My Travelogue for Tripura

pranavganesh

Tale of a town, two lakes and a zoo, Tripura- Part One, Reaching Agartala

The northeastern parts of India do not evoke a pleasant feel for wanderers. Ask them, they must have visited the tiniest nook & corner of the mainland India, and yet give a pathetically deficient look when queried about the Northeast.

And I am no better; the seven sisters remain the most unexplored territory for me. I can always come up with excuses but within me I know, I do not have any. The distance has always been psychological and not geographical. And I always wanted to amend that. Therefore, when I got a chance to visit, Tripura, I jumped on to it. Many told me it is the worst off among the seven sisters, and go to Meghalaya instead. However, even if it is the worst, it is more beautiful than I could ever have imagined

Reaching Agartala, its capital is perhaps easiest among all the capitals in Northeast. It has an hour long direct air flight from Kolkata. The route hovers over the entire stretch of Bangladesh. The terrain is geographically so contiguous that after landing you second the long repeated lore as how boundaries are artificial and nature did not mean them.

A visit to Agartala starts way before you reach the place, in Kolkata. In Kolkata, there are various versions for Agartala, of admiration and of condescend, depending upon who you talk to. Some would go gaga over the ‘Hilsa’, which one may get in Agartala, and other would criticize them for incorrect usage of Bangla, so like I said, start exploring about Agartala long before you reach there.

Nevertheless, whatever critical one may say about Agartala, Tripura is always considered an extension of the West Bengal. Evident from the fact that a huge number of families in Kolkata have linkages in Tripura. At times, it is next to impossible to get a seat in the Kolkata-Agartala flight. The cuisine is alike, the fervour for ‘Durga Puja’ is alike and an attitude to live life positively even in the adversity is alike

A piece of advice, even before you proceed to the destination, spend some time in Swabhumi. This place is a small complex, where lots of handicrafts are exhibited and sold. This place has nothing to do with Tripura as such, but has many stalls, which would display beautiful handicrafts from Tripura. The sheer sight of these handicrafts, builds in a natural excitement to rush towards the place. (In hindsight, I feel that because this place displays handicrafts from most of the northeast and because route to northeast mostly is via a flight from Kolkata, it may be a nice idea to visit swabhumi, before proceeding to any place in northeast). This place is close to the famous Salt-Lake stadium, so if it is your lucky day, you may catch up a match over here, or rub your eyes in disbelief that attendance in football matches over here, at times, far exceeds that of a World Cup match.

Upon reaching Agartala, I stayed in ONGC guesthouse, which is outside the city, but a comfortable place to stay. The route from the airport to the ONGC township criss-crosses entire Agartala. So at one go you can see the entire cacophony of the city and after that the serenity of lush green rice fields and enticing sideway ponds at one go. And you start forming images of the place based on the two. Of a place rooted in simplicity and yet striving for a modicum of urbanity and suffering from the syndrome of neither here nor there.

The city of Agartala has some imposing architecture, but mostly pedestrian one. The beauty of the place lies majorly in the manifestation of nature outside the city. The city itself is small enough to be visited in a day. Nevertheless, a few excursions, a few hours away, would make you feel so enchanted that even weeks there may not make you blink.

Tale of a town, two lakes and a zoo, Tripura- Part Two, Wanderings in a dusty city

Exploring Agartala can either be a half day task or a week endeavour, depending on what one seeks.

If one seeks larger than life monuments and spectacular sceneries, then Agartala has none. Barring the not-so-imposing Ujjayanta Palace, nothing even comes close. But if one has modest ambitions (and sometimes having them is a virtue, especially when seeing new places, seeking newer vistas), then Agartala may absorb you for days to come.

Take for example roaming endlessly in the busy thoroughfares of the city, without much of an aim, eating at a roadside joint at a dirt cheap price and talking to a Bangladeshi rickshawallahs who crosses the border everyday to earn a living. It's indeed a relish to find a place where a rupee is called a taka. It's indeed a relish to visit the foreign goods market in the city, flooded by cheap Chinese imports- all smuggled from Bangladeshi side and sold at a dirt cheap price and see a casual approach of shopkeepers to sell their stuffs as against the aggressive styles of a Delhi merchant.

