AGTL Railway Station Information and Trains for AGTL
Agartala is being developed under the Smart Cities Mission, a flagship scheme of the Government of India.
Agartala is India's third international internet gateway after the ones in Mumbai and Chennai.
Agartala is a derivative of two words, namely ''Agarwood'', a valuable perfume and incense tree of genus Aquilaria, and the suffix ''Tala'', meaning ''underneath,'' a reference to the density of Agarwood trees in the region. The Agar tree is historically referred to in the story of the King Raghu who tied up his elephant's feet to an Agar tree on the banks of River Lauhitya.
One of the earliest kings of Tripura was Patardan B.C. 1900, long before the Manikya dynasty. According to folklore, Chitrarath, Drikpati, Dharmapha, Loknath Jivandharan were important kings during the time of B.C. in Agartala., one of the most ambitious kings of TripuraIn the past, Tripura served as the capital to several Hinduism kingdoms. Although a timeline of the rulers has not been found, records reveal that the area has been ruled by as many as 179 Hindu rulers, starting from the mythological King Druhya to the last King of Tripura, Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya. Tripura also came under Mughal Empire rule. The state came under the governance of the British in 1808.Much later the ancient capital of the then Princely State 'Swadhin Tripura' was at Rangamati (Udaipur, South Tripura) by the bank of the river Gomati. In 1760 it was shifted by the Maharaja Krishna Chandra Manikya Bahadur (r.1829-1849) of Manikya Dynasty to present old Agartala by the bank of the river Haora River/Saidra and was named 'Haveli'. Due to frequent invasion of the Kuki peoples and also to keep easy communication with the British Bengali, the Maharaja Krishna Chandra Manikya started the process of shifting the capital from Old Haveli to New Haveli (present Agartala) in 1849.
During the British Raj, Agartala was the capital of the 'Hill Tippera' state, it became a municipality in 1874-75, and in 1901 had a population of 9,513. The princely state always remained as cake piece to the British and many other invaders. For example, when Arakhan soldiers attacked the old capital of the state the king of Tripura responded by defeating the entire troop.The Agartala Municipality was established during the reign of Maharaja Bir Chandra Manikya (1862-1896) within an area of having a population of only 875 by a royal proclamation in the last part of 1871. A.W.S. Power, the first British political agent for Tripura (princely state) was also appointed as the Chairman of the Agartala Municipality in 1872 who held office from 1872 to 1873. The municipality located at the crossing of latitude N 23 -50' and longitude E 91-17' covering 3 km2. Area during that period.
Bir Bikram Kishore Debbarman is called the founder of the planned city of Agartala. He had gone for a tour in the United Kingdom and after returning to his kingdom he decided that he would make Agartala in the image of the UK. During the 1940s the town was re-organised in a planned manner with new roads and a market building.
The estimated population of Agartala was 5,22,603 in 2014 after the municipal expansion (189,327 in the 2001 census).
From 1901 to 1971 the city remained in a negligible development progress with only an 8 km2
area but from 1981 Agartala started to expand and increase its connectivity in various fields along with its city area with 58.84 km2, greater Agartala is planned as of 2011 with an additional of 92 km2. Agartala had a different type of history from the earlier times of the epic days as it was a princely state and was connected with Bangladesh. Though the East India Company had not arrived in the princely capital of the state but they always remained in a certain in capturing and ruling. The East India Company had set their base of North East India in the Assam province with Shillong as their capital.
The Nobel laureate Indian (Bengali) poet Rabindranath Tagore
Robindronath Thakur visited the city more than once and also built a house that still exists. The historical book Rajmala contains incidents and historical stories of Agartala.
Agartala is situated on a plain along the Haora River, although the city also extends to the low-lying hills on its northern parts.
Agartala has a monsoon influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification ''Cwa'') just short of being hot enough to qualify as a borderline tropical savanna climate (''Aw'')/tropical monsoon climate (''Am'') climate. Large amounts of rain fall all year except during the dry "winter"
"cool" season. The city experiences long, hot and wet summers, lasting from April to October. Average temperatures are around , fluctuating with rainfall. There is a short, mild winter from mid-November to early March, with mostly dry conditions and average temperatures around . The best time to visit is from September to February. Summers are long and extremely hot with much sunlight and warm days. Rain is very common in this season and the city can be found flooded. The Haora River flows through the city and remains flooded with water during the time of monsoon.
