Etymology

The term Mizoram is derived from two

Mizo words-Mizo and ram. 'Mizo' is the name
used to call the native inhabitants and 'Ram'
means 'land'. There is dispute on the term
'zo'. According to one view, 'zo' means
'highland' (or hill) and Mizoram means 'land
of the Mizos'.

History The origin of

the Mizos, like those of many other tribes in

the northeastern India, is shrouded in
mystery. The people living in the Mizo Hills
were generally referred to as the Cucis
or Kukis by their neighboring ethnic groups
which was also a term adopted by the British
writers. The claim that 'The Kukis are the
earliest known residents of the Mizo hills
area,' must be read in this light. The majority
of the tribes classified as "Mizo" today most
likely migrated to their present territories
from the neighboring countries in several
waves, starting around 1500 CE.

Before the British Raj, the various Mizo clans

lived in autonomous villages. The tribal
chiefs enjoyed an eminent position in
the gerontocratic Mizo society. The various
clans and subclans practiced slash-and-burn,
locally called jhum cultivation - a form
of subsistence agriculture. The chiefs were
the absolute rulers of their respective clans'
territories (ram), although they remained
under the nominal political jurisdictions of
the Rajas of Manipur, Tripura and Burma.

Prior to 1895, the year that the British Raj

gained political control over Mizoram, there
were many reports of head-hunting in the
Mizoram area via tribal raids led by the
village chieftains. Head-hunting was a
practice which often involved the ambushing
of a rival tribe, the taking of slaves and the
cutting off of the heads of the defenders.
These heads would sometimes be displayed
at the entrances to the tribal village of the
victors.

Culture
Tripura Society and Culture represents a fine
blend of traditional and contemporary
aspects. The society of Tripura primarily
comprises of a number of tribal groups.
Manipuri and Bengali communities are the
other human groups that are inhabiting the
land of Tripura from a very long time.

Tripura was one of the exclusive

independent units of India even in the days
of British rule. Previously, Tripura was under
the dominion of the famous Manikya Empire.
In fact, the rulers of Manikya Dynasty
governed Tripura fro a considerable period
of time. It was only in the year 1972 that
Tripura had been recognized as one of the
Indian states.
The cultural domain of Tripura is rich with a
wide gamut of various multi-dimensional
features. Festivals, folk dance and music are
the prime elements of the Tripura culture.
Being one of the oldest places of India,
surrounded by hilly terrains, Tripura boasts
of a number of folk dances. Each and every
tribe of Tripura has its own line of dance and
music tradition.
The social structure of Tripura shows a
harmonious co-existence of various tribal
communities and other general human
groups. There are various marriage customs
and property inheritance system that
showcases the inherent traits of the society
of Tripura. Bengali speaking people are
known to constitute a major portion of the
total population of Tripura. There are
Manipuri communities too that are living in
the land of Tripura from ancient ages.

Geography
Tripura is a landlocked state in North East
India, where the seven contiguous
states – Arunachal
Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizo
ram, Nagaland and Tripura – are
collectively known as the Seven Sister
States. Spread over
10,491.69 km2 (4,050.86 sq mi), Tripura is
the third-smallest among the 28 states in
the country, behind Goa and Sikkim. It
extends from 22°56'N to 24°32'N, and
91°09'E to 92°20'E.

Its maximum extent measures about 178 km

(111 mi) from north to south, and 131 km
(81 mi) east to west. Tripura is bordered by
the country of Bangladesh to the west, north
and south; and the Indian states of Assam to
the north east; and Mizoram to the east. It is
accessible by national highways passing
through the Karim Ganj district of Assam
and Mamit district of Mizoram.

Climate
The state has a tropical savanna climate,
designated Aw under the Köppen climate
classification. The undulating topography
leads to local variations, particularly in the
hill ranges.

The four main seasons are winter, from

December to February; pre-monsoon or
summer, from March to April; monsoon, from
May to September; and post-monsoon, from
October to November.
During the monsoon season, the south west
monsoon brings heavy rains, which cause
frequent floods. The average annual rainfall
between 1995 and 2006 ranged from 1,979.6
to 2,745.9 mm (77.94 to 108.11 in).

