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Tripura (,
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the east and by
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...
to the north, south and west. Tripura is divided into 8 districts and 23 sub-divisions, where Agartala is the capital and the largest city in the state. Tripura has 19 different tribal communities with a majority of the
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
population.
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
,
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
and Kokborok are the state's official languages. The area of modern Tripura — ruled for several centuries by the
Manikya Dynasty The Manikya dynasty was the ruling house of the Twipra Kingdom and later the princely Tripura State, what is now the Indian state of Tripura. Ruling since the early 15th century, the dynasty at its height controlled a large swathe of the north ...
— was part of the Tripuri Kingdom (also known as Hill Tippera). It became a princely state under the
British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...
during its tenure, and acceded to independent India in 1947. It merged with India in 1949 and was designated as a 'Part C State' ( union territory). It became a full-fledged state of India in 1972. Tripura lies in a geographically isolated location in India, as only one major highway, National Highway 8, connects it with the rest of the country. Five mountain ranges — Hathai Kotor,
Atharamura The Atharamura Range starts from Amarpur Sub-division of Gomati District and then enters the Khowai Sub-division of Khowai and runs along the border of West Tripura and North Tripura District. It is a southern extension of the Siwalik Hills T ...
,
Longtharai Longtharai (or, Longtarai) is a hill range in the Indian state of Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of ...
,
Shakhan Shakhan (or, Sakhan) is a hill range in the Indian state of Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.7 ...
and
Jampui Hills Jampui Hills is a part of the Mizo hills (Lushai Hills) range located in the North Tripura district in the north eastern part of the Indian state of Tripura. The average altitude of the hill range is approximately 1000 metres above sea level. ...
— run north to south, with intervening valleys; Agartala, the capital, is located on a plain to the west. The state has a tropical savanna climate, and receives seasonal heavy rains from the
south west monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscill ...
. Forests cover more than half of the area, in which bamboo and cane tracts are common. Tripura has the highest number of primate species found in any Indian state. Due to its geographical isolation, economic progress in the state is hindered. Poverty and unemployment continue to plague Tripura, which has a limited infrastructure. Most residents are involved in agriculture and allied activities, although the service sector is the largest contributor to the state's gross domestic product. According to the 2011 census, Tripura is one of the most literate states in India, with a literacy rate of 87.75%. Mainstream Indian cultural elements coexist with traditional practices of the ethnic groups, such as various dances to celebrate religious occasions, weddings and festivities; the use of locally crafted musical instruments and clothes; and the worship of regional deities. The sculptures at the archaeological sites Unakoti, Pilak and
Devtamura Devtamura (or Debtamura) is a hill range in South Tripura district of Tripura, India. It is known for an archaeological site of rock sculptures, a panel of carved images of Hindu deities of Durga, Ganesha and Kartikeya on the bank of Gomati Riv ...
provide historical evidence of artistic fusion between organised and indigenous religions.


Etymology

The name Tripura is linked to the Hindu goddess Tripura Sundari, the presiding deity of the Tripura Sundari Temple at Udaipur, one of the 51 '' Shakti Peethas'' (pilgrimage centres of '' Shaktism''), and to the legendary tyrant king Tripur, who reigned in the region. Tripur was the 39th descendant of Druhyu, who belonged to the lineage of
Yayati Yayāti ( sa, ययाति, translit=Yayāti), is a king in Hindu tradition. He is described to be a Chandravamsha king. He is regarded to be the progenitor of the races of the Yadavas and the Pandavas. He is considered in some texts ...
, a king of the
Lunar Dynasty The Lunar dynasty ( IAST: Candravaṃśa) is a legendary principal house of the Kshatriyas varna, or warrior–ruling caste mentioned in the ancient Indian texts. This legendary dynasty was said to be descended from moon-related deities ('' ...
. There are alternative theories regarding the origin of the name Tripura, such as a possible etymological reinterpretation to Sanskrit of a Tibeto-Burman ( Kokborok) name. Variants of the name include ''Tipra'', ''Tuipura'' and ''Tippera'', which can all denote the indigenous people inhabiting the area. A Kokborok etymology from ''tüi'' (water) and ''pra'' (near) has been suggested; the boundaries of Tripura extended to the Bay of Bengal when the kings of the Tipra Kingdom held sway from the
Garo Hills The Garo Hills (Pron: ˈgɑ:rəʊ) are part of the Garo-Khasi range in Meghalaya, India. They are inhabited by the Garo people. It is one of the wettest places in the world. The range is part of the Meghalaya subtropical forests ecoregion. De ...
of Meghalaya to Arakan, the present Rakhine State of
Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
; so the name may reflect vicinity to the sea.


History

Although there is no evidence of lower or middle Paleolithic settlements in Tripura, Upper Paleolithic tools made of fossil wood have been found in the Haora and
Khowai Khowai is a town located in the Indian state of Tripura and a Municipal Council in Khowai district. The city lies on the banks of Khowai river and hence from the river the city gets its name. It was originally settled upon by Upendranath Roy. Loc ...
valleys. The Indian epic, the ''
Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...
''; ancient religious texts, the ''
Purana Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...
s''; and the Edicts of Ashoka – stone pillar inscriptions of the emperor Ashoka dating from the third century BCE – all mention Tripura. An ancient name of Tripura (as mentioned in the Mahabharata) is ''Kirat Desh'' (English: "The land of Kirat"), probably referring to the Kirata Kingdoms or the more generic term Kirata. However, it is unclear whether the extent of modern Tripura is coterminous with ''Kirat Desh''. The region was under the rule of the Twipra Kingdom for centuries, but when this dynasty began is not documented. The ''
Rajmala ''Rajmala'' is a chronicle of the Kings of Tripura, written in Bengali verse in the 15th century under Dharma Manikya I. Overview The ''Rajmala'' chronicles the history of the Manikya kings of Tripura. While it serves as an invaluable so ...
'', a chronicle of Tripuri kings which was first written in the 15th century, provides a list of 179 kings, from antiquity up to Krishna Kishore Manikya (1830–1850), but it is not a reliable source. The boundaries of the kingdom changed over the centuries. At various times, the borders reached south to the jungles of the Sundarbans on the Bay of Bengal; east to Burma; and north to the boundary of the Kamarupa kingdom in Assam. There were several Muslim invasions of the region from the 13th century onward, which culminated in Mughal dominance of the plains of the kingdom in 1733, although their rule never extended to the hill regions. The Mughals had influence over the appointment of the Tripuri kings. Tripura became a princely state during
British rule in India The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was hims ...
. The kings had an estate in British India, known as ''Tippera district'' or Chakla Roshanbad (now the
Comilla district Comilla District, officially known as Cumilla District, is a district of Bangladesh located about 100 kilometres south east of Dhaka. Comilla is bordered by Brahmanbaria and Narayanganj districts to the north, Noakhali and Feni districts to th ...
of Bangladesh), in addition to the independent area known as ''Hill Tippera'', roughly corresponding to the present day Tripura state. Udaipur, in the south of Tripura, was the capital of the kingdom, until the king Krishna Manikya moved the capital to Old Agartala in the 18th century. It was moved to the new city of Agartala in the 19th century. Bir Chandra Manikya (1862–1896) modelled his administration on the pattern of British India, and enacted reforms including the formation of Agartala Municipal Corporation.


Post-independence (1947-present)

Following the independence of India in 1947, Tippera district – the estate in the plains of British India – became Comilla district of East Pakistan, and Hill Tippera remained under a regency council until 1949. The Maharani Regent of Tripura signed the
Tripura Merger Agreement The State of Tripura was one of the ancient princely states of India. According to the ''Rajmala'' (the ''Chronicles of Kings''), Tripura was ruled continuously by as many as 184 Tripuri Kings with sovereign and independent status prior to its ...
on 9 September 1949, making Tripura a Part C state of India. It became a Union Territory, without a legislature, in November 1956 and an elected ministry was installed in July 1963. It was conferred full statehood in 1971 by the
North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971 The North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971 was a major reform of the boundaries of India's North-East region into States and union territories. Effect of the changes Source: * Establishment of the states of Manipur and Tripura. The ...
. The geographic partition that coincided with the independence of India resulted in major economic and infrastructural setbacks for the state, as road transport between the state and the major cities of the newly-independent India had to follow a more circuitous route, around East Pakistan. The road distance between
Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
and Agartala before the partition was less than , and increased to , as the route now avoided East Pakistan. The geopolitical isolation was aggravated by an absence of rail transport. After the partition of India, many
Bengali Hindus Bengali Hindus ( bn, বাঙ্গালী হিন্দু/বাঙালি হিন্দু, translit=Bāṅgālī Hindu/Bāṅāli Hindu) are an ethnoreligious population who make up the majority in the Indian states of West Benga ...
migrated to Tripura as refugees fleeing religious persecution in Muslim-majority East Pakistan, especially after 1949. Settlement by Hindu Bengalis increased during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. Parts of the state were shelled by the Pakistan Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Following the war, the Indian government reorganised the North East region to ensure effective control of the international borders – three new states came into existence on 21 January 1972: Meghalaya, Manipur, and Tripura. Before independence, most of the population was indigenous. Ethnic strife between the Tripuri tribe and the predominantly immigrant Bengali community led to scattered violence, and an insurgency spanning decades, including occasional massacres such as the 1980
Mandai massacre Mandai massacre refers to the general massacre of the Bengalis of Mandwi village near Agartala in the Indian state of Tripura on 8 June 1980, by tribal insurgents. According to official figures 255 Bengalis were massacred in Mandai, while foreig ...
. This gradually abated following the establishment of a tribal autonomous district council and the use of strategic counter-insurgency operations. Tripura remains peaceful, as of 2016. In retaliation of the communal violence against the Hindu minority in neighboring Bangladesh, mosques in several areas in Tripura were attacked from 19 to 26 October 2021.