But when it comes to serious touring of the city, start with Purbasha and you would find reasons enough to come again and to end your Tripura visit with Purbasha. It is a hand-loom store managed by the Tripura Government, where you get wonderful things at prices that might make you blink in disbelief. I almost spent my entire money in the store and feel elated when somebody comes to my house and asks me where I purchased the bamboo lamp, the bamboo wall hangings and beautiful bed covers from. You can get all these from Purbasha's branch in Delhi or Calcutta, but the price differential may be a bit too much to digest. Remember, around Durga Puja these people give a whopping 25 percent discount, so just in case you can schedule your visit around that period, you are in for a even pleasant surprise.

Near Purbasha is another small little place worth visiting and spending time. The Maharaja Bir Bikram College is known not only for its educational standards in the region but also for its idyllic setting. It is situated on a verdant hillock besides a lake in the eastern part of the city. There is a good sports stadium, a good library and a wonderful cafeteria, even though a tad mis-managed. This is a place where you can see young couples hanging around and the usual energy levels of youth. The College was made by Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya and the sheer setting of the place makes it a must visit, though not on usual tourist circuit.

Then there is the beautiful Ujjayanta Palace, which stands elegantly in the heart of the city. It has been converted into the legislative assembly for the state. And to me it is an under-usage of the building that exudes grandeur. It should have been first and foremost a tourist place. But you need special permission to visit the place. Though, if the assembly is not in session, you can coax a guard to let you see the place without that special permission... tell him you are a tourist and might be flying out in a day or two, usually they oblige. The palace was built by Radha Kishore Manikya Bahadur in 1901. It has a beautiful Mughal styled garden with a musical fountain and wonderful tiles, probably of Chinese origin procured from Burma.

Then nearby is the government museum, not very big or even well-managed and yet worth visiting. It has a good collection of terracotta images, archeological findings from in and around the place, "kantha" art works. And if one doesn’t try to find the grandeur of an cosmopolitan museum in it, the place is a wonderful peep through the Bengali and Tripuri culture.

Then there is the famous Kunjaban Palace, nowadays the official residence of Tripura's Governor. This beautiful building was constructed by Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya Bahadur as his private retreat. It is famous for its association with Rabindra Nath Thakur. I couldn’t visit the place, so I believe that this place is out of bounds.

Then there is a Chaturdash Devata Badi or the house of fourteen deity, people tell me that it is a beautiful place. Again I couldn’t visit the place.

Once exhausted with the city, I hit for even pleasant place in the hinterlands of Tripura.

Tale of a town, two lakes and a zoo, Tripura- Part Three, Train to Bangladesh and the huku monkey.

Kamalasagar and Sepahijhala are day trips from Agartala. And yet in a sense they linger on with you for days together.

Take for example Kamalasagar, a small man-made lake build some 25 odd kilometers away from Agartala. The lake was built in 15th century. The lake is at the Bangladesh border and is a picnic spot for Agartalites. A small and yet widely revered Kalibari temple is nearby, raised on a hillock over looking the lake. The temple was built in 16th century by Raja Dhanya Manikya. This place is therefore also known as Kasba Kalibari. The image of the goddess in the Kalibari temple is that of Mahishasurmardini. It is made up of sand stone. Devotees from different parts of the country and neighbouring Bangladesh offers visit to this sacred temple during festivals.

That is for the details of the place. But ask any person from Agartala and he will tell you that Kasba Kalibari is a place where people go for seeing something very commonplace and yet unusual for average Tripuri. A train. Yes a train.

Tripura due to its unusual geographical position is still not connected by railway to the rest of India. Despite, being a gentle terrain. But it wasn’t the case before partition, when it was connected to Calcutta by trains, through the Bangladeshi heartland. After the partition and the hatred that followed, the railroad connections died and were lost in the oblivion. Today from atop the Kalibari hillock one can see the Bangladeshi railway system and their trains- if one waits patiently. Kasba is only a kilometer away from Bangladeshi town of Comilla (a British misspelling for Kamala). There is another beautiful experience that one can have. Of seeing Bangladeshis on the other side of the border and seeing how porous and meaningless a border can be. People is Kasba constantly interact with people on the other side of the border. (By the way, imported cigarettes are cheaper on the other side, if one wants to buy). The extent of symbiosis can be gauged from the fact that Indian rupee is freely tradable among people on the other side too.

