Tripura, the erstwhile princely state, nestles in the sub-tropical deciduous forest and sub-montane region of north-eastern India stemming from the splendour of its natural setting and its dazzling heritage. Criss-crossed by six principal hill ranges none punctuating the skies, this land of fourteen gods is buttressed by a number of rivers and rivulets for which the place got its name : tui (water) and pra (near). The verdant expenses and rich forest lands have been the central concern to people down the centuries to enjoy the plethora of delightful attractions in its cavalcade of historic palaces, rock-cut carvings, stone sculptures, Hindu and Buddhist shrines, wildlife sanctuaries and colourful tribal people of immense variability who blend in to the hills and valleys inhabiting the villages that are a tapestry of rich ethnic traditions.
The reality all these reflected duality of mind since many of them do not live in the present. A confiderable population today lives in the past and dream of a future. Possibly influx of heterogenous population may have been mending the values that the people have nurtured so far.
The state with its unique physical landscape and varied human surface forms a tribal mosaic of immense hospitality in the lush green cover sitting in the lap of Bangladesh, a country lying adjacent as a friendly neighbour. With the only attachment of head and neck with adjoining states of Assam and Mizoram it encompasses a host of colourful tribal people who have carved out a special position in the whole of the northeast due to their traditional cultural affiliation and their social commitment in the culturally rooted traditional customs, culture and heritage. |