During winter, temperatures range from 13

to 27 °C (55 to 81 °F), while in the summer
they fall between 24 and 36 °C (75 and 97 °F).
According to a United Nations Development
Programme report, the state lies in "very
high damage risk" zone from wind and
cyclones.

Average Minimum and Maximum temperature in Agartala

(Tripura)
Flora and Fauna
Two-thirds of the state is forested
where different species of trees,
orchids, birds and wildlife are
found. There are four sanctuaries
in the state namely, Rowa wildlife
sanctuary, Sepahijala wildlife sanctuary,
Trishna wildlife sanctuary and Gumti
wildlife sanctuary.

Rowa wildlife sanctuary is situated in the

north of the district. It is a small wildlife
sanctuary covering an area of 85'85 hectares.
This sanctuary is easily accessible to the
tourists from all around the world.

Rowa Wildlife Sanctuary

 The moist, deciduous forest is the habitat of
different species of primates like Rhesus
macaque, Pigtailed macaque, Capped langur,
Spectacled monkey, Slow loris and several
other wild animals like Leopard, Clouded
leopard, Jungle fowl, Civets, Barking Deer,
Wild pig, etc.

Rhesus macaque
Capped Langur

Pigtailed macaque
Spectacled Monkey

Slow Loris

Clouded Leopard
Civets Jungle Fowl

Barking Deer
Wild Pig
The range of floral diversity for a small state
like Tripura appears significant from the fact
the nearly 1463 of the 17,000 species or
8.6% Angiosperms (Flowering plants)
known from India is recorded in Tripura
(0.3% land of India). A total of 1546 species
other than Bacteria, Fungi, Mosses, etc.)
belonging to 862 genera and 192 families of
Flora have been recorded (Deb, 1981, 1983)
of which 86% are widely distributed in India
and adjoining countries.
Sl. No. Name of the Species Family Distribution
1. Begonia surculigera Beginiaceae Unokoti
2. Colona flagrocarpa Tiliaceae Sakhan, Tlangsang
3. Rubiaceae Kumarghat, sipaijala
4. Torenia mucronulata Scrophulariaceae Ghorakappa
5. Tournefortia roxburghii Scrophulariaceae Sabroom
6. Jasminum listeri Oleaceae Jampui ranges
7. Wallichia caryotoides Arecaceae Baramura and Atharamura
ranges
8. Cycas pectinata Cycadaceae Baramura range
9. Podocarpus neriifolius Podocarpaceae Lalijuri
10. Gnetum montanum Gnetaceae Teliamura
11. Gnetum oblongum Gnetaceae Silachari
12. Mangifera sylvatica Anacardiaceae Telimura and Ambasha
13. Dischidia benghalensis Asclepiadaceae Tripura
14. Dischidia nummularia Asclepiadaceae Tripura
15. Dischidia major Asclepiadaceae Tripura
 Begonia surculigera Colona flagrocarpa

Ophiorrhiza viillosa

Tourist Destinations in
Tripura
1. Agartala

The capital of Tripura is located very close to

Bangladesh. Agartala is a legendary place
very rich in flora and fauna. The town gained
a lot of importance when Maharaja Krishna
Manikya set up his capital here in the 19th
century. It is the commercial center of the
entire state.
Agartala has some of the greatest tourist
attractions in Tripura which are Kunjaban
Palace, Puratan Agartala, Umamaheshwar
temple, Jagannath temple, Ravindra Kanan
and Buddha Mandir.

Agartala
2. Deotamura
It is a sacred place of Tripura due to the
presence of rock-cut sculptures which are
besides the river Gomati. Deotamura literally
means "God's peak" and also called
Devtamura. It is popular amongst the
 devotees for there are a lot of hills here
which are wonderfully carved with images
and are known as chabimura. It dates back to
15th and 16th century AD.

Deotamura

3. Kumarghat
Known for its extensive cultivation of pineapple,
Kumarghat is one of the top tourist destinations in
Tripura due to the presence of a good number of tourism
spots here. It is at a distance of around 140 kms away
from Agartala. Sightseeing places in Kumarghat are
Ujjavanta Palace, Neermahal, Venuban Vihar and Kamala
Sagar.