Iconic Tripura Palace to be Turned into Museum Celebrating Royal History
The century-old iconic Pushpabanta Palace, built by an erstwhile Maharaja of Tripura, is being developed as a national-level museum and cultural centre.
Nestled on a small hillock in the capital city, the old heritage structure was built in 1917 by Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya, who himself was a painter and used the picturesque palatial home as a studio. It also doubled up as a guest house of the Manikya kings.
After the princely state merged with the Indian union in 1949, the 4.31-acre palace was converted into the chief commissioner's bungalow and then the Raj Bhavan till 2018. The Raj Bhavan was finally shifted to a new building in 2018.
State Tourism Minister Pranajit Sinha Roy said that Rs. 40.13 crore was sanctioned to develop the heritage structure as Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya Museum and Cultural Centre.
He said that it would showcase the rich heritage of all the northeastern states, Southeast Asian fine arts and contemporary photography, along with national and international archives.