The Ujjayanta Palace of Tripura
Today, we cannot even dream of building a palace for just 10 lakh rupees. But there was a time when this price of Rs 10 lakh was extraordinary. And with this 10 lakh rupees, not an entire palace, but a beautiful royal palace was built in a small hilly state of North East India. The name of that state is Tripura and the name of that royal palace is ‘Ujjayant Palace’. We can call it the extremely beautiful white house of Tripura. This white palace is currently known as the most popular tourist center in the capital city of Agartala.
History
Between 1899 and 1901, Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya of the then Rajnya-ruled Tripura built this royal palace at a cost of 10 lakh rupees where Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya, his wife three daughters Maharani and six daughters Rani were in this royal palace. After him the next king Maharaja Rao ruled the state from here.
Buider company
In 1899, when the plans for the construction of this palace were accepted, the then English-run Martin & Burn Company was entrusted with the construction of this palace. This palace was built by the British company Martin and Burn at a cost of 10 lakhs or 1 million dollars.
Structure of Ujjayanta Palace
This palace is completely painted in white. The palace is built with various mixed cultures and architecture. The palace has three high domes. In the middle of it is the highest dome whose height is about 86 inches.
Ujjayanta Palace and Tripura Govt
After the independence of India in 1947, Tripura became part of India in 1963 and got full state status in 1971. Then around 1972-73, the Tripura government included in the Government of India bought this royal palace from the royal family for a total of 2.5 million dollars. It was later converted into the seat of the state government’s assembly.
Later, the seat of the assembly was shifted to another place and this palace i.e. Ujjayant Palace was recognized as one of the museums of the state in September 2013 which is currently one of the most popular tourist spots in Agartala, the capital of Tripura.
Ujjayanta Palace as a Museum
Inside the museum, many items related to the Rajya period and the history of Tripura are carefully preserved. The museum has various items such as coins of Rajya period, skin of a huge python, clothes and jewelry of various tribes of Tripura. Apart from this, the first newspaper of Tripura, the contribution of Tripura soldiers in the liberation war of Bangladesh, the life of the royal period etc. are carefully hung on the walls of the Ujjayant Palace Museum.
History behind Naming Ujjayanta
It should be noted that this Ujjayant Palace was named by the universal poet Rabindra Nath Tagore. Ravithakure had great affinity with Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya Bahadur. Kabiguru came to Tripura 7 times in total. And he is responsible for naming this palace Ujjayant Palace. Vishwa Kabi has written many poems, stories, novels and plays about Tripura. That still holds a unique place in the hearts of readers.
Ujjayanta palace as a tourist attraction
Over time, Ujayant Palace has been further enhanced to attract tourists. The palace is flanked by two Jagrat temples, one of which is a Lakshmi Narayan temple and the other is a temple of Jagannath Dev. It is said that the Maharaja built this palace and temple in such a way that one can stand on the highest peak of the palace and have darshan of God.
Maharaja’s foresight behind the palace
On the other hand, if you look directly from the palace, you can see the Maharajganj market. The largest market of the Rajnya period which is still standing today is known as the largest wholesale market in Agartala city.
Business around the tourist center
As it became a popular tourist destination, many small business establishments were established outside the palace. Countless food shops are established here. Not only the small businessmen of the state, but the business person out of the state also found ways of earning by running their own small stalls here. Moreover, with the passage of time, the importance of this tourist center is increasing day by day due to the increase in the number of tourists from the country and abroad.
Conclusion
Who wouldn’t want to go to such a beautiful tourist spot? And of course, you will definitely want to capture the magnificent splendor and achievements of the palace on camera. However, taking pictures inside this palace, entering with cameras is completely prohibited. But pictures can be taken outside. Tourists from many countries and abroad come here to have a glimpse of this wonderful place of the state. And that is the greatest asset of this tourist spot as it stands today.
Add a Comment