Ujjayanta Palace

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ujjayanta Palace front facade

Ujjayanta Palace from an angle

Aerial view of Ujjayanta Palace, showing the two artificial lakes

Ujjayanta Palace (Bengali: উজ্জয়ন্ত প্রাসাদ, Ujjoyonto Prashad) is a former royal palace situated in Agartala, the capital of the Indian state of Tripura, and currently serves as the meeting place of the Tripura Legislative Assembly. Ujjayanta Palace is a tourist attraction of Agartala, and tours are conducted by the Tripura Tourism Department.

1 History
2 Design
3 See also
4 References

[edit] History

Ujjayanta Palace was built by Maharaja Radhakishore Manikya during 1899–1901^[1] at a cost of 10 lakh (1 million) rupees^[2] despite financial constraints.^[3] 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.^[2]

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. it was on of the most beutifull palace in indai,

[edit] Design

Ujjayanta Palace compound covers an area of approximately one sq km.^{[citation needed]} The main block covers 800 acres (3.2 km²), comprising public halls such as the Throne room, the Durbar hall, Library and the Reception hall.^[4] The Neoclassical palace was designed by Sir Alexander Martin of Messrs Martin & Co.^[4] The Chinese Room is particularly notable, the ceiling of which was crafted by artisans brought from China.^[5] The two-storied^[6] palace has three large domes, the largest of which is 86 ft (26 m) high from the ground,^[7] 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.^[2] There are two large artificial ponds on either side of the garden.