Description :
The Ujjayanta Palace is a former royal palace of the Tripura (princely state) situated in Agartala, the capital of the Indian state of Tripura, and also served as the meeting place of the Tripura Legislative Assembly until 2011 and now a museum. Ujjayanta Palace is a tourist attraction of Agartala, and tours are conducted by the Tripura Tourism Department. The Palace stands on the banks of a small lake surrounded by the lush greenery of Mughal gardens in Agartala, sprawling over 28 hectares of parkland, the exotic palace has several Hindu temples dedicated to Lakshmi Narayan, Uma-Maheshwari, Kali and Jagannath. It is the largest museum in Northeast India covering an area of over 800 acres of land in the capital city, Ujjayanta Palace was the command hub until the erstwhile princely Tripura`s accession to India in October 1949.[1] The museum showcases the lifestyle, arts, culture, tradition and utility crafts, beside the customs and practices of various communities residing in northeast India. The name Ujjayanta Palace was given by Rabindranath Tagore.[2] The Palace was purchased from the royal family by the Tripura government in 1972-73 for Rs. 2.5 million, housed the state legislative assembly till July 2011. It was constructed between 1899 and 1901 by then Tripura king, Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya A controversy has erupted over the state government's proposed move to rename Ujjayanta Palace, erstwhile royal abode of the Manikya kings, to Tripura State Museum. Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra, has written to Vice President Hamid Ansari (who will inaugurate the new museum) protesting against the move, INPT objected to the move saying deletion of the word 'Ujjayanta' is aimed at hurting sentiments of tribal populace of the state. Ujjayanta Palace served as the Tripura state legislative assembly till 2011. The royal family is reported to have spent Rs 1 million despite financial constraints at the time. Martin & Burn Company was assigned to build the palace which was completed in 1901. The government also said it had already decided to build a statue of Maharaj Radha Kishore Manikya at the museum premises. The clarification, it appears, was made to end the ongoing palace controversy.[15] The name of Ujjayanta Palace and the renovated museum would be called Tripura State Museum, Ujjayanta Palace, Agartala, the government also said it had already decided to build a statue of Maharaj Radha Kishore Manikya at the museum premises. The clarification, it appears, was made to end the ongoing palace controversy.