Ujjayanta Palace

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Ujjayanta Palace
Ujjayanta palace Tripura State Museum Agartala India.jpg
South facade of Ujjayanta Palace, 2014
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Location within India
Established1901 (1901)
Location Agartala, Tripura, India
Coordinates 23°50′15″N91°16′58″E / 23.8374°N 91.2827°E / 23.8374; 91.2827
TypeCultural and historical museum
FounderMaharaja Radha Kishore Manikya
ArchitectSir Alexander Martin (Martin and Burn Co.)
Public transit access Agartala Railway Station
Kingdom of Tripura
Part of History of Tripura
Maha Manikya c. 1400–1431
Dharma Manikya I 1431–1462
Ratna Manikya I 1462–1487
Pratap Manikya 1487
Vijaya Manikya I 1488
Mukut Manikya 1489
Dhanya Manikya 1490–1515
Dhwaja Manikya 1515–1520
Deva Manikya 1520–1530
Indra Manikya I 1530–1532
Vijaya Manikya II 1532–1563
Ananta Manikya 1563–1567
Udai Manikya I 1567–1573
Joy Manikya I 1573–1577
Amar Manikya 1577–1585
Rajdhar Manikya I 1586–1600
Ishwar Manikya 1600
Yashodhar Manikya 1600–1623
Interregnum1623–1626
Kalyan Manikya 1626–1660
Govinda Manikya 1660–1661
Chhatra Manikya 1661–1667
Govinda Manikya 1661–1673
Rama Manikya 1673–1685
Ratna Manikya II 1685–1693
Narendra Manikya 1693–1695
Ratna Manikya II 1695–1712
Mahendra Manikya 1712–1714
Dharma Manikya II 1714–1725
Jagat Manikya 1725–1729
Dharma Manikya II 1729
Mukunda Manikya 1729–1739
Joy Manikya II c. 1739–1744
Indra Manikya II c. 1744–1746
Udai Manikya II c. 1744
Joy Manikya II 1746
Vijaya Manikya III 1746–1748
Lakshman Manikya 1740s/1750s
Interregnum1750s–1760
Krishna Manikya 1760–1783
Rajdhar Manikya II 1785–1806
Rama Ganga Manikya 1806–1809
Durga Manikya 1809–1813
Rama Ganga Manikya 1813–1826
Kashi Chandra Manikya 1826–1829
Krishna Kishore Manikya 1829–1849
Ishan Chandra Manikya 1849–1862
Bir Chandra Manikya 1862–1896
Birendra Kishore Manikya 1909–1923
Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya 1923–1947
Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya 1947–1949
1949–1978 (titular)
Kirit Pradyot Manikya 1978–present (titular)
Tripura monarchy data
Manikya dynasty (Royal family)
Agartala (Capital of the kingdom)
Ujjayanta Palace (Royal residence)
Pushbanta Palace (Royal residence)
Neermahal (Royal residence)
Rajmala (Royal chronicle)
Tripura Buranji (Chronicle)
Chaturdasa Devata (Family deities)

Ujjayanta Palace is the state museum of the Indian state of Tripura and former royal palace of the princely state of Tripura. It was built by Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya in 1901. [1] It housed the State Legislative Assembly up to 2011. The palace primarily showcases the lifestyle, arts, culture, tradition and crafts of communities residing in northeast India, along with many stone sculptures of the Manikya dynasty. [2]

Contents

History

As royal palace

The original Ujjayanta Palace was built in 1862, 10 km (6 mi) away from Agartala, by King Ishan Chandra Manikya (1849–1862). It was devastated by the 1897 Assam earthquake. [3] The current palace was built in the heart of Agartala city by Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya between 1899 and 1901, [1] at a then exorbitant cost of 10  lakh (1 million) rupees. [4] It was built by Martin and Burn Co. [5] The name "Ujjayanta" was given by poet Rabindranath Tagore. [6] It was the principal residence of the Manikyas until Tripura's merger with the Dominion of India in October 1949.

As state assembly building

The palace was purchased from the royal family by the Government of Tripura in 1972–73 for Rs. 2.5 million. [5] It housed the Tripura Legislative Assembly until July 2011 when the assembly moved to a new location 6 km (3.7 mi) north of Agartala. [7]

As state museum

The palace was given seismic retrofitting to prevent possible earthquake damage, [8] and was inaugurated as the state museum by Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari on 25 September 2013. [9]

The government of Tripura had initially planned to rename the palace as the "Tripura State Museum". The Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT) protested to Vice President Ansari. [10] [11] Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barma, pretender to the throne of Tripura, also spoke out against the planned renaming. [12] In response, the Tripura government decided to keep the original name and to build a statue of Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya on the museum premises. [13] The palace received further restorations in 2023. [14]

