Neer Mahal was my second stop in Tripura. I reached Melaghar from Kamala sagar. After Lunch and some rest, I went to the famed Neer Mahal. I wanted to hire a country boat for myself but it was not available, hence went on a motor boat on a seat basis (INR 30). The palace lived up to its reputation. Made in the traditional Tripura style architecture, in red and white, it spreads majestically in the middle of Rudrasagar lake. Since this palace was made as a summer resort by Maharaja Bir Bikram Radhakishore Manikya, it has dancing rooms, guest rooms, a ghat for boats(yes, you read it right, one could descend into a boat from inside the palace!), garden, an amphitheatre and a hawamahal. The palace is lit up briefly after sunset for about an hour, but the light and sound show does not happen anymore. I had read earlier blogs about boating in the lake at night to see the illuminated palace, but that is not relevant anymore. So one can even plan a day trip to Neermahal from Agartala.
I stayed at Sagar Mahal tourist lodge for two days and went to Neermahal once again in a privately hired country boat- it's an experience to remember, the silent splashing of water against the oars, the gliding boat, water snakes, floating water hyacinth creating patterns on water and the setting sun painting the sky and lake in magical colours...and the conversation with the boatman to top it all….
Reaching there:
Neermahal is around 50 km from Agartala, so one can plan a day trip from Agartala. You can hire a car or take a bus or shared jeep or Tata Magic to Melaghar. These are available from the Nagerjala bus stand in Agartala.
Since I was travelling from Kamalasagar, I took a shared jeep (INR 20) to the T junction of road from Kamalasagar and national highway (Rastar matha in local language) and then took a bus to Melaghar. The Sagar Mahal tourist lodge is around 1.5 km from the main road. You can walk or take a shared auto / cycle rickshaw for INR 10.
Accommodation: There is a tourist lodge run by Tripura state tourism, Sagar Mahal tourist lodge, overlooking the lake. I did not see any other hotels in the market.
Tips: Neermahal is a nuisance on weekends as local educational institutes and offices come here for a picnic and their whole idea is to play cheap, irritating music loudly (and this is played in the bus while the groups are away)
Pictures of Neermahal:
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| Night view of Neermahal |
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| Sunset on Rudra Sagar |
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| The boatman with Neer Mahal in the background |
