Durga Pooja is the most celebrated festival in Tripura, as well as in Bengal and other eastern states. There is a state holiday, and Durga Pooja pandals spring up everywhere in the city, especially in the villages surrounded by paddy fields and rubber plantations. Each pandal is beautifully decorated, with its own unique idol of Goddess Durga—fearsome on her lion, trident in hand, vanquishing the demon Mahishasura. It is truly a sight to behold, and I ventured out into the streets of Agartala to explore this grand festival of the East.

Everyone dresses up in new clothes; women step out adorned with makeup and ornaments. By evening, the streets begin to bustle with traffic as people head out to join the festivities. We drove through Pooja processions, and at one point, I even stopped to enjoy a band playing drums and singing folk songs.

Fortunately, my driver took me along a tea garden and then through a rubber plantation. Agartala is a curious mix of village and farm life, blended with the energy of a bustling city—malls, fast foreign cars, American fast food outlets, and luxury hotels—all coexisting with the old-world charm. In Tripura, one can taste both the new age and tradition side by side.

Durga Pooja

I also walked through a farm full of rubber trees, all the while munching on a bittersweet local fruit. This was a unique experience. My driver, Babul, suggested that we drive down to the Bangladesh border, which was nearby. We did, and I loved it. The landscape opened into vast, green farmland with banana leaves and paddy fields. A barbed-wire fence stretched endlessly in both directions, as far as the eye could see. The whole land was wet and lush green, with a few huts visible in the distance. I was told that was the first village of Bangladesh, staring back at us through the fences.

It was fun to wander randomly around the city. I think that’s the best way to truly feel a place and soak in its culture.