Neer Mahal is one of the well known sights of Tripura. It looks like a fairy tale palace jutting out in the middle of a lake and I decided to go and see it as I was in Agartala. It is about 50 kms. from the city.
Known as ‘lake palace’ of Tripura, Neer-Mahal was constructed as a summer residence by Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Bahadur – his idea was to build a palace in the beautiful Rudrasagar lake and in 1921 he asked the British company Martin and Burns to construct the palace for him. The company took nine years to complete the work. Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Bahadur belonged to the Manikya dynasty.
We arrived at the boat jetty – a large building – what do they do on the first and second floors? The ticket office was small, run down and the man selling them lazy! He made us wait and then sold them fast. The boat itself was nothing unusual. It’s a ten minute ride to the palace.
The lake regrettably is full of the dreaded water hyacinth which is killing it the lake. I think, from what I could see, about 65-70% is full of water hyacinths. I was told that the local authority is trying to remove them but I saw no labour there on a week day. The lake has lots of birds – a veritable birding habitat. 
The path up to the palace is terrible. What happens if it rains? The boat was full of local tourists and many children. We paid a small fee for entry.
This is my Trip advisor review.
Start with the ticket office which is in a tall strange building. It’s run down and we wait till they get the required numbers for the ride. If you wish to use the toilet, it’s across the car park in the filthiest place possible.
The boat ride takes ten minutes. The route to the palace is demarcated by thin bamboo poles as water hyacinths are killing the lake. You can see them up-to far in the distance. The local authorities should use these to create bio gas as done elsewhere.
The path to the palace is muddy and sandy. There are three coconut sellers there and a lot of garbage just beyond the entrance steps.
The path to the palace is muddy and sandy. There are three coconut sellers there and a lot of garbage just beyond the entrance steps.
I saw an Omni at the back of the palace near the coconut sellers. If the palace is in the middle of a lake, have they built a road at the back ?? How did the car get there?
On the return, the boatman was late by ten minutes : if we pax are late, we are fined. He did not even apologise when I told him that he had kept the 25+ pax waiting in the hot sun for ten minutes.
The steps from the main building to waterfront have high risers which makes it difficult for the elderly.
In short, it’s a one hour trip in total. The palace is worth seeing from the outside. It’s memorable. I wish they had a circular boat ride of the palace”.
From Wikipedia, I learnt that the palace is divided into two parts. The western side of the palace is known as Andar Mahal. It was made for the royal family. The eastern side is an open-air theatre where drama, theatre, dance and other cultural events were organized for the enjoyment of Maharajas and their royal families. The palace has 24 rooms in total. Neer-Mahal has two stairways inside leading down to a landing on the water of Rudrasagar Lake. Maharajas used to go to the palace by boat from ‘Rajghat’.
In Agartala, at the Heritage Park, they have models of various important buildings. It’s here that you actually see the whole palace in its entirety.... when you visit it by boat, you are in a fixed location – even if walking one end to another. This mini version at the park allows you to see it at a glance and puts the whole palace in its perspective. Very beautifully thought out. Well worth a visit if you have time to spare.
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