The Ujjayanta Palace is a former royal palace situated in
Agartala, the capital of the Indian state of
Tripura, and also served the meeting place of the Tripura Legislative Assembly until 2011. Ujjayanta Palace is a tourist attraction of Agartala, and tours are conducted by the Tripura Tourism Department. The name Ujjayanta Palace was given by Rabindranath Tagore.
History:
Ujjayanta Palace was built by Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya during 1899–1901 at a cost of 10 lakh (1 million) rupees despite financial constraints.The earlier royal palace of the Kingdom of Tripura was located 10 km (6 mi) away from Agartala. However, as a result of a devastating earthquake in 1897, the palace was destroyed and later rebuilt as Ujjayanta Palace in the heart of Agartala city.
The project of a million rupee started on 1899 & was constructed by Martin & Burn Company and continued for 2 years when it finally came to a conclusion & established on 1901.Upon the merger of the Kingdom of Tripura with
India in 1949, royal properties were nationalised. Ujjayanta Palace remained unoccupied for some time before beginning its current role as the State Legislative Building.
Design:
Ujjayanta Palace compound covers an area of approximately one km². The main block covers 800 acres (3.2 sq km), comprising public halls such as the Throne room, the Durbar hall, Library and the Reception hall. The Neoclassical palace was designed by Sir Alexander Martin of Messrs Martin & Co. The Chinese Room is particularly notable, the ceiling of which was crafted by artisans brought from
China. The palace has a mixed type of architecture, the two-storied palace has three large domes, the largest of which is 86 ft (26 m) high from the ground, and which rests atop a four-storied central tower.
The palace has tiled floors and carved front doors. Newer attractions are the musical fountain installed in front of the main entrance, and the night-time floodlights. The grounds are laid out as formal Mughal gardens adorned with fountains. There are two large artificial ponds on either side of the garden which is decorated with poools and fountains.Several Hindu temples occupy plots adjacent to Ujjayanta Palace, dedicated to Lakshmi Narayan, Uma-Maheshwari, Kali and Jagannath.
