Neermahal or the Water Palace, the honor of Tripura and a proud gorgeous palace is standing on the marshy island of Lake Rudrasagar. To admire its beauty, one need not enter the palace but the milky white building with a red-colored base that looks amazing even from the other side. Neermahal was built by the British as a summer palace of the Tripura royals of the princely state of Tripura. The last ruler Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya commissioned it to the British company ‘British Company Martin & Burn Co’ to design and build Neermahal Palace. It is a nine-year project that started in 1921 and the king got his summer palace in 1930.
It is a fusion of Hindu and Mughal architecture. The minarets and domes are inspired by Mughal Architectures and the balconies, inner courtyards and rooms show Hindu architecture. The enormity will be realized when we saw the open courtyards, spiral staircases, spacious terrace and the gardens. The palace is divided into two parts: Andar Mahal, western side especially for the Royal Family and the eastern side is an open-air theatre for drama, dance and other cultural activities to take part. The palace contains 24 rooms. Inside the palace is a Boat Ghat, where the Royal family arrives. During Kings Reign the boat comes to this point but now during summer water is dried up almost. Every year in the month of August “Neermahal festival” will be conducted by the locals and Cultural Programs takes place every evening. Boat race and swimming competition is also a part of the festival.
The Manikya dynasty ruled Tripura from 1463 to 1949 till its union with India. It is located at a distance of 53 Km from the capital of Tripura, Agartala and 25 Km from Udaipur. A boat facility is available to reach the palace. In the past 50 years due to human activities around the lake, more than 40% of the lake has shrunk. Due to the increased number of tourists, 12 families in 1930 around the lake have been increased to 200,000 people and is the main reason for Lake Shrinkage.
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