Agartala, Tripura, India
The states in the North East are often collectively called the Seven Sisters. There are seven of them. Numerically astute readers might have counted that I have so far covered six states. Now for the seventh, and often the neglected sister.
Five days ago, when I left Silchar, I faced a fork in the road
. My original plan was to take the left fork and proceed South. However the tragic events of Dimapur interfered. Dimpaur is in far away Nagaland, but the unfortunate victim was from these parts and he was brought here to be buried. A bandh (strike) was called and I decided that it was wiser not to risk going there and instead took the right fork to Shillong. But there was no way I was going to miss the Seventh Sister, having come all the way. So I opted for the only sensible option. Reached Guwahati, parked my car in the home where I was staying and took a flight to Agartala, the capital of Tripura, the Seventh Sister.
I did not know what to expect, but Tripura sprang me yet another surprise. It felt like going back to the India of 20-30 years ago. Life is slow, unhurried and surprisingly, not insanely crowded. Traffic is not outrageous either. People are friendly, almost innocent, in a delightful way. Surprisingly, there are few dilapidated or dirty buildings
. Everything seems to have had a fresh coat of paint and even simple houses look positively new. Charming in its own way.
Tripura is a completely different state to the rest of the North East. If you assume that this is just Bengal, you would be wrong. There is a strong Bengali influence, of course, but this is not Bengal. It is an amalgam of a whole variety of tribes, some Tibetan Burmese and some Indo Aryan. To me this appears to be the boundary between the domains of the Mongoloid race and the Indo Aryan / Dravidian race.
Tripura is a small state. While the Bengali speakers are in the majority, a substantial number of the native Tripuris speak Kokborok, the local tribal language. The Manikya dynasty ruled Tripura since about 1200 AD until it became a part of British India sometime late in the 19th century. Tripura suffered from the partition as well, Just like Bengal, the old Tripura was also partitioned, but more importantly it became cut off from its economic roots
. Calcutta , which was just 350 kms away, suddenly became 1700 kms away. The state also faced massive migration of Hindus from East Pakistan when partition happened.
Agartala, the cpital of Tripura is right on the border with Bangladesh. The Akhaura border crossing is actually a suburb of Agartala and is a fairly busy crossing. There is a small cute ceremony of lowering of the flags at the border. It is an orchestrated ceremony with crowds of onlookers, similar to the Wagah ceremony with Pakistan, but without the machismo, the tension and the chest beating. At the end of the simple ceremony, the two crowds of onlookers are allowed to come right up to the border within a foot of each other and take photos, talk to each other and actually shake hands. There is much camaraderie and lots of smiles. But it is a shame, that a foot of territory still separates us.
The jewel in Agartala's crown is the magnificent Ujjayanta Palace in the heart of town. It is a lovely building, built on the direction of one of the last Manikya rulers, by a British architect. It is lit up in the night and presents a beautiful sight. It houses a surprisingly superb Museum, opened only a year and a half ago. Excellent exhibits, very well explained and impeccably kept. It is a must see if you come here.
In its own low key way, the Seventh Sister, is probably a swan.
The Seventh Sister
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Agartala, Tripura, India
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2025-05-23
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Anne in Salem
2015-03-18
This looks like a lovely stay on your trip. The Obama sign would be funny if it weren't sad. It looks like something Maduro would post - scare the locals with an irrational threat to keep control and power.
The borders are fascinating. Are the conversation and hand-shaking for photo ops only, or is there actually something of a goal of understanding that the people on the other side aren't monsters but rather are regular people? It seems like the former ("aren't we progressive!"), though I hope it is the latter. As you posted recently - education that we are all people on this planet with a goal of cooperation and understanding
I have travelled freely over many borders, with passport and visas of course, with Russia being the most difficult. I think the capitalist impulses of many on the border - particularly the taxi drivers - kept the border moving as smoothly as possible.
Seven Sisters complete. Now where???
Asha
2015-03-18
A pretty and peaceful post! calm roads, typical small town looks like and that was a concise history. and...... that jal mahal picture at night, truly classic with its shimmering reflection.
Vincy Joseph
2015-03-19
Talking of numeric intelligence, I am definitely not one with a stronghold in that, hence i had written down all the states that you had visited in the NE and i knew you had one more to cover some time back. So finally we get to hear about the much calmer, "swan"kier seventh sister.
The Ujjayanta Palace looks majectic in th morning and shines & shimmers so well at dusk. This must be your one trip where you have crossed the most number of borders. And this travel and your entire planning for this really overwhelming me. I am still trying to fathom the kind of efforts that has gone into this trip you have undertaken Ramesh. Hats off to you!!!
indigoite
2015-03-19
@Anne -Oh, this is a friendly border. People on both sides speak the same language - Bengali and share the same culture. Relations are friendly and its just the novelty of the border ; nothing "mysterious" there. Its on the western front, on the border with Pakistan , where there is tension.
@Asha - The palace is lovely.The museum inside is splendid.One of the best i India showcasing Tripura's culture and a bit about the other North East states as well. No photos allowed inside, so I am not able to show how well they have done it.
@Vincy - Another nice pun :) Hey thanks for the kind words. Sometimes the prep can be as nice as the trip itself. There is a sense of anticipation . I loved the prep specially this time.
Suja
2015-03-20
It looks like a neat and tidy small town. I hadn't realised the impact of partition on Agartala...poor things. My mother-in-law was born in Komilla which is now in Bangladesh but which was at that time just one Bengal. Her family moved to Kolkata and then after the partition those ties died out..but I my husband no doubt some relatives a few times removed out there..
Shachi
2015-03-20
On the prep, I'm with you - I love it as much as the trip itself. But then the experience of connecting with people, finding out things google can't tell you, tasting the cuisine and soaking in the culture - nothing can beat that.
So glad you are blogging about it and sharing it with us :)! I've thought about you and the NE every single day since you started this blog.
indigoite
2015-03-21
@Suja - Hey, you should go there. Its not too far from Agartala. Tempt the good man with tracing his roots :)
@Shachi - Yes, both the prep and the actual travel are great. Floored that you could connect with the NE through this blog. I am honoured.
Sandhya Sriram
2015-03-23
Sad Ramesh, you left your faithful companion behind. But really happy that you didnt leave one of the sisters out of the trip.
the palace is indeed very beautiful. the place itself is. there is so much to learn about these places. amazing.
indigoite
2015-03-24
@Sandhya - That's a nice one. Better the sister than the companion ?? :)