and beliefs but in a broader sense of the religion they are believed to be followers of is Hinduism. They worship elements such as the god of water, the god of fire, the god of forests, the god of earth etc. A trace of their old faith is found in their present practice of striking a bamboo in the ground during religious festivals and worshipping it. Sacrifices form an important part of their religion; the buffaloes, pigs, goats and fowls being the animals ordinarily used for this purpose.

Most of the modern members of the ruling family of Tripura were great patrons of art and literature and had great regard for eminent scholars of the country. Maharaja Dharmamanikya is said to have inaugurated the rajmala, a verse chronicle of the royal house. Tripura, a neighboring state, have had a spiritual contact with Bengal for well over a few centuries and this contact became all the more significant during the period due to Tagore's continued association with the ruler and his benign influence over them.

Teachers were brought from Mithila for the spread of Music in the State. A flute made of Muli Bamboo of Tripura was very famous. There are also their own improvised musical instruments like Sarinda, Chougpreng and Samu (flute) etc. made of bamboo and strings.

The songs are mostlly related to their days work and different songs are sung on different occassions. Dancing in Tripura has always been in complementary lines with Music and it has always been a very popular aspect of cultural functions. The Garia dance is very popular among the Tripuris.

Handicrafts:

Loin-loom, indeed is the oldest and most developed cottage industry of Tripura. Among the traditional produces mention may be made of dubris (a piece of skirt to be wrapped twice over the body) riha or risa (breast garment); bed-covers, screens, asanas etc. Silk is another age old industry of Tripura. Next to weaving, cane and bamboo works occupy place of prominence. Bamboo is available in super abundance, and this typical forest wealth of Tripura is one material that is used in many ways from building homes to making toys. Many artistic things are made of bamboo or its roots for example toy, tray, vase, photo-frame, human figure, casket, calender, pen-stand etc.

Fairs and Festivals:

Of the many festivals which are celebrated in Tripura, the worship of fourteen Gods popularly known as "Kharchi Puja" occupies a place of pride. This is celebrated with great enthusiasm in the month of July every year. The first day of this week long festival is declared a holiday by the Government. Ker and Garia Puja- these two traditional tribal festivals, need special mention. Ker Puja starts generally fifteen days after Kharchi Puja. It is said that this puja is performed for the welfare of the state and its people. The puja is performed within a specific boundary & during the puja nobody is allowed to enter or come out of this specified boundary. The Garia Puja is performed on the seventh day of the month of Baisakh (April). When the Puja is over, the devotees, men and women take to dancing.

Another remarkable tribal festival is Ganga Puja. This puja is held in March-April. About 4 to 5 Villages join together to perform this puja. To perform the puja they build a temple of bamboo just on the middle of the river. They sacrifice goats, buffaloes and ganders and pray to God to save them from epidemic disease. Durga Puja in the month of October is one of the most popular festivals of Tripura. Next comes Diwali, on the occasion of which each year a big fair is held near Matabari in the temple of Tripura Sundari at Udaipur. "Ashokastami fair" is held at Unakoti Tirtha at Kalishahar every year in the spring. Thousands of pilgrims assemble here to offer prayers to the images of Goddesses engraved on the hilly rocks which are found here.

Places of Tourist Interest:

Agartala
The State Capital is connected by road with Guwahati via Shillong by National Highway No. 44. It takes about 24 hours by road from Guwahati to reach Agartala. There are flight connections as well, with Calcutta and Guwahati.

Ujjayanta Palace
This is a modern building of the royal house of Tripura and is located in the heart of Agartala, sprawling over a half sq. kms. This two storied mansion has a mixed architecture with three high domes (the centre one being 86' high). The magnificient titles floor curved wooden ceiling and beautifully crafted doors are particularly notable. The palace was built by Radha Kishore Manikya in 1901. Its well laid out gardens have two large tanks on either side and the fountains are laid out in the patterns of the Mughal Gardens. Kunjaban Palace situated 1 Km ahead on a hillock, was constructed in 1917 and named as Pushbanta Palace by the than ruler, Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya. It is said that the known poet Rabindra Nath Tagore stayed in the eastern apartment of the palace. The southern side is now open to the public and is known as Rabindra Kanan, while the rest of the palace is now the official residence of the Governor of the State.

Neermahal
A Summer resort built in 1930 by the late Maharaj Birbikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur is about 55 kms away from Agartala. It is built in the middle of a Lake called Rudrasagar with a total area of about 5.35 kms. A perfect blend of Hindu and Mughal architecture it is the only Lake Palace in Eastern India. Half of the Palace is an open-air theatre and the other half on the Western Side is called the Andar Mahal, used by the Royalty.

Excursions:

Unakoti

The Rock-Cuts and stone carvings of Tripura are huge and have been carved on open vertical walls at Unakoti, Debtamura and Pilak. Unakoti is about 178 kms from Agartala. The name Unakoti means one less than a crore and legend. It is a Shiva pilgrimage site dating back to the 8th or 9th century. The central Shiva Carving known as the Unakotiswara Kal Bhairava is about 30 feet high, its head dress is 10 feet in height. Every year a big festival known as Ashokastami Mela is held here in the month of April.

Debtamura
This is 75 kms from Agartala and is situated on the banks of the river Gomati 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. The images date back to the 15th and 16th Century.

Pilak
The Stone carvings found here are mostly in stone and terracotta plaques. This is located about 100 kms away from Agartala.

Mata Tripureshwari Temple
Located at Udaipur about 58 kms away from Agartala and 3 kms from Udaipur, is considered one among the 51 pithasthans of India according to Hindu Mythology. It is also known as Kurma Pith because of the shape of the temple resembling the tortoise. The idol of Maa Kali is made of reddish black stone and is in the Soroshi form.

The Fourteen Goddess Temple
Is situated about 14 kms from Agartala at a place known as the old Agartala. The famous Kharchi Festival is celebrated here during the month of July each year.

Bhuveneshwari Temple
On the right banks of the Gomati River was buillt by Maharaja Govinda Manikya, during 1660-75. It finds its reference in Rabindra Nath Tagore's poetry and drama.

Jampui Hills
The luxuriant forests of 'Jampui Hill', the premier one among the 6 principal hill ranges of Tripura provides a life time's exhilarating experience for the tourist.'Jampui Hill' - the permanent seat of spring, is situated at an altitude of about 3000 above sea level and about 250 km away from Agartala. This hill range consists of cluster of tribal villages and is home for colourful Lushai and Reang tribal communities. The neat and clean traditional wooden houses of the local inhabitants combined with greenery all around provide excellent opportunities for eco-friendly tourism. During the month of November every year, the unique Orange Festival is celebrated in the Jampui Hill