'' (
Bengali script: ত্রিপুরা) is a
state in
North-East India. Tripura is surrounded by
Bangladesh on the north, south and west. The Indian states of
Assam and
Mizoram lie to the east. The capital is
Agartala and the main languages spoken are
Bengali and
Kokborok (also known as Tripuri). It was formerly an independent
Tripuri kingdom [1] and was merged with independent
India on
15 October 1949 by the
Tripura Merger Agreement. It was also known as 'Hill Tippera' (anglicized version of '
Tipra') during the
British India period
[2] and has a glorious history of over 2500 years and 186 Kings
[3].
Origin of name
Several theories exist pertaining to the origin of Tripura's name:
★ The origin of the word ''Tripura'' is attributed to the legendary tyrant king of Tripura, ''Tripur''. According to legend, Tripur was the 39th descendant of Druhya, who was a descendant of
Yayati, one of the lunar race kings. He was so powerful that he ordered his subjects not to worship him as the sole God. People fled to escape his tyranny to the nearby state of Hiramba (
Cachar).
★ The word ''Tripura'' may have originated from ''
Tripura Sundari'' - the presiding deity of the land which is famous as one of the 51
Shakti Peethas, pilgrimage centres of
Shakti worshippers of
Hinduism.
[4]
★ According to another school of thought the name Tripura was probably given to the state in honour of the temple at Udaipur, Tripureshwari, the wife of lord Shiva.
★ According to historian
Kailash Chandra Singha, the word Tripura is a derivative from two different
Kokborok words ''twi'' and ''pra''. ''Twi'' means ''water'', ''pra'' means ''near''. It is likely that the state bears the name Tripura from this fact that in ancient time the boundaries of Tripura extended up to the
Bay of Bengal when its ruler held sway from the
Garo Hills to the
Arakan.
★ According to another belief , Tripura is a corruption of ''Twi-bupra''. The meaning of ''twi'' is ''water'' and that of ''bupra'' is ''confluence''. Several villages in Tripura are named after the confluence of various rivers, ''e.g.'' Twikormo, Twirisa, Twisarangchak, and Twimudul.
History
Main articles: History of Tripura
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Temple in the Palace Compound
Tripura finds mention in the
Mahabharata, the
Puranas and pillar inscriptions of Emperor
Ashoka. Tripura was a
princely state before its merger with the
Indian Union. The
Tripuri Kings (''Habugra'') held the title of Manikya and ruled Tripura for 3000 years until its merger.
Udaipur, in
South Tripura district, was the capital of the Kingdom. The capital was shifted to Old
Agartala by King Krishna Manikya in the eighteenth 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 enacted various reforms.
The ''
Ganamukti Parishad'' movement led to the integration of the kingdom with India in 1949. Tripura was heavily affected by the
partition of India and the majority of the population now comprises
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 conflict 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 and militancy in the state with groups such as the
Tripura National Volunteers, the
National Liberation Front of Tripura and the
All Tripura Tiger Force aiming to drive away the
Bengali people.
Geography and climate
Tripura landscape
Tripura is a
landlocked hilly state in northeastern
India with altitudes varying from 50 to 3080 ft above
sea level, though the majority of the population lives in the plains. Tripura has a
tropical climate and receives rainfall during the
monsoons. It is surrounded on the north, west, and south by
Bangladesh and is accessible to the rest of India through the
Cachar district of Assam and
Aizawl district of
Mizoram in the east. The state extends between 22°56'N and 24°32'N and 90°09'E and 92°10'E. Its maximum stretch measures about 184 km from north to south and 113 km from east to west with an area of 10,492 km². Tripura is the third smallest state of the country.
Although landlocked, Tripura has many rivers including the
Manu River which originates here.
[5]
Economy
Tripura's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $2.1 billion in current prices.
Agriculture and allied activities is the mainstay of the people of Tripura and provides employment to about 64% of the population. There is a preponderance of food crop cultivation over
cash crop cultivation in Tripura. At present about 62% of the net sown area is under food crop cultivation.
Paddy is the principal crop, followed by
oilseed,
pulses,
potato and
sugarcane.
Tea and
rubber are the important cash crops of the State. Tripura has been declared the ''Second Rubber Capital of India'' after
Kerala by the Indian Rubber Board.
Handicraft, particularly hand-woven cotton fabic, wood carvings and
bamboo products, are also important. The per capita income at current prices of the state stands at
INRs 10,931 and at constant prices Rs 6,813 in the financial year 2000-2001.
