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Tripura/Tipra pronunciation (Bengali: ত্রিপুরা, Hindi: त्रिपुरा) is a state in North East India. The capital is Agartala and the main languages spoken are Bengali and Kokborok. Formerly it was an independent Tripuri Kingdom known as Tuipra and was merged with India on 15th October 1949 by the Tripura Merger Agreement.

Origin of the name Tripura

• The origin of the word Tripura is also attributed to one of the mightiest kings of Tripura,Tripur who ruled the kingdom. According to the legend, Tripur was the 39th descendent of Druhya, who was descendent of Yayati, one of the lunar race kings. He was so powerful that he ordered his subjects not to worship any god other than him and have no faith in god. He started torturing the subjects who defies his order. People fled in a body escape from his tyrany to nearby state of Hiramba (Cachar).

• According to another school of thought the name Tripura was probably given to the state in honor of the temple at Udaipur, Tripureshwari , the wife of lord Shiva. It can not sustainthe argument simply because the Temple is built in the yerar 1500 AD by Dharma Manikya, Where as name of Tripura kingdom existed in Mahabharata period. Rather, the temple is known by the name of the kingdom, not vie versa. The meaning is Goddess of Tripura kingdom and its people. The Tripuri people call the temple as Tipra ama, that is "Mother Tripura". If it was from that 51 pitha of satis body parts then where had it been till it was built by Dharma Manikya?

• According to Kailash Chandra Singha, a prominent historian, the word Tripura is a derivative from two different Kokborok word twi-pra. Twi means water, pra means near in the Tripuri language of the inhabitant of Tripura. It is likely that the state bears the name Tripura from this fact that in ancient time the boundaries of Tripura extended up to the Bay of Bengal when its ruler held sway from Garo Hills to Arakan.

• According to another belief , Tripura is a corrupt form of Twi-pra. The meaning of twi is water and that of bupra is confluence not the near. Like lampra is meeting point of two roads, bupra is bifurcation point of tree branch.In fact what is more to be noted is that most of the villages, places in Tripura are named after various rivers, tributaries etc. like Twikormo, Twirisa, Twisarangchak, Twimudul and so forth.

History

Tripura (or Tipra) used to be a royal state before its merger with the Indian Union. The Tripuri Kings (Habugra) had the title of Manikya and ruled Tripura for three thousands of years until its merger with the Indian Union in 1949. The capital of the Kingdom was based in Udaipur which was known as Rangamati on the banks of the river Gomati (Khumtwi>Gumtwi>Gumti) in South Tripura. The capital was shifted to Old Agartala(Aguli) by King Krishna Manikya in the eighteen century, and then the present Agartala in the 19th Century.

As a revolt against the monarchic rule, the Ganamukti Parishad movement was launched. The movement was victorious and Tripura was integrated with India. It was heavily affected by partition of British India and the majority of the population now consists of Hindu Bengalis (most of whom came as refugees from East Pakistan after independence in 1947) living side by side with the native Tripuri population.

The history of Tripura dates back to the Mahabharata, the Puranas and pillar inscriptions of emperor Ashoka. The 19th century marked the beginning of the modern era in Tripura when King Maharaja Bir Chandra Manikya Bahadur Debbarma modeled his administrative set up on the British India pattern and brought in various reforms. His successors ruled over Tripura till 1947 when it was annexed to the Indian Union on 'C' State. Tripura became a centrally administered Union Territory on July 1, 1963 and attained the status of a full-fledged state on January 21, 1972.

Geography

Tripura is a landlocked hilly state in the northeastern part of India, surrounded on the north, west, and south by Bangladesh. It is accessible to the rest of India through the Cachar district of Assam and Aizawl district of Mizoram in the east. The state extends between 22°56'N and 24°32'N and 90°09'E and 92°10'E. Its maximum stretch measures about 184 km from north to south and 113 km from east to west with an area of 10,492 km². Tripura is the third smallest state of the country.