As of the 2011 Indian Census, Agartala had a total population of 404,004, of which 200,132 were males and 199,872 were females. The population within the age range of 0 to 6 year is 35,034. The total number of literates in Agartala was 344,711, which constituted 86.18% of the population with male literacy of 87.53% and female literacy of 84.82%. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population of Agartala was 94.5%, of which male literacy rate was 96.2% and female literacy rate was 92.8%. The sex ratio of Agartala is 999 females per 1,000 males. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are 77,663 and 19,767 respectively.
In 1941 Agartala had a population of 17,693. By 1991 the population had risen to 157,358.Bengali, the official state language, is the dominant language in Agartala while English language is also a popular language in the state; Kokborok is spoken by the Tripuri people. According to the 2011 census, 94.09% of the population is Hindus, 4.37% Muslims, 0.99% Christianity, and 0.28% Buddhism. The remainder of the population includes Sikhs, Jainism, and other religions; 0.27%.
The city mainly consists of Bengali people and Tripuri people. Bengali is widely spoken in the city as a result of the erstwhile regal patronage and high influx of Bengalis from Comilla, Sylhet, Noakhali District, and Chittagong District of Bangladesh. Durga Puja and Saraswati Puja are celebrated with great grandeur and ecstatic enthusiasm, which reflect the influence of the culture of the Bengalis. Hence, nearly every festivity attracts participation from citizens of diverse backgrounds.
There is also a growing population of Tripuri people in the city. Among the native Tripuri culture festivals, the most famous are Kharchi, Garia & Ker festivals and Tring, the Tripuri New year celebrations. The major areas where the Tripuri live are in the localities of Abhoynagar, Banamalipur, Krishnanagar, Nandannagar and Kunjaban areas who have started to mass migrate to Agartala from other parts of Tripura.
Religion in Agartala
On 1 November 1956, Tripura became a Union Territory and an Advisory Committee was formed to advise the Chief Commissioner. On 15 August 1957, a Territorial Council was formed with 30 elected members and two members nominated by the government of India. On 1 July 1963, the Tripura Territorial Council was dissolved and a Legislative Assembly with the existing members of the Territorial Council was formed. Tripura is governed through a parliamentary system of representative democracy, a feature it shares with other Indian states. Universal suffrage is granted to residents. The Tripura government has three branches: executive, legislature and judiciary. The Tripura Legislative Assembly consists of elected members and special office bearers that are elected by the members. Assembly meetings are presided over by the speaker,
by the deputy speaker in the case of the speaker's absence. The Assembly is unicameral with 60 Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA).Agartala assembly constituency is part of Tripura West (Lok Sabha constituency). Political clashes between the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Indian National Congress have always been common.
After the independence of India in 1947 Tripura was still a princely state. After the death of the last king Bir Bikram Kishore Debbarman Manikya Bahadur on 17 May 1947, a Regency Council was formed headed by Maharani Kanchan Prava Devi, for aid of the minor Prince, Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur. The regent signed the merger agreement with the government of India. After the merger Tripura became a Part 'C' state. On reorganisation of the states, effected in November 1956, Tripura became a Union Territory with an Advisory Committee to aid and advise the chief commissioner. Tripura gained its statehood on 21 January 1972 before that but merging with India in 1949 the first chief minister of the state was on 1 July 1963, Sachindra Lal Singh of the Indian National Congress, he was the CM of the state for around 3,046 days. From 5 January 1978 the rule of the congress came to an end as Nripen Chakraborty became the first Communist Party of India (Marxist) chief minister of Tripura. Later again the communists fell and the Indian National Congress rose and was in power till 1992, from 1993 again Communist Party of India (Marxist) came to power and is continuing till now. Manik Sarkar was the CM of the state from 11 March 1998 to March 2018. After that the Communist Party was flown with a massive strike by BJP under the leadership of a stranger of Tripura politics: Biplab Kumar Deb. After 3 March's victory BJP's Biplab Deb was sworn in as the chief minister of Tripura.
Agartala is administered by several government agencies. The Agartala Municipal Corporation,
AMC, oversees and manages the civic infrastructure of the city which together encompass 49 wards. Each ward elects a councillor to the AMC. Each borough has a committee of councillors, each of whom is elected to represent a ward. By means of the borough committees, the corporation undertakes urban planning and maintains roads, government-aided schools, hospitals, and municipal markets.
