Ujjayanta Palace is the state museum of the Indian state of Tripura and former royal palace of the princely state of Tripura. It was built by Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya in 1901.[1] It housed the State Legislative Assembly between 1973 and 2011. The palace primarily showcases the lifestyle, arts, culture, tradition and crafts of communities residing in northeast India, along with many stone sculptures of the Manikya dynasty.[2]

Ujjayanta Palace
South facade of Ujjayanta Palace, 2014
Ujjayanta Palace is located in India
Ujjayanta Palace
Location within India
Established1901 (1901)
LocationAgartala, Tripura, India
Coordinates23°50′15″N 91°16′58″E / 23.8374°N 91.2827°E / 23.8374; 91.2827
TypeCultural and historical museum
FounderMaharaja Radha Kishore Manikya
ArchitectSir Alexander Martin (Martin and Burn Co.)
Public transit accessAgartala Railway Station
Kingdom of Tripura
Part of History of Tripura
Maha Manikyac. 1400–1431
Dharma Manikya I1431–1462
Ratna Manikya I1462–1487
Pratap Manikya1487
Vijaya Manikya I1488
Mukut Manikya1489
Dhanya Manikya1490–1515
Dhwaja Manikya1515–1520
Deva Manikya1520–1530
Indra Manikya I1530–1532
Vijaya Manikya II1532–1563
Ananta Manikya1563–1567
Udai Manikya I1567–1573
Joy Manikya I1573–1577
Amar Manikya1577–1585
Rajdhar Manikya I1586–1600
Ishwar Manikya1600
Yashodhar Manikya1600–1623
Interregnum1623–1626
Kalyan Manikya1626–1660
Govinda Manikya1660–1661
Chhatra Manikya1661–1667
Govinda Manikya1661–1673
Rama Manikya1673–1685
Ratna Manikya II1685–1693
Narendra Manikya1693–1695
Ratna Manikya II1695–1712
Mahendra Manikya1712–1714
Dharma Manikya II1714–1725
Jagat Manikya1725–1729
Dharma Manikya II1729
Mukunda Manikya1729–1739
Joy Manikya IIc. 1739–1744
Indra Manikya IIc. 1744–1746
Udai Manikya IIc. 1744
Joy Manikya II1746
Vijaya Manikya III1746–1748
Lakshman Manikya1740s/1750s
Interregnum1750s–1760
Krishna Manikya1760–1783
Rajdhar Manikya II1785–1806
Rama Ganga Manikya1806–1809
Durga Manikya1809–1813
Rama Ganga Manikya1813–1826
Kashi Chandra Manikya1826–1829
Krishna Kishore Manikya1829–1849
Ishan Chandra Manikya1849–1862
Bir Chandra Manikya1862–1896
Birendra Kishore Manikya1909–1923
Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya1923–1947
Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya1947–1949
1949–1978 (titular)
Kirit Pradyot Manikya1978–present (titular)
Tripura monarchy data
Manikya dynasty (Royal family)
Agartala (Capital of the kingdom)
Ujjayanta Palace (Royal residence)
Pushbanta Palace (Royal residence)
Neermahal (Royal residence)
Rajmala (Royal chronicle)
Tripura Buranji (Chronicle)
Chaturdasa Devata (Family deities)

History

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As royal palace

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

As state assembly building

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

As state museum

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

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

Architecture

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Ujjayanta Palace at night, 2014

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

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

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

Collection

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

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

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

See also

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References

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