Agartala is a derivative of two words, namelyagar, a valuable perfume and incense tree of genusAquilaria, and the suffixtala, meaningunderneath, a reference to the density of agarwood trees in the region.[citation needed] The agar tree is historically referred to in the story of the King Raghu who tied up his elephant's feet to an agar tree on the banks of River Lauhitya.[citation needed]
One of the earliest kings of Tripura was Patardan B.C. 1900, long before theManikya Dynasty. According to folklore, Chitrarath, Drikpati, Dharmapha, Loknath Jivandharan were important kings during the time of B.C. in Agartala.[citation needed][10]
In the past, Tripura served as the capital to severalHindu kingdoms. Although a timeline of the rulers has not been found, records reveal that the area has been ruled by as many as 179 Hindu rulers, starting from the mythological King Druhya to the last King of Tripura,Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya. Tripura also came underMughal rule. The state came under the governance of the British in 1808.[11]
Much later the ancient capital of the thenprincely state 'Swadhin Tripura' was at Rangamati (Udaipur, South Tripura) by the bank of theGomati River. In 1760 it was shifted by the Maharaja Krishna Chandra Manikya Bahadur (r.1829–1849) of Manikya Dynasty[12] to present old Agartala by the bank of the riverHaora/Saidra and was named 'Haveli'. Due to frequent invasion of theKukis and also to keep easy communication with the British Bengali, the Maharaja Krishna Chandra Manikya started the process of shifting the capital from Old Haveli to New Haveli (present Agartala) in 1849.[citation needed]
During theBritish Raj, Agartala was the capital of the 'Hill Tippera' state; it became a municipality in 1874–75, and in 1901 had a population of 9,513.[13] The princely state always remained as cake piece to the British and many other invaders. For example, when Arakhan soldiers attacked the old capital of the state the king of Tripura responded by defeating the entire troop.[14]The Agartala Municipality was established during the reign of MaharajaBir Chandra Manikya (1862–1896) within an area of 3 square miles (8 km2) having a population of only 875 by a royal proclamation in the last part of 1871. A.W.S. Power, the first British political agent forTipperah was also appointed as the Chairman of the Agartala Municipality in 1872 who held office from 1872 to 1873. The municipality located at the crossing of latitude N 23 –50' and longitude E 91-17' covering 3 km2 area during that period.[15]
Bir Bikram Manikya Debbarma is called the founder of the planned city of Agartala. He had gone on a tour to theUnited Kingdom and was so impressed by the architecture that he started planning a similar township in Agartala. During the 1940s the town was re-organised in a planned manner with new roads and a market building.[citation needed]
The estimated population of Agartala was 522,603 in 2014 after the municipal expansion[16] (189,327 in the 2001 census).[17]
From 1901 to 1971 the city did not experience notable progress in infrastructure development with only an 8 km2 of area but 1981 saw Agartala expanding and increasing its connectivity as well as businesses in various fields, the city area expanding to 58.84 km2, greater Agartala is planned as of 2011 with an additional of 92 km2. Agartala had a different type of history from the earlier times of the epic days as it was a princely state and was connected with Bangladesh. Though theEast India Company had not arrived in the princely capital of the state but they always remained in a certain in capturing and ruling. The East India Company had set their base of North East India in the Assam province withShillong as their capital.[citation needed]
Indian Nobel laureate and poetRabindranath Tagore visited the city multiple times and built a house that still exists. The historical book Rajmala contains incidents and historical stories of Agartala.[citation needed]
Agartala is situated on a plain land along theHaora River, although the city also extends to the low-lying hills on its northern parts.[citation needed]