Architecture

Ujjayanta Palace at night, 2014 Tripura State Museum Agartala Tripura India.jpg
Ujjayanta Palace at night, 2014

The palace was designed was designed Sir Alexander Martin of the Martin and Burn Company in the Indo-saracenic style, [6] showing a mix of Mughal, Roman and British influences. [5] The two-storied palace has three large domes, the largest of which is 86 ft (26 m) high, and which rests atop a four-storied central tower. The Ujjayanta Palace compound covers an area of approximately 1 km2 (250 acres) and includes public rooms such as the throne room, durbar hall, library and reception hall. [4]

There are two large artificial ponds on either side of the garden which is decorated with pools and fountains. The grounds cover 800 acres (3.2 km2) in the heart of Agartala. [15]

Several Hindu temples occupy plots adjacent to Ujjayanta Palace, dedicated to Lakshmi Narayan, Uma-Maheshwari, Kali and Jagannath. [16]

Collection

Ujjayanta Palace is a multicultural museum with emphasis on art and crafts of the state of Tripura. [17] The museum was established on 22 June 1970 [18] [19] and shifted to the current premises on 25 September 2013. It is North-east India's largest museum with a "national perspective while remaining focused on Tripura and northeast India". [19] [20]

The museum has twenty-two display galleries. [19] [21] The exhibits in the museum are of sculpture, terracotta, bronze images, coins of the Tripuri kingdom, paintings and other historical items excavated from historical sites of Tripura, archaeological antiquities, historical Indian sculptures, paintings and tribal culture. The museum has 1406 collections on display which include 79 stone sculptures, 141 terracotta plaques, 774 coins of gold, silver and copper, 10 copper plate inscriptions, 9 stone inscriptions, 39 images of bronze, 102 textile items, 58 oil paintings, 63 sketches and drawings, and 197 ornaments. The sculpture collections are mostly from Udaipur, Pilak, Jolaibari, and other locations in Tripura. [17] The new museum also showcases the customs and practices of different tribes of Northeast India. The objective of the museum is also to make it a "centre for active research and cultural activities". [19]

The most distinctive exhibits are from Pilak, which consist of sculptures of different cultures of Hinduism and Buddhism from the period of 9th to 13th centuries. The well crafted and molded bronze sculptures are of Mukhalinga, Avalokitesvara, Tara, and Vishnu. The terracotta exhibits are from the Pilak and Amarpur sites, and also from Bengal school of art. [17] [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agartala</span> Capital city of Tripura, India

Agartala is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Tripura, situated on the banks of Haora/Saidra River, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of the border with Bangladesh and about 2,499 km (1,552 mi) from the national capital, New Delhi. According to 2022 AMC data, Agartala is the second most populous city after Guwahati in Northeast India. It is India's third international internet gateway and being developed under the Smart Cities Mission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport</span> International airport serving Agartala, Tripura, India

Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport, also known as Agartala Airport, is an international airport situated 12 kilometres northwest of Agartala, the capital of Tripura. It is administered by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). It is the second busiest airport in North-East India after Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi Airport in Guwahati and 29th busiest airport in India. It is the third international airport in North-East India, after Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi Airport and Imphal Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Tripura</span> History of the Indian state

The State of Tripura, in northeastern India, has a long history. The Twipra Kingdom at its peak included the whole eastern region of Bengal from the Brahmaputra River in the north and west, the Bay of Bengal in the south and Burma to the east during the 14th and 15th centuries AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tripuri people</span> Ethnic group of North-East India and Bangladesh

The Tripuri are a Tibeto-Burman-speaking ethnic group of Bangladesh and Northeast Indian state of Tripura. They are the descendants of the inhabitants of the Twipra/Tripura Kingdom in North-East India and Bangladesh. The Tripuri people through the Manikya dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Tripura for over 600 years starting from 1400 A.D. until the kingdom joined the Indian Union on 15 October 1949. The Tipra Dynasty was established in 590 AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pushbanta Palace</span> Historical in Agartala, India


The Pushpabanta Palace also known as Kunjaban Palace is one of former royal palace of Tripura, it was built by Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya in 1917. It was the Raj Bhavan of Tripura till 2018, which later shifted. The palace is being developed as a national-level cultural museum.