It made me wonder, the inanity of having borders. The nation-state model of geographical separations has existed only for a few centuries. Before that sovereignties were defined more along the lines of ethnicity and symbiosis. Perhaps that model was more humane and perhaps this model is the need of the hour. But we as a thinking creed can do better than this.

If one wants to stay back in this magical and interesting place, there is one Comilla view lodge. Run by Tripura tourism, the place is basic and yet comfortable. The caretaker of the place will arrange food and other necessities if you chose to stay back. I did.

Another reason of staying back for a day is to see the evening Pooja in the temple. It is an amazing experience. In the morning, I walked around the lake after informing the BSF guard on duty (not mandatory, but one should inform him because he knows the situation at ground, in times of tension it may be risky to stray in that area). In fact, technically speaking we strayed many a times into the Bangladeshi territory.

Going and Coming back from Kasba is very easy. From Agartala, there is a constant stream of buses going to this place. Just ask somebody, he will guide you where to catch them. The bus journey meanders through the Tripuri villages, and you can see the simplicity of life in them. And the verdant greenery all around the place.

Another daytrip from Agartala is the Sepahijhala zoo and sanctuary. Located about 30 km south of Agartala, the Sepahijhala Wildlife Sanctuary is a small reserve with a lake, zoo and botanical gardens. The place got its name from a nearby military camp in yesteryears (Sepahi being the vernacular for Soldier). And even though, this place is a small sanctuary, roughly 20 square kilometers and tucked away in a non-descript corner of the country, it is amazing well and scientifically maintained. And you will feel it for yourself after the tardiness of Delhi or Kolkata zoo.

The sanctuary has a beautiful zoo. Don’t miss the "huku" monkey of the place and the Rhinos and the spectacled monkey. The huku sound of the "huku monkey" will surely linger on with you even after years as it does with me. Then there is a botanical garden and a lake, where one can boat around. And there is a toy train, but runs only in winters. Unfortunately when I visited the place it wasn’t running. Another beautiful place to go over there is the educational centre run by the sanctuary. In fact, in retrospect I feel once can stay for weeks together in this place, seeing one place at a time. It can be a beautiful family experience. Should one intend to stay, he can stay back in a forest rest house. One can find out where to book it in Agartala.

Tale of a town, two lakes and a zoo, Tripura- Part Four, the Water Palace.

It could have been a coincidence, or providence. The most beautiful aspect of Tripura unfolded when we were a week away from the departure.

Neer Mahal or Water palace has to be seen to be believed. It is situated some 60 odd kilometers from Agartala near a place called Melaghar, amidst a man-made lake of Rudrasagar. And Melaghar in turn is well connected with a constant stream of buses. Once at Melaghar, take a cycle rickshaw to the edges of Rudrasagar Lake. One can go to the Neermahal either by motorboats, which compresses 40 odd passengers and turns out to be cheap or else take a simple boat, all be oneself-that turns out to be expensive and slower option but in turn gives you a beautiful vantage of the palace from varying distances and lets you melt in the scenery of it. As if you were one of the erstwhile Maharajas visiting the place.

I chose the second option.

Neermahal was built by Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya in 1930 as a summer resort. I have seen Udaipur lake palace and though Neermahal pales in comparison, I would rate it higher for the serenity in which it is located, far from the maddening crowds. And if you are lucky enough to come here in winters, then, people told me one can see flocks and flocks of migrating birds.

The palace itself lies in a dilapidated state (till 2004 September, when I went there- I heard of some plans of renovating it and turning it into a museum, start a sound and light show and develop facilities of water sports in the lake). There are two parts of the palace - one on the western side which was used by the royal family and another on the eastern side which was used by the servants. It has a well laid garden and what seems like facility for an open air drama theatre. A few years ago flood lights were installed to enhance the beauty of the place. More about it, later.

I arrived at Melaghar, without extensive plans to stay in Neermahal or even any idea about its endearing beauty. Melaghar turned to be dusty little town, which one likes to leave as soon as possible. And I and my wife wondered, if we have made a mistake of expecting too much over here. After all we had seen enchanting Kamalasagar and wonderful Sepahijhala, and therefore our benchmarks were high.