Most of the population is employed in the state and central government, and other government owned enterprises.The consumption patterns of the residents of Agartala have evolved considerably since the expansion of the city and the corresponding rise in population; previously, major consumption took place once a year, during Durga puja, while during the rest of the year consumption took place largely only for special occasions like marriages and birthdays. Nowadays shopping has become fashionable for everyone in Agartala. The opening of the city centre, malls had increased the demand of purchasing goods to the people here. The buying is decided and the instances of impulse buying are moderately high as compared to the past decades. The city centre is a substitute for a mall, another is the Battala supermarket which is also one of the main hub of markets of Tripura.Brands like Titan Company, Titan Company, Reebok, John Player, Lee (jeans), Adidas, Puma SE, Nike, Inc., Levi's had opened.
Like in other Indian states, there is mixed religion in Agartala. Hinduism is the dominant religion and there are many temples across the city. The whole city is nestled with tents catering to a variety of themes. Christianity is a widespread faith as well, with Christmas being a very busy time of the year. Agartala is also known for its tribal festivals like Kharchi, and Garia Puja.
, Agartala Baptist Church, Arundhutinagar, the oldest church in Agartala, Agartala City Baptist Church, Supari Bagan, Khakotor Baptist Church, Abhoynagar, Hallelujah Baptist Church, Gurkha Basti, Capital Baptist Church, Nandannagar, Palace Baptist Church, Palace Compound, Aguli Baptist Church, TRTC, Noyung Baptist Church, Haradhan Sangha, St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Agartala, Durjoynagar, Don Bosco Catholic Church, Nandannagar, Catholic Church, Mariamnagar, the first Christian community in Tripura, Presbyterian Church, Shyamali Bazaar, Believers Eastern Church, Advisor Chowmuhani, Evangelical Christian Fellowship, Red Cross Building, IGM Hospital Complex, Trinity Worship Center, Rathore Bhawan, North Gate, Palace Compound
Agartala is connected to other cities in India by air via Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport. There are direct flight connections to Kolkata, Imphal, Guwahati, Bangalore and New Delhi. As per AAI report, Agartala airport is the second busiest airport in northeast India after Guwahati airport.The airport is located in Singerbhil 12.5 km (6.7 nautical miles) northwest from the heart of Agartala.The major airlines are Air India, IndiGo, AirAsia India. The airport is under construction to make it an international airport.
Plans passed to upgrade the airport building with better facilities and modern equipment along with more apron, expansion of runways, better CAT and navigation system.
National Highway 8 connects Agartala to Assam and the rest of India by road, also known as the lifeline of Tripura. The highways (NH44, NH 44A) connect Agartala with Silchar (317 km), Guwahati (599 km), Shillong (499 km), Dharmanagar (200 km) and Aizawl (443 km). A bus service connects it to Dhaka (150 km)., National Highway 44 (India) Connected to Tripura to Shillong and Mizoram (NH 44A), National Highway 44A (India) Connected to Tripura to Mizoram
Agartala is well connected by road to other parts of Tripura state. National Highway 44 has been extended to the south, thus improving the road connectivity between Agartala and south Tripura. Buses, Jeeps, Trekkers and SUVs are the most common public carriers, and cars and vans are usually used for private hire.The highway passes through hilly terrains, while travelling from the city towards the North Tripura one can experience the lavishing and lush green Baramura Hill Range, Atharamura and the Longtharai and while moving towards the South Tripura Debatamura Hills can be seen.
The main mode of public transportation within the city consists of a network of cycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws and buses. To ease traffic congestion a 2.26 km long Agartala flyover is under construction.
Since 2008, Agartala has been connected to other cities in India by the Agartala Railway Station. The foundation stone for the 119-km Kumarghat-Agartala railway project was laid in 1996 by former prime minister H. D. Deve Gowda.
Agartala is the second capital city (after Guwahati, Assam) in the Northeast India which is connected to the country's railway network. The railway station is located approximately 5.5 km (2.96 nautical miles) from the heart of the city and a lot of modes of transportation are available to reach the city from the station.
Broad-gauge conversion work in the Lumding-Silchar segment was completed in March 2015. Gauge conversion work up to Agartala was completed by the end of March 2016, and railway traffic between Agartala and Silchar began. During the laying of rail lines from Kumarghat to Agartala, provisions were kept for swiftly converting it to broad gauge. Presently, local trains from Agartala to Dharmanagar and Silchar are functional. Work on express trains connecting Agartala to Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati and Dibrugarh has started. Local railway traffic between Agartala to Sabroom has become functional.Connecting with Tripura Train Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Janshatabdi, Garib Rath, Duronto, Yuva, AC Trains.A rail link between Agartala and Akhaura in Bangladesh was approved by the government of India in September 2011. IRCON is constructing this 15 km long track that will directly connect northeast India to Chittagong port. The TripuraSundari Express and Rajdhani Express are two Super Fast weekly trains connecting Agartala to Anand Vihar Terminal, Delhi. Other trains like Deoghar express (weekly), Kanchanjungha Express to Sealdah runs four days a week, Agartala-Habibganj weekly special train and Bengaluru bound Bi-weekly Humsafar Express connects the city to the states of Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Recently, Jugnoo has started its Operation in Agartala, the cabs and autos can be booked online using their online App.