Some quality
timber like
Sal,
Garjan,
Teak and
Gamar are found abundantly in the forests of Tripura. Tripura has poor mineral resources, with meagre deposits of
kaolin,
iron ore,
limestone,
coal and
natural gas. The industrial sector of the state continues to be highly underdeveloped.
Government and politics
The 19th century
Ujjayanta Palace, now used as the meeting place of Tripura's State Legislative Assembly
Tripura is governed through a
parliamentary system of
representative democracy, a feature the state shares with other Indian states.
Universal suffrage is granted to residents. There are three branches of government. The
legislature, the
Tripura Legislative Assembly, consists of elected members and special office bearers such as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, that are elected by the members. Assembly meetings are presided over by the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker in the Speaker's absence. The
judiciary is composed of the
Guwahati High Court (Agartala Bench) and a system of lower courts.
Executive authority is vested in the Council of Ministers headed by the
Chief Minister, although the titular head of government is the
Governor. The Governor is the
head of state appointed by the
President of India. The leader of the party or coalition with a majority in the Legislative Assembly is appointed as the Chief Minister by the Governor, and the Council of Ministers are appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister. The Council of Ministers reports to the Legislative Assembly. The Assembly is
unicameral with 60
Members of the Legislative Assembly, or MLAs
[ Tripura Legislative Assembly ]. Terms of office run for 5 years, unless the Assembly is dissolved prior to the completion of the term. Tripura sends 2 representatives to the
Lok Sabha and 1 representative to the
Rajya Sabha. Auxiliary authorities known as ''
panchayats'', for which local body elections are regularly held, govern local affairs. Tripura also has an autonomous tribal council, the
Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council which has it head-quarters in
Khumulwng.
The main political parties are the
Left Front and the
National Socialist Party of Tripura. Tripura is currently governed by
Left Front, with
Manik Sarkar as Chief Minister. Until
1977 the state was governed by the
Indian National Congress. The left front governed from 1978 to 1988, and then returned in power in 1993. During 1988–1993 the state was governed by a coalition of the Congress and
Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti.
Divisions
For administrative purposes, the state has been divided into 4 districts, 17 subdivisions, 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 now parts of the Agartala municipality.
Transport and communication
Tripura is connected with the rest of the country through Assam by
narrow gauge railway line extending to
Lumding and
Silchar. The main railways stations are in the northern towns of
Dharmanagar and
Kumarghat.
National Highway 44 connects it to Assam and the rest of India.
Agartala Airport, which has flights to
Kolkata,
Guwahati,
Bangalore ,
Chennai and
Silchar, is the main airport of the state.
Most of the major Telecommunications companies of India are present in the state, with the state capital and regions of the state being served by
Airtel,
Aircel,
Reliance and
BSNL landline, mobile and broadband networks.
Demographics
Tripura is the second most populous state in
North-East India, after
Assam. According to the
census of 2001, Tripura has a total population of 3,191,168, with a density of 304 persons per square kilometer, and ranks 22nd among Indian states. It constitutes 0.31% population of India and 8.18% of the Northeast. In the 2001 census of India,
Bengalis represent almost 70 % of Tripura's population and the native tribal populations represent 30% of Tripura's population. The tribal population comprises several different tribes and ethnic groups with diverse languages and cultures with the largest tribal group being the
Kokborok-speaking tribes of the
Tripuri (16% of the state's population), the
Jamatia, the
Reang and the
Noatia tribal communities. There is some tension between these native tribal populations and Bengali settlers in tribal areas.
Tripura ranks 22nd in the human resource development index and 24th in the poverty index in India according to 1991 sources. The
literacy rate of Tripura is 73.66%, higher than the national rate of 65.20%.
Hinduism is the majority religion in the state, with 85.6% of the population following the religion.
[6] Muslims make up 8.0% of the population, Christians 3.2%, and Buddhists 3.1%.
[6]
The vast majority of people in Tripura, both Bengali and tribal, are adherents of an
animist-
Shaktism hybrid of
Hinduism, which was the state religion under the Tripuri kings.
Brahmin priests (called ''chantais'') are regarded as custodians of ''
dharma'' and occupy an exalted position in Tripura society.