Geography

Tripura is a landlocked state in North East India, where the seven contiguous states –
Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (, ) is a state in Northeastern India. It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and became a state on 20 February 1987. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south. It shares ...
, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura – are collectively known as the Seven Sister States. Spread over , Tripura is the third-smallest among the 29 states in the country, behind Goa and
Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Sil ...
. It extends from 22°56'N to 24°32'N, and 91°09'E to 92°20'E. Its maximum extent measures about from north to south, and east to west. Tripura is bordered by the country of Bangladesh to the west, north and south; and the Indian states of Assam to the north east; and Mizoram to the east. It is accessible by national highways passing through the Karimganj district of Assam and
Mamit district Mamit district is one of the eleven districts of Mizoram state in India. Mamit is located at the western part of Mizoram. It shares an international border with Bangladesh, divided by the Sajek river. Mamit district has a very significance in ...
of Mizoram.


Topography

The physiography is characterised by hill ranges, valleys and plains. The state has five
anticlinal Anticlinal may refer to: *Anticline, in structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core. *Anticlinal, in stereochemistry, a torsion angle between 90° to 150°, and –90° to –150°; see Alkane_st ...
ranges of hills running north to south, from
Boromura Boromura (officially Hathai Kotor) is the name of the centrally located hill range in Tripura. It is situated mainly in West Tripura and South Tripura districts. Many rivers originate from this hill range e.g. the Saidra and Sumli river that fl ...
in the west, through
Atharamura The Atharamura Range starts from Amarpur Sub-division of Gomati District and then enters the Khowai Sub-division of Khowai and runs along the border of West Tripura and North Tripura District. It is a southern extension of the Siwalik Hills T ...
,
Longtharai Longtharai (or, Longtarai) is a hill range in the Indian state of Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of ...
and
Shakhan Shakhan (or, Sakhan) is a hill range in the Indian state of Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.7 ...
, to the
Jampui Hills Jampui Hills is a part of the Mizo hills (Lushai Hills) range located in the North Tripura district in the north eastern part of the Indian state of Tripura. The average altitude of the hill range is approximately 1000 metres above sea level. ...
in the east. The intervening synclines are the Agartala–Udaipur, Khowai–Teliamura, Kamalpur–Ambasa, Kailasahar–Manu and Dharmanagar–Kanchanpur valleys. At an altitude of , Betling Shib in the Jampui range is the state's highest point. The small isolated hillocks interspersed throughout the state are known as ''tillas'', and the narrow fertile alluvial valleys, mostly present in the west, are called ''Doóng/lungas''. A number of rivers originate in the hills of Tripura and flow into Bangladesh. The Khowai,
Dhalai Dhalai (pron: /ˈdʰɔlai/) is an administrative district in the state of Tripura in India. The district headquarter is in Ambassa. As of 2011 it was the least populous district of Tripura (out of 8), although it is the largest district in th ...
, Manu,
Juri Juri, JURI or Jüri may refer to: Law * Dative singular case of Latin Jus *Committee on Legal Affairs, committee of the European Parliament, known as JURI Places * Juri Upazila, subdistrict (''upazila'') in Maulvibazar District, Sylhet Division, ...
and Longai flow towards the north; the Gumti to the west; and the Muhuri and Feni to the south west. The lithostratigraphy data published by the Geological Survey of India dates the rocks, on the geologic time scale, between the Oligocene
epoch In chronology and periodization, an epoch or reference epoch is an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular calendar era. The "epoch" serves as a reference point from which time is measured. The moment of epoch is usually decided ...
, approximately 34 to 23 million years ago, and the
Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togeth ...
epoch, which started 12,000 years ago. The hills have red laterite soil that is porous. The flood plains and narrow valleys are overlain by alluvial soil, and those in the west and south constitute most of the agricultural land. According to the
Bureau of Indian Standards The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the National Standards Body of India under Department of Consumer affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India. It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standa ...
, on a scale ranging from in order of increasing susceptibility to earthquakes, the state lies in seismic zone V.


Climate

The state has a tropical savanna climate, designated ''Aw'' under the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
. The undulating topography leads to local variations, particularly in the hill ranges. The four main seasons are winter, from December to February; pre-monsoon or summer, from March to April; monsoon, from May to September; and post-monsoon, from October to November. During the monsoon season, the
south west monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscill ...
brings heavy rains, which cause frequent floods. The average annual rainfall between 1995 and 2006 ranged from . During winter, temperatures range from , while in the summer they fall between . According to a
United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
report, the state lies in "very high damage risk" zone from wind and cyclones.


Flora and fauna

Like most of the Indian subcontinent, Tripura lies within the Indomalayan realm. According to the
Biogeographic classification of India Biogeographic classification of India is the division of India according to biogeographic characteristics. Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species (biology), organisms, and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological ...
, the state is in the "North-East" biogeographic zone. In 2011 forests covered 57.73% of the state. Tripura hosts three different types of ecosystems: mountain, forest and freshwater. The
evergreen forest An evergreen forest is a forest made up of evergreen trees. They occur across a wide range of climatic zones, and include trees such as conifers and holly in cold climates, eucalyptus, Live oak, acacias, magnolia, and banksia in more temperate zon ...
s on the hill slopes and the sandy river banks are dominated by species such as '' Dipterocarpus'', '' Artocarpus'', '' Amoora'', '' Elaeocarpus'', '' Syzygium'' and '' Eugenia''. Two types of moist deciduous forests comprise the majority of the vegetation: moist deciduous mixed forest and Sal ('' Shorea robusta'')-predominant forest. The interspersion of bamboo and cane forests with deciduous and evergreen flora is a peculiarity of Tripura's vegetation. Grasslands and
swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
s are also present, particularly in the plains. Herbaceous plants, shrubs, and trees such as '' Albizia'', '' Barringtonia'', ''
Lagerstroemia ''Lagerstroemia'' (), commonly known as crape myrtle (also spelled crepe myrtle or crêpe myrtle), is a genus of around 50 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Aust ...
'' and '' Macaranga'' flourish in the swamps of Tripura. Shrubs and grasses include ''
Schumannianthus dichotoma ''Schumannianthus dichotomus'', also known as 'cool mat', was first described by Roxburgh, with its current name after Gagnepain. The plant belongs to the family Marantaceae and no subspecies are listed. ''S. dichotomus'' is typically found in ...
'' (''shitalpati''), '' Phragmites'' and '' Saccharum'' (sugarcane). According to a survey in 1989–90, Tripura hosts 90 land mammal species from 65 genera and 10 orders, including such species as elephant (''Elephas maximus''), bear (''Melursus ursinus''), binturong ('' Arctictis binturong''), wild dog (''
Cuon alpinus The dhole (''Cuon alpinus''; ) is a canid native to Central, South, East and Southeast Asia. Other English names for the species include Asian wild dog, Asiatic wild dog, Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red dog, red wolf, and mountain wolf. ...
''), porcupine (''
Artherurus assamensis The Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine (''Atherurus macrourus'') is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae. It is found in China, Bhutan, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Taxonomy The synonyms of this species are ''At ...
''), barking deer ('' Muntiacus muntjak''), sambar (''
Cervus unicolor The sambar (''Rusa unicolor'') is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting, local ins ...
''), wild boar ('' Sus scrofa''), gaur ('' Bos gaurus''), leopard ('' Panthera pardus''), clouded leopard (''
Neofelis nebulosa The clouded leopard (''Neofelis nebulosa''), also called the mainland clouded leopard, is a wild cat inhabiting dense forests from the foothills of the Himalayas through mainland Southeast Asia into South China. In the early 19th century, a cl ...
''), and many species of small cats and primates. Out of 15 free ranging primates of India, seven are found in Tripura; this is the highest number of primate species found in any Indian state. The wild buffalo (''
Bubalus arnee The wild water buffalo (''Bubalus arnee''), also called Asian buffalo, Asiatic buffalo and wild buffalo, is a large bovine native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It has been listed as ''Endangered'' in the IUCN Red List since 198 ...
'') is extinct now. There are nearly 300 species of birds in the state.
Wildlife sanctuaries A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
of the state are Sipahijola, Gumti, Rowa and Trishna wildlife sanctuaries.
National parks A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...
of the state are
Clouded Leopard National Park Clouded Leopard National Park is a national park in the Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary Tripura, India. It covers an area of about and is home to four species of primate monkey including Phayre's langur. The National Park is 28km from th ...
and
Rajbari National Park Rajbari (Bison) National Park is a national park in the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary, in Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous st ...
. These protected areas cover a total of . Gumti is also an Important Bird Area. In winter, thousands of migratory waterfowl throng Gumti and Rudrasagar lakes.