Agartala has a monsoon influencedhumid subtropical climate (KöppenCwa) just short of being hot enough to qualify as a borderlinetropical savanna (Aw)/tropical monsoon (Am) climate. Large amounts of rain fall all year except during the dry "winter" or "cool" season. The city experiences long, hot and wet summers, lasting from April to October. Average temperatures are around 28 °C or 82.4 °F, fluctuating with rainfall. There is a short, mild winter from mid-November to early March, with mostly dry conditions and average temperatures around 18 °C (64 °F). The best time to visit is from September to February. Summers are long and extremely hot with much sunlight and warm days. Rain is very common in this season[18] and the city can be found flooded. The Haora River flows through the city and remains flooded with water during the time of monsoon.[19][20]
Climate data for Agartala (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1953–present)
As of the2011 Indian Census, Agartala had a total population of 400,004, of which 200,132 were males and 199,872 were females. The population within the age range of 0 to 6 year is 35,034. The total number of literates in Agartala was 344,711, which constituted 86.18% of the population with male literacy of 87.53% and female literacy of 84.82%. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population of Agartala was 94.5%, of which male literacy rate was 96.2% and female literacy rate was 92.8%. The sex ratio of Agartala is 999 females per 1,000 males. TheScheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are 77,663 and 19,767 respectively.[25]
In 1941 Agartala had a population of 17,693.[27] By 1991 the population had risen to 157,358.[28]
Bengali, the official state language, is the dominant language in Agartala spoken by 90.84% of the population, whileEnglish is also a popular language in the state;Kokborok, another official language, is spoken by 4.05% in the city.Hindi andMeitei are spoken by 2.36% and 0.83%, respectively.[26]
The city mainly consists ofBengalis andTripuris. Bengali is widely spoken in the city as a result of the erstwhile regal patronage and high influx of Bengalis fromComilla,Sylhet,Noakhali, andChittagong districts of Bangladesh.Durga Puja andSaraswati Puja are celebrated with great grandeur and ecstatic enthusiasm, which reflect the influence of the culture of the Bengalis. Hence, nearly every festivity attracts participation from citizens of diverse backgrounds.[29]
There is also a growing population of Tripuri people in the city. Among the nativeTripuri festivals, the most famous areKharchi, Garia and Ker festivals and Tring. The major areas where the Tripuri live are in the localities of Abhoynagar, Banamalipur, Krishnanagar, Nandannagar and Kunjaban areas who have started to mass migrate to Agartala from other parts of Tripura.[citation needed]
There is also a sizeable population ofMeitei as well asHindi-speakers.[26]
According to the 2011 census, 94.09% of the population isHindu, 4.37%Muslim, 0.99%Christian, and 0.28%Buddhist.[30][31] The remainder of the population includesSikhs,Jains, and other religions; 0.27%.
Aerial view of Agartala, mainly showing the parts ofRamnagar and the Integrated Check Post (ICP) (white landmark). Beyond that point is the Indo-Bangla border showing the territory ofBangladesh (paddy field).
Year
Population
Area
1901
6,415
3 square miles (8 km2)
1911
6,831
3 square miles (8 km2)
1921
7,743
3 square miles (8 km2)
1931
9,580
3 square miles (8 km2)
1941
17,693
3 square miles (8 km2)
1951
42,595
3 square miles (8 km2)
1961
54,878
3 square miles (8 km2)
1971
100,264
3 square miles (8 km2)
1981
132,186
10.94 km2
1991
157,358
15.81 km2
2001
188,540
16.02 km2
2004
367,822
58.84 km2
2011
404,004
58.84 km2
2013
438,408
76.504 km2 (Greater Agartala Planning Area: 512,264 and 92 km2)
Agartala has emerged as one of the fastest-growing cities in the north-eastern region of India today. The city area under the AMC has seen a consistent expansion in recent times with conglomeration of various industries and businesses shaping up. Poverty and literacy still remains a challenge for the governing bodies.[citation needed]
Agartala city consists of manyparas, which means "locality" in Bengali. Each collection of neighbourhoods orpara is usually also a municipal ward or division. There are 49 wards under the municipal corporation jurisdiction.[citation needed]
Agartala Town HallBig Bazaar, ML PlazaUjjayanta Market used to be known as Indira Book market and Tulsibati Market.