Important gods are
Shiva and Tripureshwari (
patron goddess of Tripura and an aspect of
Shakti). Several fertility gods are also worshipped, such as Lam-Pra (the twin deities of sky and sea), Mailu-ma (goddess of corn, identified with
Lakshmi), Khulu-ma (goddess of the cotton plant) and Burha-cha (god of healing).
Durga Puja,
Navaratri,
Vijayadashami and the worship of the
''Chaturdasha'' deities are important festivals.
Culture
Tripuri children from
Khumulwng in traditional attire.
Tripura has several diverse ethno-linguistic groups, which has given rise to a composite culture. The dominant culture is
Bengali, while minority cultures are those of the
Tripuris,
Jamatia,
Reang,
Noatia,
Koloi,
Murasing,
Chakma,
Halam,
Garo,
Kuki,
Lushai,
Mogh,
Munda,
Oraon,
Santhal and
Uchoi.
Tripura has a rich cultural heritage of music,
fine arts,
handicrafts and dance. Music is an integral part of the tribal people of Tripura. Some of their indigenous instruments are the ''
sarinda'', ''
chongpreng'' and ''
sumui'' (a kind of
flute). Songs are sung during religious occasions,
marriages and other festivals. Agricultural festivals are integral to the culture of the state.
Dance is important to the tribal way of life. Dances are performed during
Goria Puja. Hojagiri dance is performed by standing on a pitcher and is performed by the Reang clans. The
Bihu dance is performed by the Chakmas during
Chaitra Sankranti (the last day of the month of ''
Chaitra'').
Flora and fauna
The state is located in the bio-geographic zone of 9B-North-East Hills and possesses an extremely rich bio-diversity. The local flora and faunal components of Indo-Malayan and Indo-Chinese sub-regions. There are 379 species of trees, 320
shrubs, 581
herbs, 165
climbers, 16-climbing shrubs, 35
ferns and 45
epiphytes.
Wildlife sanctuaries of the state include
Sipahijola Wildlife Sanctuary and
Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary.
Education
Tripura schools are run by the state government or by private organisations, including religious institutions. Instruction is mainly in English or Bengali, though Kokborok and other tribal languages are also used. Secondary schools are affiliated with the
CISCE, the
CBSE, or the
Tripura Board of Secondary Education. Under the
10+2+3 plan, after completing secondary school, students typically enroll for 2 years in a
junior college, also known as pre-university, or in schools with a higher secondary facility. Notable higher education institutions of Tripura are
MBB College,
National Institute of Technology and
Tripura University, all located in Agartala.
Sports
Football and
cricket are the most popular sports in the state. The state capital
Agartala has its own club football championships every year where many local clubs compete in a league and knockout format.
Tripura participates as a Eastern state team in the
Ranji Trophy, the Indian domestic Cricket competition. The state also is a regular participant of the Indian National Games and the North Eastern Games.
See also
★
Kokborok
★
Bengal
★
Agartala
★
Tipra
★
Tripuri
★
Tripura Police
★
Acharya Gour Ganguly, leader of Agartala's satyagraha movement in the 1970s against atrocities on women
Places of interest
★
Amarpur
★
Chaturdasha Temple
★
Hwlwighati
★
Jampui Hills
★
Kamalasagar
★
Khumulwng
★
Neermahal
★
Rasu Kami
★
Tripura Sundari temple
Notes
1. Govt.of Tripura
2. Hill Tippera, from Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition.
3. [1]
4. Tripura
5. Manu River
6. http://www.censusindia.net/religiondata/ 2001 Indian Census Data
7. http://www.censusindia.net/religiondata/ 2001 Indian Census Data
Further reading
★ Jagadis Gan-Chaudhuri (1985), ''An Anthology of Tripura'', Inter India Publications ISBN 8121000750
★ Roychoudhury, N.R. (1977), ''Tripura Through the Ages: A Short History of Tripura from the Earliest Times to 1947 A.D.'', Bureau of Research & Publications on Tripura.
★ Bhattacharjee, P.R. (1994), ''Economic Transition in Tripura'' (Hardcover), Vikas Publishing House ISBN 978-0706971712
★ Palit, P.K. (2004), ''History of Religion in Tripura '' (Hardcover) Kaveri Books ISBN 978-8174790644
★ Debbarma, Chandramani (2006), ''Glory of Tripura Civilisation'' Parul Prakashani, Agartala
External links
★
★
Official website of the government of Tripura.
★
★
Tripura from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
★
Introduction to Tripura by Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA)
★
Profile of Twipra (Tripura)
★
Tripura Society's website
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