Ujjayanta Palace

Ujjayanta Palace is a former royal palace in the capital city of Agartala, Tripura. Standing majestically as one of the major tourist attractions in the state, the Ujjayanta Palace was constructed between 1899 and 1901, by the then king of the princely state of Tripura, Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya. The palace was named by the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

History of  Ujjayanta Palace covers the rich cultural history of Tripura. This palace is one of the architectural landmarks in Tripuira.

Ujjayanta Palace served as an abode to many past rulers of Tripura since it was built in 1901. Ujjayanta Palace was built in the Indo-Saracenic style with a Mughal inspired spacious garden and lake spread out infront. The two-storied high building in Agartala has three domes, each measuring 86 feet high. The interior of Ujjayanta Palace have beautiful tiles floor, carved wooden ceilings and doors. Ujjayanta Palace and its surroundings covered an area of 1 sq. km. and housed many Hindu temples.

Tripura claims to be one of the oldest Princely States of Ancient India. The historical chapter of the Royal line of Tripura, known as the Manikya dynasty, began during the reign of Maharaja Maha Manikya, who ascended the throne, being crowned in 1400 A.D., and was the first ruler who started his governance of the State under the Royal title of Manikya.

Ujjayanta Palace was originally built in the year 1862 by then king Ishan Chandra Manikya (1849-1862) and it was devastated by a massive earthquake in June 1897. After that Ujjayanta Palace was again built by Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya during 1899-1901 at a cost of 10 lakh rupees despite financial constraints.

The earlier royal palace of the Kingdom of Tripura was located at 10 km (6 mi) away from Agartala, which is now the tourist attraction site. However, the earlier palace was destroyed as a result of a devastating earthquake in 1897, and replaced with Ujjayanta Palace in the heart of Agartala city.

The architecture of Ujjayanta Palace costs a million rupees. The construction of Ujjayanta Palace was started in the year 1899, with the construction by Martin and Burn Company, and continued for two years until finally being completed in the year 1901.

Upon the merger of the Kingdom of Tripura with India in the year 1949, all the royal properties were nationalised. The main building along with the area of the palace was sold to the Government of Tripura during the period of Maharaja Radhakishor Manikya Bahadur and hence Ujjayanta Palace remained unoccupied for some time before beginning its role as the State Legislative Building of Agartala.

Architecture of Ujjayanta Palace deals with the modern sculptural art of royal times. This palace was once the royal abode of Tripura kings and later it served as the State Legislative Assembly of Tripura.

Ujjayanta Palace is white in colour. This building has a great similarity with the architectural works in London. Ujjayanta Palace served as a dwelling place to many past rulers of Tripura since it was built in the year 1901, by the British reality firm.

Ujjayanta Palace was built in the Indo-Saracenic style with a Mughal inspired spacious garden and lake spread out in front. The two-storied high building of white colour has three domes, each measuring 86 feet high. The interior of Ujjayanta Palace has beautiful tiles floor, carved wooden ceilings and doors. The palace and its surroundings covered an area of 1 sq. km. and housed many temples dedicated to Hindu Gods and Goddesses.

The compound of Ujjayanta Palace covers an area of approximately one square kilometre. The main block of Ujjayanta Palace covers 800 acres of land. This main block of Ujjayanta Palace comprises public halls such as the Throne room, the Durbar hall, Library and the Reception hall.

The Neoclassical palace of Tripura lies in the heart of the state capital; Agartala was designed by Sir Alexander Martin of Messrs Martin and Company. The Chinese Room of Ujjayanta Palace is particularly notable for the ceiling of which was crafted by artisans brought from China.

Ujjayanta Palace has a mixed type of architecture. The two-storied palace of Ujjayanta has three large domes, the largest of which is 86 ft high from the ground. It rests atop a four-storied central tower. The palace has tiled floors and carved front doors. The newer attractions of Ujjayanta Palace are the musical fountains installed in front of the main entrance, and the night-time floodlights.

The grounds of Ujjayanta Palace are laid out as formal Mughal gardens adorned with fountains. There are two large artificial ponds on either side of the garden which is decorated with pools and fountains. Several Hindu temples are located very adjacent to Ujjayanta Palace, dedicated to Lakshmi Narayan, Uma-Maheshwari, Kali and Jagannath.

Since 2013, the Ujjayanta Palace has become home to the Tripura Government Museum and is known to be one of the biggest museums in the region. It was inaugurated by the then Vice President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari. The museum contains 22 galleries and showcases the art, culture, history, tradition and ethnic diversity of northeast India. The items on display include sculptures, terracotta figurines, coins, copper and stone inscriptions, bronze images, textiles, oil paintings, sketches and drawings, tribal ornaments, and musical instruments. In addition, the state archieve has been moved to Ujjayanta Palace. The museum was provided with seismic retrofitting to prevent it from possible earthquake damage.

There is a controversial past surrounding the museum"s history, where the state government"s proposal to change the name of Ujjayanta Palace to Tripura State Museum had sparked a dispute. The Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) had written to the Vice President stating that the palace was not solely the property of the royal family or the government, it belongs to the people. After a candle-light rally attended by about 8000 people, the government decided to keep the original name of Ujjayanta Palace and a statue of Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya was built on museum premises.