The culture and way life of the people - Tripura valley

Madugundu Krishna September 26, 2012

Tripura with its five low ranges running from north to south has about 60 per cent of its area covered with forests. The tribal people with their shifting cultivation have adhered to the hilly regions while the valley has been population by the Bengails. In the 13 th century AD king Ratna Manikya settled 10,000 Bengalis of various professions in Tripura, while one of his successors, a couple of centuries later, made Bengali the court language. Surrounded by pre –partition Bengal, the culture and way of life of the people of the valley have been akin to those of any Bengali village and the tribal people in spite of their own dialects, dances and attire were closer to the people of Bengal.

Special schemes were undertaken to bring the tribal people on to permanent cultivation.

The British Indian railway system went round the state of Tripura and ended just outside its boundary. A few aerodromes at Agartala and some sub –divisional towns were also just at the border. One of the first tasks of the new administration was to construct a road across the state connecting Cachar district in Assam. This they did very fast but bridge of the large river took time. In another decade the railway system was also extended to he easternmost town of Dharmanagar. An internal network of roads was also taken up and every part of Tripura is now connected by roads.