Tripura is mainly a hilly territory with altitudes varying from 50 to 3080 ft above sea level, though the major population of the state lives in the plains.

The state is located in the Bio-geographic zone of 9B-North-East Hills and possesses an extremely rich bio-diversity. The local flora and faunal components of Indo-Malayan and Indo-Chinese sub-regions. There are 379 species of trees, 320 shrubs, 581 herbs, 165 climbers, 16-climbing shrubs, 35 ferns and 45 epiphytes.

Economy

Agriculture and allied activities is the mainstay of the people of Tripura. It provided employment to about 64% of the population. There is a preponderance of food crop cultivation over cash crop cultivation in Tripura. At present about 62% of the net sown area is devoted to food crop cultivation.

Paddy is the principal crop, followed by oilseed, pulses, potato and sugarcane. Tea and rubber are the important cash crops of the State. Tripura has been declared as the Second Rubber Capital of India after Kerala by Rubber Board.

Macro-economic trend

This is a chart of trend of gross state domestic product of Tripura at market prices estimated by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.

Tripura's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $2.1 billion in current prices.

Agriculture is the mainstay of Tripura's economy. Agricultural sector provides employment to nearly 51 % of the total workers in the State. However, handicraft, particularly made of bamboo,also finds a special mention in the states' economy. The per capita income at current prices of the state stands at Rs 10931 and at constant prices Rs 6813 in the financial year 2000-2001.

Some quality timber like Sal, Garjan, Teak, Gamar are found abundantly in the forests of the State. The most important mineral resource of Tripura is oil and natural gas. However, the industrial sector in this State continues to be highly underdeveloped.

Government

Like the other states of India, Tripura has a democratic government.

Officially, the Governor heads the executive. The Chief Minister leads the democratically elected state legislature - which currently has 60 members. Guwahati High court (Agartala bench) heads the state's judicial administration.

For administrative purposes, the state has been divided into 4 districts, 17 subdivisions, 40 development blocks. It also has an autonomous district council, the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council which has head-quarters in Khumulwng.

Districts of Tripura

Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council

The Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC)is an independent council administering the tribal areas of the state of Tripura, India. Its council and assembly are situated in Khumulwng, a town 26 km away from Agartala, the state capital.

In the 2005 elections to the TTAADC the Left Front won 26 seats out of the 30 seats and the National Socialist Party of Tripura four. The Left Front and NSPT had contested within the framework of an electoral understanding.

Demography

Despite being geographically the smallest state in the region, it is the second most populous state in the Northeast, following Assam. According to the census of 2001, Tripura has a total population of 3,191,168, with a density of 304 persons per square kilometer, and ranking 22nd in India. It constitutes 0.31% population of India and 8.18% of the entire Northeast.

Tripura ranks 22nd in the human resource development index and 24th in the poverty index in India according to the sources of 1991. The literacy rate of Tripura is 73.66%, higher than the national rate of 65.20%.

Cities and towns

Badharghat, Jogendranagar, Indranagar are now parts of the Agartala municipality.

Politics

See Also: List of political parties in the state

At present Tripura is governed by Left Front, with Manik Sarkar as Chief Minister. Until 1977 the state was governed by Indian National Congress. LF governed 1978-1988, and then returned in power 1993. 1988-1993 the state was governed by a coalition of INC and Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti.

Issues

There has been a problem of armed conflict in Tripura since the end of 1970s. The cause is that the original Tripuri people have been reduced to a minority in Tripura due to the large scale migration of the Bengali people since Tripura kingdom joined India from 1949. From a majority of 80% population in 1901 census they constituted just 30% according to the 2001 census of India, an after-effect of the mass-migration caused by the Partition of India.

These has resulted in wide-spread insurgency and militancy in the state with groups such as TNV (Tripura National Volunteers), NLFT (National Liberation Front of Tripura) and ATTF (All Tripura Tiger Force), whose main motive is to secede from India and drive away the Bengali people and regain the independence of the kingdom.

