Tripura

FIGURES AND FACTS OF TRIPURA :

Area:4051 sq.m,
Capital:Agarthal,
Largest city:Agarthal,
Population:3,191,168(21st),
Density:787/sq.m,
Districts:4,
Languages:Bengali,Kokborok(Tripuri).

HISTORY OF TRIPURA :

Tripura finds mention in the Mahabharata, the Puranas and pillar inscriptions of Emperor Ashoka. Tripura was a princely state before its merger with the Indian Union. The Tripuri Kings (Habugra) held the title of Manikya and ruled Tripura for 3000 years until its merger. Udaipur, in South Tripura district, was the capital of the Kingdom. The capital was shifted to Old Agartala by King Krishna Manikya in the eighteenth century, and then to the present Agartala in the 19th Century. The 19th century marked the beginning of Tripura's modern era, when King Bir Chandra Manikya Bahadur Debbarma modeled his administration on the pattern of British India and enacted various reforms.The Ganamukti Parishad movement led to the integration of the kingdom with India in 1949.
Tripura was heavily affected by the partition of India and the majority of the population now comprises Hindu Bengalis, many of whom came as refugees from East Pakistan after independence in 1947. Tripura became a centrally administered Union Territory on July 1, 1963 and attained the status of a full-fledged state on January 21, 1972.Armed conflict in Tripura has been a problem since the end of the 1970s as an aftermath of 1971 Indo-Pak war.
Mass migration of Bengalis from Bangladesh during this time has resulted in wide-spread insurgency and militancy in the state with groups such as the Tripura National Volunteers, the National Liberation Front of Tripura and the All Tripura Tiger Force aiming to drive away the Bengali people.GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE :Tripura is a landlocked hilly state in northeastern India with altitudes varying from 50 to 3080 ft above sea level, though the majority of the population lives in the plains. Tripura has a tropical climate and receives rainfall during the monsoons. It is surrounded on the north, west, and south by Bangladesh and is accessible to the rest of India through the Cachar district of Assam and Aizawl district of Mizoram in the east.
The state extends between 22°56'N and 24°32'N and 90°09'E and 92°10'E. Its maximum stretch measures about 184 km from north to south and 113 km from east to west with an area of 10,492 km².Tripura is the third smallest state of the country. Although landlocked, Tripura has many rivers including the Manu River which originates here.ECONOMY OF TRIPURA :Tripura's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $2.1 billion in current prices. Agriculture and allied activities is the mainstay of the people of Tripura and provides employment to about 64% of the population. There is a preponderance of food crop cultivation over cash crop cultivation in Tripura.
At present about 62% of the net sown area is under food crop cultivation. Paddy is the principal crop, followed by oilseed, pulses, potato and sugarcane. Tea and rubber are the important cash crops of the State. Tripura has been declared the Second Rubber Capital of India after Kerala by the Indian Rubber Board. Handicraft, particularly hand-woven cotton fabic, wood carvings and bamboo products, are also important. The per capita income at current prices of the state stands at INRs 10,931 and at constant prices Rs 6,813 in the financial year 2000-2001.Some quality timber like Sal, Garjan, Teak and Gamar are found abundantly in the forests of Tripura. Tripura has poor mineral resources, with meagre deposits of kaolin, iron ore, limestone, coal and natural gas. The industrial sector of the state continues to be highly underdeveloped.

TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION :

Tripura is connected with the rest of the country through Assam by narrow gauge railway line extending to Lumding and Silchar. The main railways stations are in the northern towns of Dharmanagar and Kumarghat. National Highway 44 connects it to Assam and the rest of India.Agartala Airport, which has flights to Kolkata, Guwahati, Bangalore , Chennai and Silchar, is the main airport of the state.Most of the major Telecommunications companies of India are present in the state, with the state capital and regions of the state being served by Airtel, Aircel, Reliance and BSNL landline, mobile and broadband networks.

CULTURE OF TRIPURA :

Tripura has several diverse ethno-linguistic groups, which has given rise to a composite culture. The dominant culture is Bengali, while minority cultures are those of the Tripuris,Jamatia, Reang, Noatia, Koloi, Murasing, Chakma, Halam, Garo, Kuki, Lushai, Mogh, Munda, Oraon, Santhal and Uchoi.Tripura has a rich cultural heritage of music, fine arts, handicrafts and dance. Music is an integral part of the tribal people of Tripura. Some of their indigenous instruments are the sarinda, chongpreng and sumui (a kind of flute). Songs are sung during religious occasions, marriages and other festivals. Agricultural festivals are integral to the culture of the state.Dance is important to the tribal way of life. Dances are performed during Goria Puja. Hojagiri dance is performed by standing on a pitcher and is performed by the Reang clans. The Bihu dance is performed by the Chakmas during Chaitra Sankranti (the last day of the month of Chaitra).

FLORA AND FOUNA:

The state is located in the bio-geographic zone of 9B-North-East Hills and possesses an extremely rich bio-diversity. The local flora and faunal components of Indo-Malayan and Indo-Chinese sub-regions.There are 379 species of trees, 320 shrubs, 581 herbs, 165 climbers, 16-climbing shrubs, 35 ferns and 45 epiphytes. Wildlife sanctuaries of the state include Sipahijola Wildlife Sanctuary and Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary.SPORTS :Football and cricket are the most popular sports in the state. The state capital Agartala has its own club football championships every year where many local clubs compete in a league and knockout format.Tripura participates as a Eastern state team in the Ranji Trophy, the Indian domestic Cricket competition. The state also is a regular participant of the Indian National Games and the North Eastern Games.