Banamalipur is an important business centre and a part of urban Agartala, which falls under the Agartala post office.Dhaleswar is a locality in the state close to Banamalipur, under the east police station and Dhaleswar Post Office.[citation needed]
Pratapgar, Math Chowmuhani, Kashari Patti, and Ker Chowmuhani are some important places in the city. One of the largest banyan trees is located in Ker Chowmuhani. Under that tree lies the Shiv-Kali temple of Ker Chowmuhani. This is one of the most peaceful temples in Agartala. In local languageChowmuhani is an intersection of three or four roads, i.e., a place where a couple of roads are linked up across a particular point; in pure BengaliChowmuhani is called "more".[citation needed]
Kaman Chowmuhani is the most important place and a part of the heart of the city. The name Kaman Chowmuhani is derived from the Bengali wordKaman meaning "Cannon" in English. It so happened when the king of Tripura Dhanya Manikya defeated the soldiers of Husain Shah in battle and forfeited their cannon which was later set up in this place from where its name is derived. The place along with its object is a unique icon of Agartala.[citation needed]
Krishnanagar is one of the most densely populated parts of the city. It encompasses the most visited temples of Agartala like Jagannnatha temple, Laxminarayana temple, Durgabari temple and Alpkhbaba temple. Radha Nagar has a bus stand and it connects buses and other vehicles to the northern part of the state.[citation needed]
Shibnagar is another locality which connects the city toMaharaja Bir Bikram College, the oldest college of the state whereasRamnagar is the most dense locality in Tripura. The rectangular gridiron network of Ramnagar dates from the eras of the Rajas, one of the earliest planned neighbourhood in the city. There are 12 divisions in this area and many clubs which organise Durga puja.Joynagar is another a locality in Agartala which has six lanes. There are four clubs which organise Durga puja. The closest landmark of Joynager is Battala market, one of the important business hubs in the state.[citation needed]
Abhoynagar and Arundhutinagar are two residential areas around the city and are densely populated, (Arundhutinagar) being located 5 km away from the city centre confining therailway station of the capital city.[citation needed]
Gol Bazar (Maharajganj bazar) is the most important business hub as well as the largest market in the state of Tripura. Products are exported to many Indian cities from this zone. The market was established by the king of Tripura before India's independence.[citation needed]
Gurkha Basti is one of the biggest slum areas in the city, a recent campaign has been launched by thestate government to make the city slum free and hence relocation of its residents is underway.Kunjaban is acensus town in west Tripura district, which mainly includes government buildings and localities. The secretariat and the seat of the state government is located in this area. New Capital Complex is located in Kunjaban and is a planned and modern area. The Secretariat and the State Assembly along with the new Governor House is located here.[citation needed]
College Tilla consists of the historicMaharaja Bir Bikram College which was set up by Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya in 1947. It is surrounded by some localities and quarter complexes of many government employees.[citation needed]
MBB Club, Indranagar, Bholagiri and Bhati Abhoynagar are some residential places in the city.[citation needed]
79 Tilla is another important part of Agartala with major offices such as the BSNL Office, electric office, Geological Survey office and Quarters, and the AG Quarters. It is located 2.5 km approx from the heart of the city.[citation needed]
Amtali, Badhar Ghat, College Tilla, Jagaharimura, Lake Chowmuhani, Advisor Chowmuhani, Ganaraj Chowmuhani, Durjoynagar, Bardowali are some important places in the city.[citation needed]
Battala is the commercial area of the city, it is often called Bottala in Bengali and is also known as the electronics market of Agartala. Products are imported from surrounding countries and the cheapest variety of cloths and accessories are found. Battala also has a strong food market and is the second biggest market in Tripura after Gol Bazar.[citation needed]
Melarmath is one of the most important parts of the city and also the electronic business hub centre; the city center market as well as other prominent structures are located here. Melarmath Kali Bari temple is one of the widely known temples of Agartala.[citation needed]
These areas are subdivided into residential blocks, such asBanamalipur which is divided into North Banamalipur, Madhya Banamlipur, South Banamalipur, etc.[citation needed]
From 2004 theAgartala Municipal Council has been further extended, taking 16 villages of Dukli R. D. Block, seven villages of Mohanpur R. D. Block and two villages of Jirania R. D. Block with area of 43 km2 and 178,495 population in addition to the 16 km2 and population of 200,000 in the 2001 census.[32][33]
The city is managed by theAgartala Municipal Corporation (AMC), which divides the city into 49 municipal wards under four zones: North, South, East and Central zones. Each ward has an elected ward representative or municipal councillor. For postal administration the city is divided into postal zones. The complete list of municipal wards and their locations by municipal zones are shown in the table below.[34]
On 1 November 1956, Tripura became aUnion Territory and an Advisory Committee was formed to advise theChief Commissioner. On 15 August 1957, a Territorial Council was formed with 30 elected members and two members nominated by thegovernment of India. On 1 July 1963, the Tripura Territorial Council was dissolved and a Legislative Assembly with the existing members of the Territorial Council was formed. Tripura is governed through aparliamentary system ofrepresentative 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. TheTripura Legislative Assembly consists of elected members and special office bearers that are elected by the members. Assembly meetings are presided over by the speaker, or by the deputy speaker in the case of the speaker's absence. The Assembly isunicameral with 60members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA).[35]Agartala assembly constituency is part ofTripura West.[36] Political clashes between theCommunist Party of India (Marxist) andIndian National Congress have always been common.
