Port Blair is the capital of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. This string of more than 300 almost virgin islands lies quietly in the Andaman Sea, east of the Bay of Bengal, hardly touched by modern …
Tripura
Tucked away in a corner of the northeast, surrounded by Bangladesh on three sides, the lush green mountains and valleys of Tripura have attracted many different peoples over the centuries.
Before joining India in 1949, Tripura was ruled for centuries by its own Hindu royal family and it managed to retain a large degree of independence through much of the last millennium.
Indian Partition proved disastrous for Tripura. Cut off from its natural trading partners and flooded with Bengali refugees, the local tribal Tripuris were left as a minority in their own state.
Resultant tensions have spawned dozens of armed groups fighting for - and against - the creation of an independent state.
Although Tripura is now completely open to tourism, insurgency continues in many areas, particularly in the north and centre of the state. Buses that cross through this area travel in convoy, with a military escort. However, Agartala and surrounding areas are generally safe. Agartala is Tripura’s low-key capital, just 2 km away from the border of Bangladesh. The mixed European-Mughal style Ujjayanta Palace stands amidst large well-kept `Mughal’ gardens with pools and floodlit musical fountains.
The former capital of the Hindu dynasty, Udaipur, retains an atmosphere of antiquity not found in the metropolis of Agartala. It has some important temples while the seventeenth-century Moghul Masjid marks the furthest outpost of the Moghul Empire. Udaipur is 52 km to the north of Agartala and can be visited on a day trip.
Tripura’s star attraction, however, is the fairy-tale water palace of Neermahal, 55 km south of Agartala. The palace was constructed in the middle of a lake which attracts migrating birds. Built as a summer resort in 1930 by the late Maharaja, the striking white and red fairytale castle is fun to explore.
{IMPORTANT} Entry permits aren’t required for Indians or foreigners.
Although Tripura is open to tourism, insurgency and ethnic conflict remain a problem, particularly in the north. You’re unlikely to meet trouble in the tourist spots around Agartala, but it remains sensible to heed the advice of local people.