Administrative divisions

In January 2012, major changes were implemented in the administrative divisions of Tripura. There had previously been four districts –
Dhalai Dhalai (pron: /ˈdʰɔlai/) is an administrative district in the state of Tripura in India. The district headquarter is in Ambassa. As of 2011 it was the least populous district of Tripura (out of 8), although it is the largest district in th ...
(headquarters
Ambassa Ambassa (pron: /আমবাসা/) is a census town located in the Indian state of Tripura a Municipal Council in Dhalai district. Ambassa is also the headquarters of the Dhalai district. Demographics India census, Ambassa had a popul ...
),
North Tripura North Tripura is an administrative district in the state of Tripura in India. The district headquarters are located at Dharmanagar. The district occupies an area of 1422.19 km² and has a population of 693,947 (as of 2011). History The ...
(headquarters
Kailashahar Kailashahar (or Kôilāśohôr) is the fourth largest urban area in the north eastern state of India, Tripura, located near northwest Bangladesh border. It is a Municipal council and the administrative center of the Unakoti district, this city ...
),
South Tripura South Tripura ( bn, দক্ষিণ ত্রিপুরা জেলা) is an administrative district in the state of Tripura in northeastern India. History The district came into existence on 1 September 1970, when the entire state was ...
(headquarters
Udaipur, Tripura Udaipur ( Pron:/uːˈdaɪpʊə or ˈuːdaɪˌpʊə/), formerly known as Rangamati, is the third biggest urban area in the Indian state of Tripura. The town was a capital of the state during the reign of the Manikya Dynasty. It is famous for th ...
), and
West Tripura West Tripura is an administrative district in the state of Tripura in India. The district headquarters are located at Agartala. As of 2012 it is the most populous district of Tripura (out of 8). Geography Climate District Profile The inform ...
(headquarters Agartala). Four new districts were carved out of the existing four in January 2012 –
Khowai Khowai is a town located in the Indian state of Tripura and a Municipal Council in Khowai district. The city lies on the banks of Khowai river and hence from the river the city gets its name. It was originally settled upon by Upendranath Roy. Loc ...
, Unakoti, Sipahijala and Gomati. Six new subdivisions and five new blocks were also added. Each is governed by a district collector or a district magistrate, usually appointed by the
Indian Administrative Service The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the Public administration, administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. Considered the premier civil service of India, the IAS is one of the three arms of the All India Services ...
. The subdivisions of each district are governed by a sub-divisional magistrate and each subdivision is further divided into blocks. The blocks consist of ''
Panchayat The Panchayat raj is a political system, originating from the Indian subcontinent, found mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It is the oldest system of local government in the Indian subcontinent, and historical men ...
''s (village councils) and town municipalities. As of 2012, the state had eight districts, 23 subdivisions and 58 development blocks. National census and state statistical reports are not available for all the new administrative divisions, as of March 2013. Agartala, the capital of Tripura, is the most populous city. Other major towns with a population of 10,000 or more (as per 2015 census) are Sabroom,
Dharmanagar Dharmanagar or (''Dhôrmônôgôr'') is a town with a municipal council in the northeast of India. It is the administrative center for North Tripura district, located in the northernmost region of the state near the Assam border on the west an ...
,
Jogendranagar Jogendranagar is a census town in West Tripura district in the Indian state of Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a ...
,
Kailashahar Kailashahar (or Kôilāśohôr) is the fourth largest urban area in the north eastern state of India, Tripura, located near northwest Bangladesh border. It is a Municipal council and the administrative center of the Unakoti district, this city ...
, Pratapgarh, Udaipur, Amarpur, Belonia, Gandhigram,
Kumarghat Kumarghat is a town and subdivision in Unakoti district in Tripura, India. It is a municipal council and the 14th largest town in Tripura by population. Kumarghat railway station is the only railway station in Unakoti district. Demographic ...
,
Khowai Khowai is a town located in the Indian state of Tripura and a Municipal Council in Khowai district. The city lies on the banks of Khowai river and hence from the river the city gets its name. It was originally settled upon by Upendranath Roy. Loc ...
,
Ranirbazar Ranirbazar is a town and a Municipal Council in West Tripura district in the Indian state of Tripura. Overview The town of Ranirbazar has many amenities like town hall, schools, market, motorstand, petro-pump and so on. Earlier, Tripura governm ...
,
Sonamura Sonamura is a town and a Nagar Panchayat in the Indian state of Tripura. It is the headquarter of Sonamura Subdivision in Sipahijala district and lies on the border with Bangladesh to the east of Comilla. Demographics As of the 2011 India c ...
,
Bishalgarh Bishalgarh is a major town located in the Indian state of Tripura & a Municipal Council in Sipahijala district. As of 2001 census Bishalgarh has a population of 23,721. 12,248 people are male. 11,473 are female. See also * List of cities and t ...
,
Teliamura Teliamura is a town and a Municipal Council in Khowai district in the Indian state of Tripura. It is on National Highway No. 08 of India. It is also the headquarters of the recently included sub-division of Teliamura. It is 45 km from Ag ...
, Mohanpur,
Melaghar Melaghar is a small town located in the Indian state of Tripura and a Municipal Council in Sipahijala district, situated about 50 km (approx. 30 miles) from the capital Agartala. It is a neighbour to Sonamura and 10 km (6 miles) awa ...
,
Ambassa Ambassa (pron: /আমবাসা/) is a census town located in the Indian state of Tripura a Municipal Council in Dhalai district. Ambassa is also the headquarters of the Dhalai district. Demographics India census, Ambassa had a popul ...
, Kamalpur,
Bishramganj Bishramganj is a small town and the headquarters of Sipahijala district in the Indian state of Tripura, situated about 35 km from the capital Agartala Agartala () is the capital city of the Indian state of Tripura, and is one of the la ...
, Kathaliya,
Santirbazar Santirbazar is a town and Municipal Council in South Tripura district, Tripura, India. It is linked with Agartala (the state capital) by National Highway 8 via Udaipur and Bishramganj to Sabroom. Geography Santirbazar is located at . It has ...
and Baxanagar.