After the independence of India in 1947 Tripura was still a princely state. After the death of the last kingMaharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur on 17 May 1947, a Regency Council was formed headed by MaharaniKanchan Prava Devi, for aid of the minor Prince, Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur. The regent signed the merger agreement with the government of India. After the merger Tripura became a Part 'C' state. On reorganisation of the states, effected in November 1956, Tripura became a Union Territory with an Advisory Committee to aid and advise the chief commissioner. Tripura gained its statehood on 21 January 1972 before that but merging with India in 1949 the first chief minister of the state was on 1 July 1963,Sachindra Lal Singh of theIndian National Congress, he was the CM of the state for around 3,046 days. From 5 January 1978 the rule of the Congress came to an end asNripen Chakraborty became the firstcommunist chief minister of Tripura. Later again the communists fell and theINC rose and was in power till 1992, from 1993 againCPI (M) came to power.Manik Sarkar was the CM of the state from 11 March 1998 to March 2018. In2018 Tripura Legislative Assembly election BJP won 36 out of 59 seats, defeating CPI(M) in the process. BJP'sBiplab Kumar Deb was sworn in as the chief minister of Tripura.[citation needed]
Agartala is administered by several government agencies. TheAgartala Municipal Corporation, or AMC, oversees and manages the civic infrastructure of the city which together encompass 49 wards. Each ward elects a councillor to the AMC. Each borough has a committee of councillors, each of whom is elected to represent a ward. By means of the borough committees, the corporation undertakes urban planning and maintains roads, government-aided schools, hospitals, and municipal markets.[citation needed]
Most of the population is employed in the state and central government, and other government owned enterprises.[citation needed]
Agartala City Centre
The consumption patterns of the residents of Agartala have evolved considerably since the expansion of the city and the corresponding rise in population; previously, major consumption took place once a year, duringDurga puja, while during the rest of the year consumption took place largely only for special occasions.[37]
Laxmi Narayan Bari temple in the Palace CompoundUniversal Prayer Hall, Ramakrishna Mission, Agartala
Like in other Indian states, there is mixed religion in Agartala.[39]Hinduism is the dominant religion and there are many temples across the city. The whole city is nestled with tents catering to a variety of themes.Christianity is a widespread faith as well, withChristmas being a very busy time of the year. Agartala is also known for itsTripuri festivals like Kharchi, and Garia Ter.[40]
Plans passed to upgrade the airport building with a new terminal under construction and better facilities and modern equipment along with more apron, expansion of runways, better CAT and navigation system.[42]
National Highway 8 connects Agartala toAssam and the rest of India by road, also known as the lifeline of Tripura. The highways (NH44, NH 44A) connect Agartala withSilchar (317 km),Guwahati (599 km),Shillong (499 km),Dharmanagar (200 km) andAizawl (443 km). A bus service connects it toDhaka (150 km).
Agartala is well connected by road to other parts of Tripura state. National Highway 8 has been extended to the south, thus improving the road connectivity between Agartala and south Tripura. Buses, Jeeps, Trekkers and SUVs are the most common public carriers,[citation needed] and cars and vans are usually used for private hire.[citation needed]The highway passes through hilly terrains, while travelling from the city towards theNorth one can experience the lavishing and lush green Baramura Hill Range,Atharamura Hills and theLongtharai Hills and while moving towards theSouth Debatamura Hills can be seen.
The main mode of public transportation within the city consists of a network ofcycle rickshaws,auto rickshaws and buses. To ease traffic congestion a 2.26 km longflyover is constructed.[43]
Since 2008, Agartala has been connected to other cities in India by theAgartala Railway Station situated at Dukli. The foundation stone for the 119-km Kumarghat-Agartala railway project was laid in 1996 by former prime ministerH. D. Deve Gowda.