Culture

Tripura has a rich cultural heritage of music, fine arts, handicrafts and dance. It is a state inhabited by various ethnic groups; Tripura is home to representatives of the four major language families of the Indian Subcontinent: Indo-European, Dravidian, Sino-Tibetan, and Austroasiatic.

Around 70% of the population are Bengalis and Manipuris, while the tribal population includes 19 distinct communities. Of these, the Tripuris are to be found throughout the state. Jamatia, Reang, Noatia, Koloi, Murasing, Chakma, Halam, Garo, Kuki, Lushai, Mogh, Munda, Oraon, Santhal and Uchoi are the other dominant tribal communities of the state.

Music is an integral part of the tribal people of Tripura. Some of their improvised instruments are the Sarinda, Chongpreng and Sumui (flute). Songs are sung during festivals, marriages, jhum and other festivals. Their life used to be jhum oriented previously.

Dance is vital to the tribal way of life. They dance and sing not only to observe festivals and in joy but in sorrow also. The Goria dance is very popular among the Jamatias, Debbarma, Reangs,and all other clans of Tripuri and are participated by young men and women. The Hojagiri dance is performed by standing on a pitcher and is performed by the Reangs clans. The Biju dance is performed by the Chakmas during the Chaitra Sankranti.

Resources

Tripura is not rich in mineral resources. The principal minerals of the state are kaolin, iron ore, limestone, coal and natural gas.

Transport and communication

National Highway No. 44 is the lifeline of the state. The state is connected with the rest of the country through Assam by a 44 km railway line. The capital Agartala, has an airport (Agartala Airport), which is connected with Kolkata, Guwahati and Silchar.

Places of interest

Tripura can be termed as a laboratory of exotic cultural region and can be turned into a veritable tourists' paradise. It will not only strengthen the revenue-base of these state, but also promote national integration.

Jampui Hills, about 250 km from Agartala, is known as the seat of the permanent spring.

Neermahal, the water palace built by Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya in 1930, is 53 km from Agartala. It is located in the center of lake Rudrasagar and is an assimilation of Hindu and Muslim architectural design.

In Unakoti, stone and rock cut images on hill slopes belongs to 7th to 9th century. The rocky walls, the central Shiva head and gigantic Ganesh figures deserve special mention. It is the largest Bas-relief sculpture in India.

Other places of interest are Tripura Sundari Temple, which is regarded as one of the 51 Peethas of Hindu pilgrims. Bhuvaneshwari Temple on the bank of the Gomati and the Kali Temple at Kamalasagar, near the Bangladesh border, which was built in the 15th century. Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary, about 30 km from Agartala, covers an area of 18.53 km². Here more than 150 species of residential birds, migratory birds, orchid garden and boating facilities attract visitors. The Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary is another spot which is the home of the bison apart from migratory and resident birds.

Shopping pleasure in Tripura

Tripura is known for its exceptional hand woven cotton fabrics with tribal motifs, wood carvings, decorative articles made from bamboo roots, bamboo and cane furniture and other exquisite handicrafts. Ideal places to shop in Agartala besides Purbasha , the State Government Emporia, are Priyadarshini, Tantumita, Aitorma and other private shops.

Cultural heritage of Tripura

Tripura represents a composite culture with several ethnic groups residing in the State. Though the cultural heritage of one community differs from the other, the manifested efforts have mingled them into a single whole, giving birth to a unique cultural genre. Tripura can be termed as a laboratory of exotic cultural synthesis.

Important places of Tripura

Agartala

Agartala is the State capital which is connected by road to Guwahati via Shillong by National Highway No. 44. It takes about 24 hrs by road from Guwahati to reach Agartala. There are fligh connections as well with Kolkata, Guwahati and Silchar. Bus services are available to out of state destinations like Silchar, Shillong, Guwahati and Kolkata. Some of the city-based important locations are:

• Buddha Vihar: This shrine though small in size, preserves some beautiful metal idols of Lord Buddha and Bodhisatva, the idols being Burmese in origin. Here Buddha Jayanti is celebrated on the Buddha Purnima Day.