Government and politics

Tripura is governed through a
parliamentary system A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of th ...
of representative democracy, a feature it shares with other Indian states. Universal suffrage is granted to residents. The Tripura government has three branches: executive, legislature and judiciary. The
Tripura Legislative Assembly The Tripura Legislative Assembly or Tripura Vidhan Sabha is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tripura, with 60 Members of the Legislative Assembly. The present Assembly is located in Gurkhabasti. Ujjayanta Palace in Agartala ...
consists of elected members and special office bearers that are elected by the members. Assembly meetings are presided over by the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker in case of Speaker's absence. The Assembly is unicameral with 60 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). The members are elected for a term of five years, unless the Assembly is dissolved prior to the completion of the term. The judiciary is composed of the
Tripura High Court The Tripura High Court is the High Court of the state of Tripura. It was established on 23 March 2013, after making suitable amendments in the Constitution of India and North-Eastern Areas (Re-organisation) Act, 1971. The seat of the High Co ...
and a system of lower courts.
Executive authority The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state. In political systems ba ...
is vested in the Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister. The Governor, the titular head of state, is appointed by the President of India. The leader of the party or a coalition of parties with a majority in the Legislative Assembly is appointed as the chief minister by the governor. 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. Tripura sends two representatives to the
Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-p ...
(the lower house of the parliament of India) and one representative to the Rajya Sabha (parliament's upper house). In the 2014 Indian general election, both parliament lower house seats were won by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). ''Panchayats'' ( local self-governments) elected by local body elections are present in many villages for self-governance. Tripura also has a unique tribal self-governance body, the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council. This council is responsible for some aspects of local governance in 527 villages with high density of the scheduled tribes. The main political parties are the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Left Front, the All India Trinamool Congress and Indian National Congress along with regional parties like the IPFT and INPT. Until 1977, the state was governed by the Indian National Congress. The Left Front was in power from 1978 to 1988, and then again from 1993 to 2018. In 1988–93, the Congress and
Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti ("Tripura Tribal Youth Association") was a political party in the Indian state of Tripura from 1977–2001. During 1988-93, the Indian National Congress formed a coalition government with the TUJS at the Tripura Legisl ...
were in a ruling coalition. In the
2013 Tripura Legislative Assembly election The 2013 Tripura Legislative Assembly election took place in a single phase on 14 February to elect the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from each of the 60 Assembly Constituencies (ACs) in Tripura, India. Highlights Election to t ...
, the Left Front won 50 out of 60 seats in the Assembly. The 2018 assembly election resulted in loss for the Left Front; the Bharatiya Janata Party won an overall majority in the state, resulting in the end of the Communist Party's uninterrupted twenty-five year rule. The BJP won 44 out of 60 seats in the Assembly by coalition with the IPFT. The
CPI (M) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)/CPIM/CPM) is a Marxist–Leninist communist political party in India. It is the largest communist party of India in terms of membership and electoral seats and one of the ...
only got 16 seats and Indian National Congress lost by huge margins in all constituencies. Communism in the state had its beginnings in the pre-independence era, inspired by freedom struggle activities in Bengal, and culminating in regional parties with communist leanings. It capitalised on the tribal dissatisfaction with the mainstream rulers, and has been noted for connection with the "sub-national or ethnic searches for identity". Since the 1990s, there has been an ongoing irredentist
Tripura rebellion The insurgency in Tripura was an armed conflict which took place in the state of Tripura between India and several separatist rebel organisations. It was a part of the wider insurgency in Northeast India and was fueled by Tripuris. Backgrou ...
, involving militant outfits such as the
National Liberation Front of Tripura The National Liberation Front of Tripura (abbreviated NLFT) is a Tripuri nationalist militant organisation based in Tripura, India. It has an estimated 550 to 850 members. The NLFT seeks to secede from India and establish an independent Trip ...
and the
All Tripura Tiger Force The All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) was a Tripuri nationalist militant group active in India's Tripura State. It was founded on 11 July 1990, by a group of former Tripura National Volunteer members under the leadership of Ranjit Debbarma. ...
(ATTF); terrorist incidents involving the ATTF claimed a recorded number of 389 victims in the seven-year period from 1993 to 2000. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) was first enforced in Tripura on 16 February 1997 when terrorism was at its peak in the state. Ever since then, the Act, as per its provisions, was reviewed and extended every six months. However, in view of the improvement in the situation and fewer terrorist activities being reported, the Tripura government in June 2013 reduced operational areas of the AFSPA to 30 police station areas. The last six-month extension to AFSPA was given in November 2014, and after about 18 years of operation, it was repealed on 29 May 2015.


Economy

Tripura's gross state domestic product for 2022-23 was at constant price (2022-23), recording 10.38% growth over the previous year. In the same period, the GDP of India was , with a growth rate of 8.55%. Annual per capita income at current price of the state was , compared to the national per capita income . In 2009, the tertiary sector of the economy (service industries) was the largest contributor to the gross domestic product of the state, contributing 53.98 percent of the state's economy compared to 23.07 percent from the
primary sector The primary sector of the economy includes any industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining. The primary sector tends to make up a larger portion of the economy ...
(agriculture, forestry, mining) and 22.95 percent from the
secondary sector In macroeconomics, the secondary sector of the economy is an economic sector in the three-sector theory that describes the role of manufacturing. It encompasses industries that produce a finished, usable product or are involved in construc ...
(industrial and manufacturing). According to the Economic Census of 2005, after agriculture, the maximum number of workers were engaged in retail trade (28.21% of total non-agricultural workforce), followed by manufacturing (18.60%), public administration (14.54%), and education (14.40%). Tripura is an agrarian state with more than half of the population dependent on agriculture and allied activities. However, due to hilly terrain and forest cover, only 27% of the land is available for cultivation. Rice, the major crop of the state, is cultivated in 91% of the cropped area. According to the Directorate of Economics & Statistics, Government of Tripura, in 2009–10, potato, sugarcane, mesta, pulses and jute were the other major crops cultivated in the state. Jackfruit and pineapple top the list of horticultural products. Traditionally, most of the indigenous population practised '' jhum'' method (a type of slash-and-burn) of cultivation. The number of people dependent on ''jhum'' has declined over the years. Pisciculture has made significant advances in the state. At the end of 2009–10, the state produced a surplus of 104.3 million fish seeds, primarily carp. Rubber and tea are the important cash crops of the state. Tripura ranks second to Kerala in the production of natural rubber in the country. The state is known for its handicraft, particularly hand-woven cotton fabric, wood carvings, and bamboo products. High quality timber including
sal Sal, SAL, or S.A.L. may refer to: Personal name * Sal (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname Places * Sal, Cape Verde, an island and municipality * Sal, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province * Ca ...
, garjan, teak and gamar are found abundantly in the forests of Tripura. Tata Trusts signed a pact with Government of Tripura in July 2015 to improve fisheries and dairy in the state. The industrial sector of the state continues to be highly underdeveloped – brickfields and tea industry are the only two organised sectors. Tripura has considerable reservoirs of natural gas. According to estimates by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), the state has 400 billion metres3 reserves of natural gas, with 16 billion metres3 is recoverable. ONGC produced 480 million metres3 natural gas in the state, in 2006–07. In 2011 and 2013, new large discoveries of natural gas were announced by ONGC. Tourism industry in the state is growing – the revenue earned in tourism sector crossed for the first time in 2009–10, and surpassed in 2010–11. Although Bangladesh is in a
trade deficit The balance of trade, commercial balance, or net exports (sometimes symbolized as NX), is the difference between the monetary value of a nation's exports and imports over a certain time period. Sometimes a distinction is made between a balanc ...
with India, its export to Tripura is significantly more than import from the state; a report in the newspaper ''The Hindu'' estimated Bangladesh exported commodities valued at about to the state in 2012, as opposed to "very small quantity" of import. Alongside legal international trade, unofficial and informal cross-border trade is rampant. In a research paper published by the Institute of Developing Economies in 2004, the dependence of Tripura's economy on that of Bangladesh was emphasised. The economy of Tripura can be characterised by the high rate of poverty, low capital formation, inadequate infrastructure facilities, geographical isolation and communication bottlenecks, inadequate exploration and use of forest and mineral resources, slow industrialisation and high unemployment. More than 50% of the population depends on agriculture for sustaining their livelihood. However agriculture and allied activities contribution to Gross State Domestic Production (GSDP) is only 23%, this is primarily because of low capital base in the sector. Despite the inherent limitation and constraints coupled with severe resource shortages for investing in basic infrastructure, this has brought consistency progress in the quality of life and income of people cutting across all sections of society. The state government through its Tripura Industrial Policy and Tripura Industrial Incentives Scheme, 2012, has offered heavy subsidies in capital investment and transport, preferences in government procurement, waivers in tender processes and fees, yet the impact has not been much significant beyond a few industries being set up in the Bodhjungnagar Industrial Growth Center. The Planning Commission estimates the poverty rate of all North East Indian states by using headcount ratio of Assam (the second largest state in North East India after Arunachal Pradesh). According to 2001 Planning Commission assessment, 22 percent of Tripura's rural residents were below the poverty line. However, Tripura government's independent assessment, based on consumption distribution data, reported that, in 2001, 55 percent of the rural population was below the poverty line. Geographic isolation and communication bottlenecks coupled with insufficient infrastructure have restricted economic growth of the state. High rate of poverty and unemployment continues to be prevalent.