Agartala is the second capital city (afterGuwahati, Assam) in thenortheast which is connected to the country's railway network. The railway station is located approximately 5.5 km (2.96 nautical miles) from the heart of the city and a lot of modes of transportation are available to reach the city from the station.[citation needed]
Broad-gauge conversion work in the Lumding-Silchar segment was completed in March 2015. Gauge conversion work up to Agartala was completed by the end of March 2016, and railway traffic between Agartala and Silchar began. During the laying of rail lines from Kumarghat to Agartala, provisions were kept for swiftly converting it to broad gauge. Presently, local trains from Agartala to Dharmanagar and Silchar are functional. Work on express trains connecting Agartala to Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati and Dibrugarh has started. Local railway traffic between Agartala to Sabroom has become functional.[citation needed]
Connecting with Tripura Train Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Janshatabdi, Garib Rath, Duronto, Yuva, AC Trains.A rail link between Agartala andAkhaura in Bangladesh was approved by the government of India in September 2011.[44]IRCON is constructing this 15 km long track that will directly connect northeast India toChittagong international sea port. The TripuraSundari Express and Rajdhani Express are two Super Fast weekly trains connecting Agartala to Anand Vihar Terminal, Delhi. Other trains like Deoghar express (weekly), Kanchanjungha Express to Sealdah runs four days a week, Agartala-Habibganj weekly special train and Bengaluru bound Bi-weekly Humsafar Express connects the city to the states of Assam,West Bengal,Bihar,Jharkhand,Madhya Pradesh,Uttar Pradesh,Odisha,Andhra Pradesh,Tamil Nadu andKarnataka.[citation needed]
Doordarshan (DD) has a television station in Agartala. Akash Tripura is one of the first television channels in Agartala. It is a full-time Agartala-based news channel. Other full-time based channels are PB 24, Headlines Tripura,[45] Akash Tripura, News Vanguard and Focus Tripura etc.
There are other cable channels such as – Hallabol, Sristi Tripura, Sristi Music, Sristi Bangla, Sristi Cinema, CITI, News All India, and Tripura Pratidin, which are not 24 hours channels and are run by Siti and Sristi Cable networks.[46]
There are also KokBorok channels like KokTripura, KhumpuiTV and ChiniKhorangTV Which are currently in service.
Tripura University is Agartala's central university, located in a 10 km range from the city of Agartala. Other universities include the ICFAI University, which was established in 2004 and is ranked 2nd in the Engineering Colleges of India. TheMaharaja Bir Bikram University is known as the only state university within Tripura. The Sikkim Manipal University has been ranked 13th in India's best medical universities by India Today[47] as well as being in the top 10 emerging colleges of India.
Tripura is an important state in the northeast India with regard to sports.Cricket is the most important sport in the state.Football also has an important role.
Agartala has a large base of football followers. UK mini stadium is an important venue for this game.Tripura Football Association organises a football league known as Agartala League every year to popularise the sport in the state.
Swami Vivekananda Stadium – another multi-purpose stadium in the capital city of Tripura in Agartala. Located around 2 km away from the city centre, the stadium has a sitting capacity around 8000 including a grand stand and press gallery. The area of the inner ground is 7350 sqm. It is considered the most highly modernised and the best stadium in northeast India.[51]
College Tilla – Maharaja Bir Bikram College,Tripura University buildings, football ground, international cricket stadium, picturesque lush landscapes and serene natural lakes. It is also a national bird sanctuary.
Ujjayanta Palace – Palace of the Tripura kings also known as Nuyungma inKokborok, was converted to state legislative assembly and now into a museum, situated in the area of Palace Compound. It is a former royal palace in Agartala, and also served as the meeting place of the Tripura Legislative Assembly until 2011. The name Ujjayanta Palace was given by the poetRabindranath Tagore, who visited the state of Tripura many times.[52]Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya was the last king of Tripura and the last king who resided in the Ujjayanta Palace. It has now been transformed into a museum named Ujjayanta Museum and it was inaugurated by Dr.Hamid Ansari, the former vice-president of India
Heritage Park: The most visited of all the parks in the city,[53][better source needed] the most notable features here are the miniature models of various monuments of the state, the Ayurvedic herb-garden and the fountain.[citation needed]
Rabindra Kanan: A park in the vicinity of the Pushpavanta Palace, former Raj Bhavan of Tripura and the Malancha Nivas, this park annually holds the birth anniversary ceremony ofRabindranath Tagore, after whom the park is named. It is near to Heritage Park.
Vivek Uddyan: Adjacent toUjjayanta Palace and Children's Park, this park annually holds the birth anniversary ceremony ofSwami Vivekananda, after whom the park is named
Nehru Park: A stroll or walking park that is decorated in greenery with rivers (no mechanical themed-machinery), close in driving distance from Heritage Park and Rabindra kanan.[54][better source needed]
Children's Park
Albert Ekka Park
Lembucherra Park: The latest addition to Agartala's parks
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