The tiny pricely state of tripura is ideally located at the hilltop of northeastern India, pregnant with its rich heritage and ethnicity.Surrounded by bangladesh on three sides, the lush green mountains and valleys of Tripura has attracted many different peoples over the centuries. It is the place where history still whispers the long drawn past of the "Manikya Dynasty". Guarded by the pea green brilliance of nature, Tripura shares her domestic borders with Mizoram , Assam and Bangladesh. The pulsating beat of the tribal dance wounding the silence of the night, the majestic peaks, the secret haunts of river offers Tripura an unmatched enigma which has attracted tourists since time immemorial. Tripura, the emerald quaint hilly land laced with ancient folklores and myths have also curved out a niche for its delicate handicraft items. Tripura covers an area of 10,486 sq km and its capital is Agartala.

There are many theories regarding the origin of name of Tripura. It is said that the word `Tripura` is attributed with the name of the legendary despot king of Tripura, Tripur. He was the 39th descendent of one of the lunar race kings, Druhya. Another theory says that the word Tripura originated from the name of the presiding deity of the land, Tripura Sundari. According to another school of thought, the name Tripura was attributed to the State in honor of the Temple at Udaipur, where the major deity is Tripereshwari, Lord Shiva`s wife. According to one of the major historians, Kailash Singha , the word Tripura is derived from 2 words `twi` and `pra`. Twi means water and pra means near. Therefore the word means ` near water`.

History of Tripura
Tripura is mentioned in the Mahabharata and the Puranas. The name is even found on the pillar inscriptions of Emperor Ashoka. Tripura was a princely state before its merger with the Indian Union. The Tripuri Kings ruled over for 3000 years. The capital of Tripura was Udaipur. Later it was shifted to Old Agartala by King Krishna Manikya in the 18th Century, and then to the present Agartala in the 19th Century. The 19th century marked the beginning of Tripura`s modern era, when King Bir Chandra Manikya Bahadur Debbarma modeled his administration on the pattern of British India and put forward various reforms. The Ganamukti Parishad movement led to the integration of the kingdom with India. Tripura was affected by the partition of India and the majority of the population now comprises of the Hindu Bengalis, many of whom came as refugees from East Pakistan after independence in 1947. Tripura became a centrally administered Union Territory on July 1, 1963 and attained the status of a full-fledged state on January 21, 1972.

Armed riots in Tripura has been a problem since the end of the 1970s as an aftermath of 1971 Indo-Pak war. Mass migration of Bengalis from Bangladesh during this time has resulted in wide-spread insurgency with militant groups like the Tripura National Volunteers, the National Liberation Front of Tripura and the All Tripura Tiger Force.

Geography of Tripura
Tripura is a hilly state surrounded by Bangladesh on the north, west and east. Assam and Mizoram lie to the east. The capital of Tripura is Agartala. The state extends between 22°56`N and 24°32`N and 90°09`E and 92°10`E. It has an area of 10,492 km². Tripura is the third smallest state of the country. Its altitudes varies from 50 to 3080 ft above sea level. The climate of Tripura is tropical climate and the place receives rainfall during the monsoons. The state possesses an extremely rich bio-diversity.

Economy of Tripura
Agriculture is the main occupation of the people of Tripura and provides employment to about 64% of the population. There is a predominance of food crops over cash crops. About 62% Tripura is under food crop cultivation. The principal crop is Paddy. Other crops include oilseed, pulses, potato and sugarcane. Sal, Garjan, Teak and Gamar are found abundantly in the forests of Tripura.

The important cash crops of the State are Tea and rubber. Tripura has been declared the Second Rubber Capital of India after Kerala by the Indian Rubber Board. Hand-woven cotton fabric, wood carvings and bamboo products also form part of the economy. The per capita income of the state is INRs 10,931. Tripura`s gross state domestic product is estimated to be $2.1 billion.

Tripura has poor mineral resources, with meager deposits of kaolin, iron ore, limestone, coal and natural gas. The industrial sector of the state is underdeveloped.

Government and politics in Tripura
Tripura like other states of India is governed through a parliamentary system of representative democracy. The residents are granted the right to vote irrespective of sex, sect, caste or creed. There are three branches of government. They are legislature, Tripura Legislative Assembly and the Judiciary. Assembly meetings are presided over by the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker in the Speaker`s absence. Executive authority is vested on the Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister. The titular head of the state is the Governor. He is appointed by the President of India.