Transport

Air
Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport, located 12 km northwest of Agartala at Singerbhil, is the second busiest airport in northeast India after Guwahati. There are direct flights to
Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
, Imphal,
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
, Shillong, Guwahati,
Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
, Dibrugarh, Aizawl, Ahmedabad and
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
. The major airlines are
flybig flybig is a regional airline based in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is promoted by Gurugram-based Big Charter Private Limited. The airline began operations in December 2020 and is focused on connecting tier-2 cities within India. History Th ...
, Air India and IndiGo. Passenger helicopter services are available between the capital and major towns (Kailashahar, Dharmanagar) as well as to more remote areas such as Kanchanpur, Belonia and Gandacherra. Railway
Agartala, came on India's railway map with the advent of the railways in the subcontinent in 1853 but the link was broken when India was partitioned in 1947. Railway service was established in Tripura in 1964 by constructing track from
Lumding Lumding (Pron:/lʌmˈdɪŋ/) is a city with municipal board in Hojai district in the Indian state of Assam. Etymology The word 'Lumding' owes its roots to a couple of Dimasa words 'Lama' and 'Ding' connoting 'straight pathway'. The word ''L ...
in Assam to
Dharmanagar Dharmanagar or (''Dhôrmônôgôr'') is a town with a municipal council in the northeast of India. It is the administrative center for North Tripura district, located in the northernmost region of the state near the Assam border on the west an ...
and Kailasahar in Tripura but the track did not connect the state capital Agartala. Rail transport was absent in the state until 2008–09 when the railway track was extended to the capital Agartala. The metre gauge rail track was connected to broad gauge at Lumding. The major railway stations in this line are in Agartala,
Dharmanagar Dharmanagar or (''Dhôrmônôgôr'') is a town with a municipal council in the northeast of India. It is the administrative center for North Tripura district, located in the northernmost region of the state near the Assam border on the west an ...
, and
Kumarghat Kumarghat is a town and subdivision in Unakoti district in Tripura, India. It is a municipal council and the 14th largest town in Tripura by population. Kumarghat railway station is the only railway station in Unakoti district. Demographic ...
. This metre gauge track was converted to broad gauge in 2016 and now trains run from Agartala to
Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
and
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
. The total length of this railway track in Tripura state is 153 km. It is a single line without electrification. The Agartala sabroom line was compled and fully operational since 2019. A new railway line is being laid westwards from Agartala to
Akhaura Akhaura ( bn, আখাউড়া ) is an upazila of Brahmanbaria District, a district under Chattogram, Bangladesh. Akhaura Upazila has an area of 99.28 km2. The main river that run through this upazila is the Titas River. Akhaura play ...
in
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...
. This will reduce the distance between Agartala and
Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
by over 1000 km and provide rail access to Chittagong port. Some major Express trains operated from Agartala are - Agartala - Anand Vihar Terminal Rajdhani Express * Agartala - Bengaluru Cantonment Humsafar Express * Agartala - Firozpur Cantonment Tripura Sundari Express * Agartala - Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express * Agartala - Deoghar Weekly Express * Agartala - Silchar Express * Agartala - Rani Kamplapati(Bhopal) Weekly Express * Agartala - Secunderabad Superfast Special * Agartala - Jiribam Janshatabdi Express * Agartala - Bengaluru Cantonment Superfast Special Road
Only one major road, the National Highway 8 (NH-8), connects Tripura to the rest of India. Starting at Sabroom in southern Tripura, it heads north to the capital Agartala, turns east and then north-east to enter the state of Assam. Locally known as "Assam Road", the NH-8 is often called the lifeline of Tripura. However, the highway is single lane and of poor quality; often landslides, rains or other disruptions on the highway cut the state off from its neighbours. Another National Highway, NH 108, connects the town Panisagar in North Tripura District with Aizawl, Mizoram. The
Tripura Road Transport Corporation Tripura Road Transport Corporation (TRTC), is the government agency overlooking public road transport in Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-l ...
is the government agency overlooking public transport on road. A hilly and land-locked state, Tripura is dependent mostly on roads for transport. The total length of roads in the state is of which national highways constitute and state highways , as of 2009–10. Residents in rural areas frequently use waterways as a mode of transport. Tripura has an long international border with Bangladesh, of which is fenced, as of 2012. Several locations along the border serve as bilateral trading points between India and Bangladesh, such as Akhaura near Agartala, Raghna, Srimantpur, Belonia, Khowai and Kailasahar. A bus service exists between Agartala and Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. In 2013, the two countries signed an agreement to establish a railway link between Agartala and the Akhaura junction of Bangladesh. Citizens of both countries need visa to legally enter the other country; however, illegal movement and smuggling across the border are widespread.


Media and communication

Doordarshan (DD) has a television station in Agartala. Other full-time based channels are Headlines Tripura, News Vanguard, PB 24, Prime Television Network, Chini Khorang, Swrangchati News and many more. As of 2014, 56 daily and weekly newspapers are published in Tripura. Most of the newspapers are published in Bengali, except for one Kokborok daily (''
Hachukni Kok ''Hachukni Kok'' is a newspaper of Tripura, India. As of 2009, it is the sole newspaper daily published in Kokborok language. "Most of the newspapers in the state are published in Bengali, except for one Kokborok daily (''Hachukni Kok''), one ...
''), one Manipuri weekly (''Marup''), two English dailies and three bilingual weeklies. Notable dailies include '' Ajkal Tripura'', ''
Daily Desher Katha ''Daily Desher Katha'' ( bn, ডেইলি দেশের কথা ''Ḍeili Desher Kôtha'') is a Bengali daily newspaper published from Agartala. It is a daily publication of the state committee of CPI(M), Tripura Tripura (, Ben ...
'', '' Dainik Sambad'' and ''
Syandan Patrika ''Syandan Patrika'' ( bn, স্যন্দন পত্রিকা) is an Indian Bengali language daily newspaper published from Tripura, India. It was founded and is currently managed by Subal Kumar Dey. History ''Syandan Patrika'' was ...
''. In a study by Indian Institute of Mass Communication in 2009, 93% of the sampled in Tripura rated television as very effective for information and mass education. In the study, 67% of the sampled listened to radio and 80–90% read newspaper. Most of the major Indian telecommunication companies are present in the state, such as Airtel, Vi, Jio and BSNL. Mobile connections outnumber landline connections by a wide margin. As of 2011, the state-controlled BSNL has 57,897 landline subscribers and GSM mobile service connections. There are 84 telephone exchanges (for landlines) and 716 post offices in the state, as of 2011.


Electricity

Till 2014, Tripura was a power deficit state. In late 2014, Tripura reached surplus electricity production capacity by using its recently discovered natural gas resources, and installing high efficiency gas turbine power plants. The state has many power-generating stations. These are owned by Tripura State Electricity Corporation (TSECL), natural gas-powered thermal power stations at Rokhia and Baramura, and the ONGC Tripura Power Company in Palatana. The ONGC plant has a capacity of 726.6 MW, with the second plant's commissioning in November 2014. It is the largest individual power plant in the northeast region. The state also has a hydro power station on the Gumti River. The combined power generation from these three stations is 100–105  MW. The North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) operates the 84 MW Agartala Gas Turbine Power Plant near Agartala. As of November 2014, another thermal power plant is being built at Monarchak. With the newly added power generation capacity, Tripura has with enough capacity to supply all seven sister states of northeast India, as well export power to neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh. With recent discoveries, the state has abundant natural gas reserves to support many more power generation plants, but lacks pipeline and transport infrastructure to deliver the fuel or electricity to India's national grid.


Irrigation and fertilizers

As of 2011, of land in Tripura cultivable, of which has the potential to be covered by irrigation projects. However, only is irrigated. The state lacks major irrigation projects; it depends on medium-sized projects sourced from Gumti, Khowai (at Chakmaghat) and Manu rivers, and minor projects administered by village-level governing bodies that utilise tube wells, water pumps, tanks and
lift irrigation Periyar lift irrigation in Kadungallur, Kerala ">Kerala.html" ;"title="Kadungallur, Kerala">Kadungallur, Kerala Lift irrigation is a method of irrigation in which water is not transported by natural flow, (as in gravity-fed canal) but is lif ...
. ONGC and Chambal Fertilizers & Chemicals are jointly building a fertiliser plant to leverage ONGC's natural gas discoveries in Tripura. Expected to be in operation by 2017, the 1.3 million tonnes per year plant will supply the northeastern states.


Drinking water

Drinking Water and Sanitation (DWS) wing] of Public Works Department manages the drinking water supply in the state. Schools and Anganwadi Centers have been specifically targeted to improve drinking water supply as well as attendance to these institutions. Many areas of Tripura have the problem of excessive iron content in groundwater requiring the installation of Iron Removal Plants (IRP). Tripura State has received the best State Award for Water & Sanitation under the category of Small States in the IBN7 Diamond State Award function for doing commendable work to provide drinking water supply to the people with the sparsely distributed tribal population in hamlets of hilly regions of the State. However, a study by the DWS Department found a depleting water table and excessive contamination. Still, packaged drinking water under brands "Tribeni", "Eco Freshh", "Blue Fina", "Life Drop" and "Aqua Zoom" among others is manufactured and sold in the state. Filters of many types and brands, in addition to locally manufactured ceramic type filters, are sold in the state although their acceptance in rural areas is less.


