Ujjayanta Palace
The grand royal palace of the Manikya kings, now the state museum
Dominating the centre of Agartala, Ujjayanta Palace is the former royal residence of the Manikya dynasty, built between 1899 and 1901 by Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya — the name itself said to have been suggested by Tripura's famous friend, the poet Rabindranath Tagore. It is a vast two-storey mansion in the Indo-Saracenic style, with tiled Mughal-style domes, a Roman-columned facade and beautifully tiled floors.
Set in landscaped Mughal gardens with musical fountains and ornamental pools, the palace was the seat of Tripura's rulers until the state merged with India in 1949 and later served as the state legislative assembly. Since 2013 it has housed the Tripura State Museum, one of the finest in the Northeast.
The museum's galleries showcase the culture, crafts, tribes, lifestyle and history of Tripura and the wider Northeast, from tribal textiles and musical instruments to coins and sculpture. In the evening the floodlit palace and its fountains are a favourite gathering place for the people of Agartala.
What to see & do
- The Indo-Saracenic facade, domes and tiled interiors
- The Tripura State Museum galleries on Northeast culture and history
- The Mughal gardens, pools and evening musical-fountain show
- The temples of Uma-Maheshwar, Jagannath and others around the grounds
Getting to Ujjayanta Palace
| How to reach | In the centre of Agartala, minutes from the airport and railway. No permit for Tripura. |
| Best time | Year-round; October to March is most pleasant. Evenings for the illuminated palace. |
| Timings | Museum open daytime, usually closed on Mondays. |
| Entry | A small museum ticket; the gardens are free. |
| Good to know | See the museum by day and return after dark for the floodlit facade and fountains. |
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