The Assembly of Tripura is unicameral with 60 Members of the Legislative Assembly, or MLAs. Terms of is for 5 years, unless the Assembly is dissolved prior to the completion of the term. The local affairs are governed by auxiliary authorities known as panchayats. The autonomous tribal council of Tripura is the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council which has it head-quarters in Khumulwng.

The main political partis of Tripura are the Left Front and the National Socialist Party of Tripura. Tripura is at present governed by the Left Front with Chief Minister As Shri Manik Sarkar. The Governor of Tripura is Shri Dinesh Nandan Sahaya.

Transport in Tripura
Tripura is connected with rest of the states through Assam by rail and a National Highway. The soul airport of the state is Agartala Airport. The Indian Airlines Flight connects the place with Kolkata, Silchar, Guwahati and Delhi.

The two railway stations of Tripura are Kumarghat and Dharama Nagar .Both the stations on the North-East Frontier Railway are connected by 203/204 Tripura Passanger with Lumding & Guwahati, where as Lumding and Guwahati are connected with Calcutta and other major stations in India.

There are well-tarred motor able roads connecting Agartala with Silchar, Guwahati, Shillong, Dharmanagar. Tripura Road Transport Corporation buses connect Silchar, Shillong and Dharma Nagar to Agartala by daily bus services.

Districts of Tripura
The state is divided into 4 districts, 17 subdivisions and 40 development blocks. Major towns of the state are Agartala, Badharghat, Jogendranagar, Dharmanagar, Pratapgarh, Udaipur, Kailashahar, Teliamura, Indranagar, Khowai and Belonia. Badharghat, Jogendranagar and Indranagar are parts of the Agartala municipality.

Demography of Tripura
Tripura is the most populated state after Assam. Tripura has a population of about 3,191,168 with a density of 304 persons per square km. It ranks 22nd among Indian states. The literacy rate is 73.66%, which is higher than the national rate of 65.20%. It constitutes 0.31% population of India. 70% of the population of Tripura are Bengalis and the native tribal populations represent 30% of Tripura`s population. The tribal population comprises of different tribes and ethnic groups with a variety of language and culture. Tripura ranks 22nd in the human resource development index and 24th in the poverty index in India as per the 1991census . The majority of people in Tripura are followers of an animist-Shaktism hybrid of Hinduism, which was the state religion under the Tripuri kings. The Brahmin priests are regarded as custodians of dharma and occupy a very high position in the society. Important deities are Shiva and Tripureshwari . Several fertility gods as Lam-Pra, Mailu-ma, Khulu-ma and Burha-cha are worshipped.

Culture in Tripura
Tripura comprises of a variety of ethno-linguistic groups, which have resulted in a composite culture. The dominant culture is Bengali. The minority cultures are those of the Tripuris, Jamatia, Reang, Noatia, Koloi, Murasing, Chakma, Halam, Garo, Kuki, Lushai, Mogh, Munda, Oraon, Santhal and Uchoi.

The people of Tripura are music lovers. Some of their important musical instruments are sarinda(an instrument similar to the lutes or fiddle), chongpreng and sumui( a kind of flute). Songs are sung on important and sacred ocassions like amrriages and other festivals.They are also interested in fine arts, handicrafts and dance. Dances are performed during Goria puja. The two types of dances of the people are the Hojagiri dance and the Bihu dance. Hojagiri dance is performed by Reang clans by standing on a pitcher. The Bihu dance is performed by the Chakmas during Chaitra Sankranti.The important festivals celebrated by the people are Navaratri, Vijayadashami and the worship of the Chaturdasha deities.

Flora and fauna in Tripura
Two-thirds of the state is forested where different species of trees, orchids, birds and wildlife are found. There are four sanctuaries in the state namely, Rowa wildlife sanctuary, Sepahijala wildlife sanctuary, Trishna wildlife sanctuary and Gumti wildlife sanctuary. There are numerous medical and therapeutical botanical species in abundance in the surroundings of the sanctuary.

Education in Tripura
Tripura schools are run by the state government or by the private organisations which also include the religious institutions. The medium of instruction is mainly in English or Bengali. Kokborok and other tribal languages are also used.

The Secondary schools are affiliated to CISCE, CBSE and the Tripura Board of Secondary Education. After completing the Secondary school , students enroll in junior colleges for two years. The important higher education institutions of Tripura are MBB College, National Institute of Technology and Tripura University.

Media in Tripura
Tripura Bani is the major weekly of Tripura.

More on Tripura
Cities of Tripura
Costumes of Tripura
Festivals of Tripura
Folk Dances of Tripura
Museums of Tripura
Temples of Tripura
Tribes of Tripura