Doordarshan (DD) has a television station in Agartala. Akash Tripura is one of the first television channels in Agartala. It is a full-time Agartala-based news channel. Other full-time based channels are PB 24, Headlines Tripura, Amar Tripura, News Vanguard and Focus Tripura etc.
There are other cable channels such as Hallabol, T.TV, Sristi Tripura, Sristi music, sristi Bangla, sristi cinema, CITI, News all India, and Tripura pratidin, which are not 24 hours channel and are run by Siti & Sristi Cable networks.
There are also KokBorok channels like KokTripura, KhumpuiTV and ChiniKhorangTV Which are currently in service.
Bengali-language media is dominant in the city. Major news publications are:, ''Dainik Sambad'' (Bengali), ''Syandhan Patrika'' (Bengali), ''Tripura Darpan'' (Bengali), ''Tripura Times'' (English), ''Ajker Fariad'' (Bengali), ''Bartaman'' (Bengali), ''Daily Desher Katha'' (Bengali), ''Sakalbela'' (Bengali), ''Aajkaal'' (Bengali)', ''Tripura Samay'', ''Dainik Ganadoot'' (Bengali), ''Kalamer Shakti'' (Bengali), ''Sandho Tripura'' (Bengali), ''Agartala News'' (Bengali/ English),''NorthEast Colours''(English)
"General Degree Colleges", Maharaja Bir Bikram College, Bir Bikram Memorial College, Women's College, Agartala , Ramthakur College, Holy Cross College, Agartala
"Technical Colleges", Techno India, Agartala, National Institute of Technology, Agartala, Tripura Institute of Technology, College of Agriculture, Tripura
"Medical and Nursing Colleges", Agartala Government Medical College, Tripura Medical College & Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Memorial Teaching Hospital, Agartala
"Other Professional Colleges", Tripura Government Law College
, Umakanta Academy , St Paul's School, Agartala , Holy Cross School, Agartala , Bhavan's Tripura Vidya Mandir, Ramakrishna Mission school, Amtali , Netaji Subhash Vidyaniketan
Tripura is an important state in the northeast India regarding sports, many sports and games are played. Cricket is the most important sport in the state side by side Football in India also has an important role.
There are lots of football fans are present here. UK mini stadium is an important venue for this game. Tripura Football Association organises a football league known as Agartala League every year to popularise the sport in the state.
Tripura has Tripura cricket team which plays under the auspices of the Tripura Cricket Association in the Eastern division of the Ranji Trophy championship, the national first-class cricket competition of India. The most important cricket grounds are Maharaja Bir Bikram College Stadium and Polytechnic Institute Ground, Narsingarh, Tripura. Some other notable grounds are Astabal ground and the Pragati School Cricket ground. Tripura Cricket Association organises Cricket tournaments at the U-13, U-15, U-17 and U-19 levels where clubs affiliated to Tripura Cricket Association compete against each other.
The following are the stadiums in Agartala-:, Maharaja Bir Bikram College Stadium the premier cricket stadium in the city with a capacity of 30,000 persons., Polytechnic Institute Ground- the second cricket stadium in the city with capacity of 15,000 persons., Swami Vivekananda Stadium another multi-purpose stadium in the capital city of Tripura in Agartala. Located around 2 km away from the city centre, the stadium has a sitting capacity around 8000 including a grand stand and press gallery. The area of the inner ground is 7350 sqm. Considered as the most highly moderniser and the best stadium in entire northeast India
, "Heritage Park": The most visited of all the parks in the city, the most notable features here are the miniature models of various monuments of the state, the Ayurvedic herb-garden and the fountain., "Rabindra Kanan": A park in the vicinity of the former Raj Bhavan of Tripura and the Malancha Nivas, this park annually holds the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, after whom the park is named. It is not far from the Heritage Park., "Lembucherra Park": The latest addition to Agartala's parks,Nehru Park,Children's Park
, Tripura State Museum is located at the Ujjayanta Palace., Science Museum, located in Sukanta Academy, Haveli Museum, located in Kashipur