• Maharaja Bir Bikram College: It is situated on a hillock beside a lake in the eastern part of the city. This beautiful college building was designed by Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Debbarma. It is yet another monument of the old architectural tradition, this building is exquisite both from the exterior as well as the interior.

• State Museum: It is situated in the heart of town, it preserves some rare images, epigraphs and numismatic evidences which throw light on the glorious past of Tripura and some adjoining states.

Brahmakunda

Brahmakunda is about 45 km north of Agartala. This shrine is famous for its colourful fairs held every year in the month of March - April and November. The deity installed in the temple of Lord Shiva is said to be over 90 years old.

Kamalasagar

The huge lake was excavated by Maharaja Dhanya Manikya Bahadur Debbarma in the late 15th century while the Kali temple atop the hillock dates back to the 17th century. Famous for the great fair held in October, this place is equally popular with the picnickers.

Sipahijola Lake

This expansive lake within Sipahijola Wildlife Sanctuary is a unique spot for picnickers and offers ideal pedal boating and rowing for nature lovers.

Tripura Sundari Temple

It is situated in the ancient Udaipur, believed to be one of the holiest Hindu shrines in this part of the country. Popularly known as Matabari, crowns the Dhanisagar hillock and is served by the red-robed priests who traditionally, minister to the mother goddess. Considered to be one of the 51 Shakti Peethas, consists of a square type sanctum of the typical Bengali hut. It was constructed by Maharaja Dhanya Manikya Debbarma in 1501 A.D., there are two identical images of the same deity inside the temple named Chhotima, one is around 2 feet in height and the other about 5 feet in height.

Jampui Hills

It is located at an altitude of approximately 1000 metres. It is an interesting place to visit. The summit of the Jampui Hills commands a breathtaking natural view of the towns nearby. It is in North Tripura district. It can be accessed by road from Dharmanagar and Kailashahar. Orange plantations of Jampui Hills are very famous throughout India. Every year during December-January the Orange Festival is held. The people here are predominantly Lushais and Reangs.

Chaturdasha Temple

This temple is situated near Old Agartala, features the Bengal dome patterned after the roofs of village huts in Bengal. The dome is surmounted by a stupa-like structure which might reveal a trace of Buddhist influence. Interestingly this temple was built for fourteen head images of Gods and Goddessess called Chaturdasha Devta by King Krishna Manikya Debbarma and these head images are ceremoniously worshipped during the Kharchi Puja. Tripuri names of fourteen gods and goddesses are however: Lampra, Akhatra, Bikhatra, Burasa, Thumnairok, Bonirok, Sangroma, Mwtaikotor, Twima, Songram, Noksumwtai, Mailuma, Khuluma and Swkalmwtai.

Amarpur

It is an idyllic quiet picnic spot, on the banks of Amarsagar, the 16th century artificial lake, stands on the ruins of a palace. On the southern bank lies a temple dedicated to the eight headed goddess, Mangalchandi. A fair is held here during Basant Panchami (February).

Tirthamukh

It is situated nearby Dumbur which woos pilgrims from different parts of the world. During Uttarayana Sankranti (January-February), thousands of people assemble here to take a holy bath.

Badar Mokam

It is a holy and sacred place of the Muslims who reside in Tripura.

See also

• Kokborok
• Bengal
• Agartala
• Tipra
• Tripuri

References

</references>

External links

• Official website of the government of Tripura.
• Tripura from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
• Mittal Publications India's leading publisher of books on North-East India.
• tripurasociety.org, Delhi Tripura Society website.
• twipra.com, A website on Tipra (Tripura).
• Info on the indigenous Hmar people of Northeast India

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1. Govt.of Tripura

• Seven Sister States
• States and territories of India
• Tripura