The Twipra Kingdom was one of the largest historical kingdoms of the Tripuri people in Northeast India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur</span> Maharaja

Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur was a king of Tripura State.He is popularly known as "The Architect Of Modern Tripura"

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barma</span> Indian politician (born 1978)

Pradyot Manikya Deb Barma is the current titular King (Maharaja) and statesman from Tripura. He was born in New Delhi, and now resides in Agartala, Tripura. He also served as the editor of TNT-The Northeast Today. He is the current chairman of The Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance also known as TIPRA Motha. He is known as 'Bubagra' among his people and is one of the active voices for the rights of Indigenous Tripuri people of Tripura.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neermahal</span> Water Palace in Tripura, India

Neermahal also known as Twijilikma Nuyung is a former royal palace of Tripura Kingdom, built by Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya bahadur in 1930. It is also the largest water palace in India. The palace is situated in the middle of Rudrasagar Lake, in Melaghar 53 kilometers away from Agartala, the capital of Tripura.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Umakanta Academy</span> Public school in Agartala, Tripura, India

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Jagannath Temple is a Hindu temple located within the Ujjayanta Palace grounds in Agartala, Tripura, India. Built by the Maharaja of Tripura of the Manikya Dynasty in the 19th century, the Jagannath temple is situated in the Ujjayanta Palace grounds and is dedicated to the Hindu Gods Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radha Kishore Manikya</span> Maharaja

Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya of the Manikya Dynasty reigned as the king of Tripura State from 1897 to 1909. He has been described as one of the architects of modern Tripura.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bir Chandra Manikya</span> King of Tripura

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakshmi Narayan Temple, Agartala</span> Hindu temple in Tripura, India

Lakshmi Narayan Temple is a Hindu temple, dedicated to the Hindu divine couple Lakshmi Narayana, is located in the Ujjayanta Palace ground in the city of Agartala, Tripura state, India. It was founded by the King of Tripura, Birendra Kishore Manikya, during his reign from 1909 to 1923.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilak, Tripura</span>

Pilak is an archaeological site in the Santirbazar sub-division of South Tripura district of the Indian state of Tripura. Many images and structures, belonging to Buddhist and Hindu sects, have been discovered here since 1927. The antiquities found here are dated to 8th to 12th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tripura (princely state)</span> State of British India

Tripura State, also known as Hill Tipperah, was a princely state in India during the period of the British Raj and for some two years after the departure of the British. Its rulers belonged to the Manikya dynasty and until August 1947 the state was in a subsidiary alliance, from which it was released by the Indian Independence Act 1947. The state acceded to the newly independent Indian Union on 13 August 1947, and subsequently merged into the Indian Union in October 1949.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kasbeswari Kali Mata</span> Hindu temple in Tripura, India

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kokborok Cinema</span> Kokborok language film industry

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Tripura</span>

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References

  1. 1 2 "Incredible India | Ujjayanta Palace". www.incredibleindia.org. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  2. ↑ "Historical sites to explore in northeast India | Times of India Travel". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  3. ↑ "Historic Earthquakes". Earthquake.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  4. 1 2 Sajnani, Manohar (2001). Encyclopaedia of Tourism Resources in India Vol. I. India: Kalpaz. p. 339. ISBN   9788178350172.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  5. 1 2 3 Sujit Chakraborty (24 September 2013). "Tripura's royal mansion to house northeast's biggest museum". Newindianexpress.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Tripura Tourism". tripuratourism.gov.in. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  7. ↑ "Tripura Assembly building inaugurated". Telegraphindia.com. 23 July 2011. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  8. ↑ Supratim Bhowmik; et al. "Retrofitting of heritage building "Ujjayanta Palace" in Agartala – a case study". Academia.edu. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  9. ↑ "Northeast India's biggest museum to open on Sep 25". Firstpost.com. 27 August 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  10. ↑ Sekhar Datta (20 September 2013). "History finds royal quarters". Telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  11. ↑ Press Trust of India (17 September 2013). "Tribals protest renaming of Tripura palace". business-standard.com. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  12. ↑ K Anurag (23 September 2013). "Tripura govt relents to mass protests against renaming of palace". Rediff.com. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  13. ↑ "Tripura museum to retain name of Ujjayanta Palace". The Times of India. 24 September 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  14. ↑ Nath, Abhijit (23 November 2022). "Tripura: Ujjayanta Palace To Get Major Facelift In Next Year Under Agartala Smart City Project". Northeast Today. Website. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  15. ↑ Guide, Tourist (3 April 2024). "Ujjayanta Palace - Famous Places In India" . Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  16. ↑ Saran, Renu (19 August 2014). Monuments of India. Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd. ISBN   9789351652984.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  17. 1 2 3 "A Brief Description of Tripura Government Museum, Agartala, India". National Informatics Center. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  18. ↑ "Tripura museum to retain name of Ujjayanta Palace". Times of India. 24 September 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "Museums are valuable source of history, heritage: Vice president". Zee News. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  20. ↑ Today, North East (23 November 2022). "Tripura: Ujjayanta Palace To Get Major Facelift In Next Year Under Agartala Smart City Project". Northeast Today. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  21. 1 2 "Agartala". First Post. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
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