Tale of a town, two lakes and a zoo, Tripura- Part Two, Wanderings in a dusty city

Exploring Agartala can either be a half day task or a week endeavour, depending on what one seeks.

If one seeks larger than life monuments and spectacular sceneries, then Agartala has none. Barring the not-so-imposing Ujjayanta Palace, nothing even comes close. But if one has modest ambitions (and sometimes having them is a virtue, especially when seeing new places, seeking newer vistas), then Agartala may absorb you for days to come.

Take for example roaming endlessly in the busy thoroughfares of the city, without much of an aim, eating at a roadside joint at a dirt cheap price and talking to a Bangladeshi rickshawallahs who crosses the border everyday to earn a living. It's indeed a relish to find a place where a rupee is called a taka. It's indeed a relish to visit the foreign goods market in the city, flooded by cheap Chinese imports- all smuggled from Bangladeshi side and sold at a dirt cheap price and see a casual approach of shopkeepers to sell their stuffs as against the aggressive styles of a Delhi merchant.

But when it comes to serious touring of the city, start with Purbasha and you would find reasons enough to come again and to end your Tripura visit with Purbasha. It is a hand-loom store managed by the Tripura Government, where you get wonderful things at prices that might make you blink in disbelief. I almost spent my entire money in the store and feel elated when somebody comes to my house and asks me where I purchased the bamboo lamp, the bamboo wall hangings and beautiful bed covers from. You can get all these from Purbasha's branch in Delhi or Calcutta, but the price differential may be a bit too much to digest. Remember, around Durga Puja these people give a whopping 25 percent discount, so just in case you can schedule your visit around that period, you are in for a even pleasant surprise.

Near Purbasha is another small little place worth visiting and spending time. The Maharaja Bir Bikram College is known not only for its educational standards in the region but also for its idyllic setting. It is situated on a verdant hillock besides a lake in the eastern part of the city. There is a good sports stadium, a good library and a wonderful cafeteria, even though a tad mis-managed. This is a place where you can see young couples hanging around and the usual energy levels of youth. The College was made by Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya and the sheer setting of the place makes it a must visit, though not on usual tourist circuit.

Then there is the beautiful Ujjayanta Palace, which stands elegantly in the heart of the city. It has been converted into the legislative assembly for the state. And to me it is an under-usage of the building that exudes grandeur. It should have been first and foremost a tourist place. But you need special permission to visit the place. Though, if the assembly is not in session, you can coax a guard to let you see the place without that special permission... tell him you are a tourist and might be flying out in a day or two, usually they oblige. The palace was built by Radha Kishore Manikya Bahadur in 1901. It has a beautiful Mughal styled garden with a musical fountain and wonderful tiles, probably of Chinese origin procured from Burma.

Then nearby is the government museum, not very big or even well-managed and yet worth visiting. It has a good collection of terracotta images, archeological findings from in and around the place, "kantha" art works. And if one doesn’t try to find the grandeur of an cosmopolitan museum in it, the place is a wonderful peep through the Bengali and Tripuri culture.

Then there is the famous Kunjaban Palace, nowadays the official residence of Tripura's Governor. This beautiful building was constructed by Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya Bahadur as his private retreat. It is famous for its association with Rabindra Nath Thakur. I couldn’t visit the place, so I believe that this place is out of bounds.

Then there is a Chaturdash Devata Badi or the house of fourteen deity, people tell me that it is a beautiful place. Again I couldn’t visit the place.

Once exhausted with the city, I hit for even pleasant place in the hinterlands of Tripura.