"Neermahal"- I demanded the very first rickshaw puller. Idea being-lets see the place and leave as soon as possible. And were heralded on a 20 minutes ride over the meandering lanes and by lanes of Melaghar, to a place called Rajghat.

And as soon we saw the Neermahal from the edges of Rudrasagar, at a distance of two kilometers- we knew we are in for something special. And how special it was, was something which was revealed only after a while.

The place has only one place to stay, the Tripura State tourist guest house (right at the edges of the lake, overlooking the palace), and due to the fame of the place is always booked. So it should be booked in advance at Agartala. When we arrived there to book a room (of course after changing our mind about rushing the place over), we were politely told that the rooms are already booked. But the very fact that I was someone from mainland India, a non-Bengali made me special, after all the place doesn't tend to see any non-Bengali every other day. After a few frantic calls to Agartala, they gave me a room.

We hired a simple boat for Neermahal. It was being rowed by one wonderful person Pradosh Biswas (yeah coincidently shared the name of my hero, Feluda). The man kept us busy right through the half an hour journey to the palace. He told me anecdotes about the regional politics, about the social peculiarities of the place, about the issues that confront Tripura in broken but lucid Hindi. Meeting him was indeed a serendipity. And then after we had visited the place, he told me a closely guarded secret- if we had to savor the real beauty of the place, then we must row around the place in the night.

And that we did, courtesy Pradosh. It was surreal. The whole atmosphere enchanted you and filled you with an unknown fear at the same time. The flood lit places of the palace and those lacking it, play hide and seek with you- beckoning you and warning you- As if the whole place has liven up and trying to hypnotize you.

We stayed in Melaghar for 2 days made two visits to Neermahal. Its memory lingers on with us even today.

A week after the visit, we left Agartala with a sense of awe and satisfaction.

steven_ber

Wow, great post, very useful & interesting, I don't know how I missed this post.

I only got as far as Silchar (from Lumding) then went east to Upper Assam, the people in Silchar were very friendly and there seemed to be a mix of people from most of the sates in the North East.

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Train information.

sreejith

Hi Pranav,

Very nice post, in detail, no exaggerations, simple...

Thank you very much for the info.

You are absolutely right, even for we indians, the feel is like north eastern states are far too away and too dangerous,

Posts like these will really help us to have a good idea about these unexplored beauties,and promote tourism in these parts.

I think quality tourism and the revenue created can solve a lot of the problems in these states.

ks_bluechip

Pranavganesh ...

Thanks for this detailed post on Tripura ... i missed visiting this place last year when i went to assam & Arunachal .... your post renews my interest to visit Tripura (and the other nearby States, if the political situation allows)....

thanks, again... KS

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roopesh_kohad

Great Post. You have enticed me to visit the place !!

shahronakm

Thanks for posting your travelogue. As Usual your posts are excellent (Landsdowne).

Ronak.

skinnylatte

Did you need permits and stuff?

pranavganesh

No permits are needed for Tripura....but as i am an Indian citizen ...I am just speaking for myself.....

However some kind of Inner Line permit or permission is required for going to Sabrum in South Tripura .....where there is a wonderful Pagoda made by Chakmas....but as I was with my wife ....I didnt take chance....there is an element of insurgency in Tripura... not to the degree of Manipur or Nagaland and parts of Assam, but then there is

Hope this helps....though my reply is very very late....didnt see your query

jodiac

Hello guys
I am a native of this not-so exciting corner of India that hardly gets any attention.

Thanks pranavganesh --for such a detailed post --but isn't a little exaggerated?

Anyway --thank you very much.

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pranavganesh

Well that depends on a lot of things...

We often get what we seek.... so quite a lot of times... its all in the mind....

I have lived 20 years of life in a place called Allahabad... and have met a lot of people who just swoon at its name... they find it so beautiful... and yet I could never appreciate it that much...

A lot changed when I moved out of Allahabad and came back after 3-4 years... and even I fell in love with River Ganges and the environment all around

jodiac

Have to give into your logic
Perhaps you are right. I lived (studied) -14 years outside. Every time I used to return- I quite liked the environment.