Education

As per 2011 census, the literacy rate of Tripura was 87.75 percent, the fourth-highest in India (which had a national literacy rate of 74.04 percent). A state government survey in 2013 announced that Tripura has the highest literacy rate in India at 94.65 percent. Schools in Tripura are run by the state government, TTAADC or private organisations, which include religious institutions. Instruction in schools is mainly in Bengali or English, though Kokborok and other regional languages are also used. Some of the special schools include
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) is a system of central schools for talented students predominantly from rural areas in India. They are run by Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, Noida, an autonomous organization under the Department of School Educa ...
,
Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya The Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya or KGBV is a residential girls’ secondary school run by the Government of India for the weaker sections in India. History The plan was introduced by the Government of India in August 2004. It was then inte ...
, residential schools run by Tripura Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TTWREIS), missionary organisations like St. Paul's, St. Arnold's, Holy Cross, Don Bosco, and St. John's. The schools are affiliated to the
Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) is a privately held national-level board of school education in India that conducts the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) Examination for Class X and the India ...
(CISCE), the
Central Board for Secondary Education The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is a national level board of education in India for public and private schools, controlled and managed by the Government of India. Established in 1929 by a resolution of the government, the Board ...
(CBSE), the
National Institute of Open Schooling The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), formerly National Open School (name changed in 2002), is the board of education under the Union Government of India. It was established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development of the Go ...
(NIOS) or the Tripura Board of Secondary Education. Under the
10+2+3 plan 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
, after completing secondary school, students typically enroll for two years in a junior college or in a higher secondary school affiliated either to the Tripura Board of Secondary Education or to other central boards. Students choose from one of the three streams— liberal arts, commerce or science. As in the rest of India, after passing the
Higher Secondary Examination The Higher Secondary School Certificate is a secondary qualification in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Higher Secondary Education The Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education in Bangladesh recognises "Higher Secondary Education" un ...
(the grade 12 examination), students may enroll in general degree programs such as bachelor's degree in arts, commerce or science, or professional degree programs such as engineering, law or medicine. According to the Economic Review of Tripura 2010–11, Tripura has a total of 4,455 schools, of which 2,298 are primary schools. The total enrolment in all schools of the state is 767,672. Tripura has one Central University (
Tripura University Tripura University is a central university, the main public government university of Tripura, India. History Higher education in Tripura has its beginning with Maharaja Bir Bikram College (MBBC), the first-degree college in the state, establ ...
), one State University ( M. B. B. University) and one private university (a branch of the
Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India The Institute of Financial Analysts of India (IFAI) was established in 1984 as a non-profit educational society in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The institution has been offering education to students across India through its various programs ...
). There are 15 general colleges, three engineering colleges (
Tripura Institute of Technology Tripura Institute of Technology (TIT), formerly Polytechnic Institute, Narsingarh, is an engineering college located at Narsingarh in the West Tripura district of Tripura, India, 12 km from Agartala. It offers diploma and degree courses ...
,
National Institute of Technology, Agartala National Institute of Technology Agartala (NIT Agartala or NITA) is a technology-oriented institute of higher education established by India's Ministry of Human Resource Development Government of India in Agartala, India. It was founded as Trip ...
an
NIEILT, Agartala
, two medical colleges (
Agartala Government Medical College Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) is a government medical college located on the lap of Agartala, the capital city of Tripura. It is at Kunjaban near the Malancha Niwas, home of the Manikya Dynasty in Agartala. The college is attached ...
and
Tripura Medical College Tripura Medical College & Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Memorial Teaching Hospital or TMC is a State Government Medical College (run by government's society SFTMC " Society For TMC"). The society was formed by Tripura government. TMC is located in the cap ...
), three nursing or paramedical colleges, three polytechnic colleges, one law college, on
Government Music College
on
Institute of Advance Studies in Education
on
Regional College of Physical Education
at Panisagar and one art college.


Healthcare

Healthcare in Tripura features a universal health care system run by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare of the
Government of Tripura The Government of Tripura, also known as the State Government of Tripura, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Tripura and its 8 districts. It consists of an executive, led by the Governor ...
. The health care infrastructure is divided into three tiers – the primary health care network, a secondary care system comprising district and sub-divisional hospitals and tertiary hospitals providing speciality and super speciality care. As of 2010–11, there are 17 hospitals, 11 rural hospitals and community health centres, 79 primary health centres, 635 sub-centres/dispensaries, 7 blood banks and 7 blood storage centres in the state. Homeopathic and Ayurvedic styles of medicine are also popular in the state. The National Family Health Survey – 3 conducted in 2005–06 revealed that 20% of the residents of Tripura do not generally use government health facilities, and prefers the private medical sector. This is overwhelmingly less than the national level, where 65.6% do not rely on government facilities. As in the rest of India, Tripura residents also cite poor quality of care as the most frequent reason for non-reliance over the public health sector. Other reasons include distance of the public sector facilities, long waiting time, and inconvenient hours of operation. As of 2010, the state's performance in major public health care indices, such as birth rate, infant mortality rate and total fertility rate is better than the national average. The state is vulnerable to epidemics of malaria, diarrhea, Japanese encephalitis and meningitis. In summer 2014 the state witnessed a major malaria outbreak.


Demographics


Population

Tripura ranks second to Assam as the most populous state in North East India. According to the provisional results of 2011 census of India, Tripura has a population of 3,671,032 with 1,871,867 males and 1,799,165 females. It constitutes 0.3% of India's population. The sex ratio of the state is 961 females per thousand males, higher than the national ratio 940. The density of population is 350 persons per square kilometre. The literacy rate of Tripura in 2011 was 87.75%, higher than the national average 74.04%, and third best among all the states. Tripura ranked sixth in Human Development Index (HDI) among 35 states and union territories of India, according to 2006 estimate by India's Ministry of Women and Child Development; the HDI of Tripura was 0.663, better than the all-India HDI 0.605. In 2011, the police in Tripura recorded 5,803 cognisable offences under the Indian Penal Code, a number second only to Assam (66,714) in North East India. The crime rate in the state was 158.1 per 100,000 people, less than the all-India average of 192.2. However, 2010 reports showed that the state topped all the states for crime against women, with a rate of 46.5 per 100,000 people, significantly more than the national rate of 18.


Ethnic groups

According to the 2001 census of India,
Bengalis Bengalis (singular Bengali bn, বাঙ্গালী/বাঙালি ), also rendered as Bangalee or the Bengali people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of ...
represented almost 70 per cent of Tripura's population while the Tripuri population amounted to 30 per cent. The state's " scheduled tribes", recognised by the country's constitution, consist of 19 ethnic groups and many sub-groups, with diverse languages and cultures. In 2001, the largest such group was the Kokborok-speaking
Tripuris The Tripuri (also known as Tripura, Tipra, Tiprasa, Twipra) are an ethnic group originating in the Indian state of Tripura. They are the inhabitants of the Twipra/Tripura Kingdom in North-East India and Bangladesh. The Tripuri people through th ...
, which had a population of 543,848, representing 17.0 per cent of the state's population and 54.7 per cent of the "scheduled tribe" population. The other major groups, in descending order of population, were the
Reang Reang is a Tripuri clan of the Indian state of Mizoram and Tripura. The Reangs can be found all over the Tripura state in India. However, they may also be found in Assam and Mizoram. They speak the Kaubru language which is similar with Kokborok ...
(16.6 per cent of the indigenous population),
Jamatia The 'Jamatias' are the one of the main Tripuri clans of Tripura and the only such clan with its own Customary law in practice, which is called Jamatia Raida. See also * Tripuri people * Kokborok * Jamatia Hoda * List of Scheduled Tribes in ...
(7.5 per cent),
Chakma Chakma may refer to: *Chakma people, a Tibeto-Burman people of Bangladesh and Northeast India *Chakma language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them **Chakma script The Chakma Script (''Ajhā pāṭh''), also called Ajhā pāṭh, Ojhapath, O ...
(6.5 per cent), Halam (4.8 per cent), Mog (3.1 per cent), Munda (1.2 per cent), Kuki (1.2 per cent) and Garo (1.1 per cent).


Languages

The official languages of the state are
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
,
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
and Kokborok (Tripuri). Bengali is the most widely spoken language, while Kokborok is the most prominent language among the Tripuri people. Other minority languages such as Mog,
Odia Odia, also spelled Oriya or Odiya, may refer to: * Odia people in Odisha, India * Odia language, an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family * Odia alphabet, a writing system used for the Odia languag ...
, Bishnupriya Manipuri, Manipuri, Halam, Garo and
Chakma Chakma may refer to: *Chakma people, a Tibeto-Burman people of Bangladesh and Northeast India *Chakma language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them **Chakma script The Chakma Script (''Ajhā pāṭh''), also called Ajhā pāṭh, Ojhapath, O ...
belonging to Indo-European and Sino-Tibetan families are spoken in the state. Thadou, a nearly extinct language, is spoken by only four people in one village, as of 2012.


Religion

According to 2011 census,
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
is the majority religion in the state, followed by 83.40% of the population. Muslims make up 8.60% of the population,
Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ� ...
4.35%, and Buddhists 3.41%. Christianity is chiefly followed by members of the Lushai, Kuki, Garo, Halam tribes and as per 2011 census has 159,882 adherents.


Demography of indigenous population

Percentage of Tripuris by decadehttps://repository.tribal.gov.in › ...PDF Web results Kaloi Community in Tripura Group-A (500 Copy) - Tribal Digital ... Once Tripura was an overwhelming Tripuri majority state. In 1941, the native Tripuris made up 62.06% of the population in present- day Tripura while the non-Tripuri people, mainly Bengalis and non-Bengalis occupies rest of the percentage. The percentage of Tripuris decreased from 62.06% in 1941 (before partition) to 48.65% (after partition) in 1951 due to East Bengali refugees who were coming from East Pakistan present-day-
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...
. After 1971, the indigenous Tripuri population of Tripura has increased from 28.44% in 1981 to 31.05% in 2001. The 2011 census stated that indigenous Tripuri constitute 31.78% of the state population which is up from the previous census record of 31.05% in 2001.


Arrival of Bengali refugees

During the Partition of Bengal in 1947, hundreds of thousands of Bengali refugees fled from East Pakistan into India's Tripura following the Partition of India. Estimation shows that between the period of 1947–51, around 610,000
Bengalis Bengalis (singular Bengali bn, বাঙ্গালী/বাঙালি ), also rendered as Bangalee or the Bengali people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of ...
— a figure almost equal to the state's total population poured into the state leading to a profound demographic change during this first phase. Again during the Bangladesh liberation war of 1971, in the second phase of migration, around 1.038 million
Bengalis Bengalis (singular Bengali bn, বাঙ্গালী/বাঙালি ), also rendered as Bangalee or the Bengali people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of ...
(most being Hindus) moved into various parts of Tripura as refugees with most of them settling down permanently afterwards.


Culture

The diverse ethno-linguistic groups of Tripura have given rise to a composite culture. The major Tripuri clans are: Tripura,
Debbarma Debbarma is the main clan of Tripuri community, predominantly in state of Tripura, India and Bangladesh who speak Kokborok, a Tibeto-Burman language.They belong to the Kshatriya Varna. Variations The variations of "Debbarma" consist of Debbarma ...
,
Jamatia The 'Jamatias' are the one of the main Tripuri clans of Tripura and the only such clan with its own Customary law in practice, which is called Jamatia Raida. See also * Tripuri people * Kokborok * Jamatia Hoda * List of Scheduled Tribes in ...
,
Reang Reang is a Tripuri clan of the Indian state of Mizoram and Tripura. The Reangs can be found all over the Tripura state in India. However, they may also be found in Assam and Mizoram. They speak the Kaubru language which is similar with Kokborok ...
,
Noatia Noatia are one of the Tripuri clan of Tripura state of India. The clan mainly lives in the North Tripura districts of the Tripura state of India. They speak the Noatia dialect of Kokborok which is of Tibeto-Burmese origin. The Noatia are one of ...
, and Murasing. And there are tribal groups such as Chakma, Halam, Garo, Kuki,
Mizo Mizo may refer to: *Mizo people, an ethnic group native to north-eastern India, western Myanmar (Burma) and eastern Bangladesh * Mizo language, a language spoken by the Mizo people *Mizoram, a state in Northeast India *Lusei people, an ethnic group ...
,
Uchoi Uchoi is one of Tripuri clan lives in Tripura state of India and Bangladesh. They are mainly dwelling in the Gomati and the South Tripura districts of Tripura state of India.In Bangladesh, they live in Bandarban Hill District along with other ...
, Dhamai, Roaza, Mag, Munda, Oraon and Santhal who migrated in Tripura as tea labourers. Bengali people represent the largest ethno-linguistic community of the state. Bengali culture, as a result, is the main non-indigenous culture. The Tripuri Maharajas were great patrons of Bengali culture, especially literature;
Bengali language Bengali ( ), generally known by its endonym Bangla (, ), is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Bengal region of South Asia. It is the official, national, and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh and the second most widely spoken ...
replaced Kokborok as the language of the court. Elements of Bengali culture, such as Bengali literature, Bengali music, and Bengali cuisine are widespread, particularly in the urban areas of the state. Tripura is noted for bamboo and cane handicrafts. Bamboo, wood and cane are used to create an array of furniture, utensils, hand-held fans, replicas, mats, baskets, idols and interior decoration materials. Music and dance are integral to the culture of the state. Some local musical instruments are the '' sarinda'', '' chongpreng'' (both string instruments), and ''
sumui The ''sumui'' (flute) is one of the most ancient and commonly played instruments in the musical tradition of Tripura. Sumui, is the most perfect and least mechanical of all the instruments. It is made of bamboo. There are two types of sumui, one ha ...
'' (a type of flute). Each indigenous community has its own repertoire of songs and dances performed during weddings, religious occasions, and other festivities. The Tripuri and Jamatia people perform
goria dance Goria dance or Garia dance is a dance of the Tripuri people of the Indian state of Tripura. It is performed during Goria puja, the festival to celebrate the sowing of new crops and prayer for a good harvest during the month of Baisakha. In the ...
during the Goria puja.
Jhum dance Jhum dance is a dance of Tripura, India. It is typically performed by girls and boys. References {{India-dance-stub Dances of Tripura ...
(also called tangbiti dance),
lebang dance Lebang Boomani dance (also Lebang Bumani) is a harvest dance performed by the Tripuri people of Tripura, India. It is one of two dances associated with the Tripuris, the other being the Garia dance that is performed at the time of sowing crops. ...
,
mamita dance Mamita dance is a dance of Tripura, India. It is performed at the Mamita Festival, the harvest festival of the Tripuri people The Tripuri (also known as Tripura, Tipra, Tiprasa, Twipra) are an ethnic group originating in the Indian state of T ...
, and
mosak sulmani dance The Mosak sulmani dance is a traditional Indian dance. It originated in Tripura, India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous cou ...
are other Tripuri dance forms. Reang community, the second largest scheduled tribe of the state, is noted for its
hojagiri dance Hojagiri is a folk dance, performed in the state of Tripura, India by *Tripuri people The Tripuri (also known as Tripura, Tipra, Tiprasa, Twipra) are an ethnic group originating in the Indian state of Tripura. They are the inhabitants of th ...
that is performed by young girls balanced on earthen pitchers.
Bizhu dance The Bizu festival is celebrated by the Chakma people in Bangladesh and India, as the traditional New Year's Day which falls on 13 or 14 April. Bizhu Bizhu is a three-day-long festival that commemorates the commencement of a new year for the ...
is performed by the Chakmas during the Bizhu festival (the last day of the month of '' Chaitra'' in
Hindu calendar The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt ...
). Other dance forms include wangala dance of the Garo people, hai-hak dance of the Halam branch of Kuki people, and
sangrai dance The Sangrai dance is a traditional Indian dance performed by the Mog tribal community on the occasion of Sangrai festival during the month of Chaitra (in April) of the Bengali calendar year. It originated in Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) ...
and
owa dance Owa or OWA may refer to: * Owa language, a language of the Solomon Islands * Ōwa, an era in Japanese history * Owa Obokun Adimula, the title of the traditional ruler of the Ijesha people of Nigeria * Owa (dance), a traditional dance of Tripura, ...
of the Mog. Alongside such traditional music, mainstream Indian musical elements such as Indian classical music and dance, Rabindra Sangeet are also practised. Sachin Dev Burman, a member of the royal family, was a maestro in the filmi genre of Indian music. Hindus believe that '' Tripura Sundari'' is the patron goddess of Tripura and an aspect of '' Shakti''. Durga Puja, Kali Puja,
Dolyatra Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...
, Ashokastami and the worship of the ''Chaturdasha'' deities are important festivals in the state. Some festivals represent confluence of different regional traditions, such as
Ganga puja Ganga puja is a religious festival of the northeastern state of Tripura in India. The tribal Tripuri people worship the Goddess of the river, and pray to be saved from epidemic diseases and for the well-being of pregnant women. The celebrati ...
, Garia puja,
Kharchi puja Kharchi Puja is a Hindu festival from Tripura, India. Performed in Agartala in July or August, the festival involves the worship of the fourteen gods forming the dynasty deity of the Tripuri people. Kharchi Puja is one of the most popular festi ...
and
Ker puja Ker puja is a festival held in Tripura, India. Performance of the puja, which is typically held in August, benefits the people and the state. The celebration occurs two weeks after the Kharchi Puja to honor Ker, the guardian deity of Vastu Devat ...
. Unakoti, Pilak and
Devtamura Devtamura (or Debtamura) is a hill range in South Tripura district of Tripura, India. It is known for an archaeological site of rock sculptures, a panel of carved images of Hindu deities of Durga, Ganesha and Kartikeya on the bank of Gomati Riv ...
are historic sites where large collections of stone carvings and rock sculptures are noted. Like
Neermahal Neermahal (''Twijilikma Nuyung''; lit. "Water Palace") is a former royal palace built by Maharaja of Tripura Kingdom '' Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya bahadur'' of the erstwhile Kingdom of Tripura, India in the middle of the lake Twijilikma (Now ...
is a cultural Water Palace of this state. Sculptures are evidence of the presence of Buddhist and Brahmanical orders for centuries, and represent a rare artistic fusion of traditional organised religions and tribal influence.


Performing arts

Tripura had a wide collection of notable art and cultural displays. * ''
Mamita dance Mamita dance is a dance of Tripura, India. It is performed at the Mamita Festival, the harvest festival of the Tripuri people The Tripuri (also known as Tripura, Tipra, Tiprasa, Twipra) are an ethnic group originating in the Indian state of T ...
'' : A Tripuri dance form performed during Mamita occasion, which is after the harvesting of year's first crops and to worship ''Ama Mailuma''. * ''
Goria dance Goria dance or Garia dance is a dance of the Tripuri people of the Indian state of Tripura. It is performed during Goria puja, the festival to celebrate the sowing of new crops and prayer for a good harvest during the month of Baisakha. In the ...
'' : Tripuri dance performed during Goria puja. * ''
Hojagiri dance Hojagiri is a folk dance, performed in the state of Tripura, India by *Tripuri people The Tripuri (also known as Tripura, Tipra, Tiprasa, Twipra) are an ethnic group originating in the Indian state of Tripura. They are the inhabitants of th ...
'' : A divine Tripuri dance form. The dance is performed on the occasion of Hojagiri festivals or Laxmi Puja, held in the following full moon night of Durga Puja. generally after 3rd day of Dashera. The Goddess Mailuma (Tipra Indigenous Goddess) is worshipped on this day. * ''
Lebang dance Lebang Boomani dance (also Lebang Bumani) is a harvest dance performed by the Tripuri people of Tripura, India. It is one of two dances associated with the Tripuris, the other being the Garia dance that is performed at the time of sowing crops. ...
'' : A Tripuri dance form. * ''Mosak Sulmani dance'' : A Tripuri dance form. * ''Jadu Kolija'' : A Tripuri folk-classical song. * ''Dangsa Mwsamung'': A type of Tripuri play performed on stage. Other dance forms of minority groups include
Sangrai dance The Sangrai dance is a traditional Indian dance performed by the Mog tribal community on the occasion of Sangrai festival during the month of Chaitra (in April) of the Bengali calendar year. It originated in Tripura Tripura (, Bengali: ) ...
and
Owa dance Owa or OWA may refer to: * Owa language, a language of the Solomon Islands * Ōwa, an era in Japanese history * Owa Obokun Adimula, the title of the traditional ruler of the Ijesha people of Nigeria * Owa (dance), a traditional dance of Tripura, ...
of Mog, Hai-hak dance of Halam, Wangla dance of Garo, Bizhu dance of Chakma. Alongside such traditional music, mainstream Indian musical elements such as Indian classical music and dance are also practised. Sachin Dev Burman, a member of the Tripuri royal family, was a maestro in the filmi genre of Indian music. Local musical instruments are: * '' sarinda'' : A Tripuri string instrument. * '' chongpreng'' : Tripuri string instrument. * ''
sumui The ''sumui'' (flute) is one of the most ancient and commonly played instruments in the musical tradition of Tripura. Sumui, is the most perfect and least mechanical of all the instruments. It is made of bamboo. There are two types of sumui, one ha ...
'' : Tripuri flute.


Sports

Football and cricket are the most popular sports in the state. The state capital Agartala has its own club football championships every year in which many local clubs compete in a league and knockout format. The
Tripura cricket team The Tripura cricket team is a domestic cricket team representing the Indian state of Tripura. History Cricket developed later in Tripura than in most other parts of India with competitions first organized in the early 1960s, and the Tripura ...
participates in the Ranji Trophy, the Indian domestic cricket competition. The state is a regular participant of the Indian National Games and the North Eastern Games. Tennis player Somdev Devvarman, who won the gold medal in the Men's Singles event at the 2010 Asian Games, has family roots in Tripura. He was the first Indian to win a gold medal in the men's singles tennis event of the Asian Games. In 2016, Dipa Karmakar from Agartala became the first ever female gymnast from India to qualify for the Olympics when she qualified for the women's artistic gymnastics event of 2016 Summer Olympics. Other notable gymnasts from Tripura include
Mantu Debnath Mantu Debnath (also spelt as Montu Debnath) is an Indian Bengali gymnast from Agartala, Tripura. He won gold medals at national level competition, became the first Indian gymnast to win an international competition in Russia in 1969 and won t ...
,
Kalpana Debnath Kalpana Debnath is an Indian Bengali gymnast from Tripura who received the Arjuna Award in 2000 for her contributions to Indian gymnastics. She is the second Arjuna awardee from Tripura after Mantu Debnath. She was trained by Dalip Singh. Se ...
, and
Bishweshwar Nandi Bishweshwar Nandi is an Indian gymnastics coach.The need is to make kids start gymnastics at a young age: Bishweshwar Nandi, written by Nitin Sharma, 17 February 2018, The Indian Express. He was also a prolific gymnast himself. He was trained ...
.


Notable Person

** Pradyot Manikya Debbarma **
Bir Bikram Kishore Debbarman Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Debbarma Bahadur (19 August 1908 – 17 May 1947) was a king (or M''aharaja'') of Tripura State. He was succeeded by his son, Maharaja Kirit Bikram Kishore Deb Barman, who was the nominal king for two year ...
**
Kirit Bikram Kishore Deb Barman Maharaja Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya Deb Barma Bahadur (13 December 1933 – 28 November 2006) was the 185th and last King of Tripura, a princely state in northeastern India. His formal coronation was held in 1941, but he never gained the power ...
**
Birendra Kishore Manikya Birendra Kishore Manikya Debbarma Bahadur ascended the throne of the Kingdom of Tripura on 25 November 1909, at the age of 26. Administrative reforms Birendra Kishore's contribution to the state lay in his administrative reforms, welfare activ ...
** Bir Chandra Manikya **
Ishan Chandra Manikya Maharaja Ishan Chandra Manikya of the Manikya Dynasty was the king of Tripura from 1849 to 1862 Sanajaoba, Naorem, ed. Manipur, Past and Present: The Heritage and Ordeals of a Civilization. Vol. 4. Mittal Publications, 1988. Biography He was ...
**
Tanushree Debbarma Tanushree Debbarma is the first woman Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer in Tripura, India. She was the first woman from Tripura to pass the IAS exam. She secured fourth place in the civil service examination in the ST category in 2006. ...


See also

*
Tipraland Tipraland is the name of a proposed state in India for the indigenous Tripuri people in the tribal areas of the Tripura state. They demand the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council and some surrounding areas to be made into a separate ...
*
Habugra Habugra is a term for "King" in Kokborok language of Tripura. There were at least 184 kings that ruled Tripura before merging with the Republic of India on 15 November 1950. The last and most illustrious Habugra of all was Habugra Bir Bikram Ma ...
* List of cities and towns in Tripura *
Tripura Industrial Development Corporation Tripura Industrial Development Corporation or ''TIDC'' is a state Industrial Development Corporation in the state of Tripura, India. History The Tripura Industrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDC) was established in 1974 as a Private Limi ...


References


Further reading

* * * * * * *


External links

; Government
Tripura Government

Tripura Tourism

Public Service Commission

Election Department
General information * * {{Authority control Northeast India States and union territories of India States and territories established in 1972 1972 establishments in India Tourism in Northeast India Bengali-speaking countries and territories Greater Tripura Region