Ambassa - A tete a tete with the city :

Location : Northeastern India, Tripura.

Best time to visit : Post monsoon.

Local Transport : Rickshaws, cars and buses.

Places to see : Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary.

Souvenirs : Cane and bamboo articles, shawls.

Ambassa - The Tale of the city :

Ambassa belongs to the youngest district in the state of Tripurs, Dhalai. This district has a history of having a lot of natural resources. This area was always covered with forests and was a hilly zone. Ambassa is one of the subdivisions of this district. The district of Dhalai was formed in the year 1995. It has an area of 2312.29 sqkm.

Ambassa - Down the Ages :

Today Dhalai is a place which is rich in natural resources and has tremendous picturesque surroundings. Dhalai with its scenic beauty charms the tourist and therefore has fallen into the tourism sector. Rice, pineapple and jute are grown here. Ambassa in Dhalai district is also a part of a region which has the North Eastern Regional Agriculture Marketing Corporation Ltd. Or the Neramac which is at Nalkata. Incense sticks are very famous here. Predominantly tribals, the inhabitants here are found to live in houses built on platforms. They are reached by a ladder. Ambassa too has immigrants from other countries like India and Bangladesh. The tribals thus form the minority in the state. People here today speak Bengali and Tripuri or Manipuri. The tribals are the chakmas, halams, usais, reang, tripuri and the darlong.

Ambassa - A Rendezvous :

Ambassa, the Dhalai land, is the headquarters of the Dhalai district. Someone coming to Dhalai would realize that there are no railway stations to access this place. NH 44 connects it and Ambassa is around 3 hours from the capital city of Agartala. The construction process is going on for a new railway line here. Belonging to the princely state of Tripura, this place has a temperate climate and is best to see after the monsoons. The cultural heritage here is an amalgamation of tribal crafts, culture with a lot of dancing and music. This land is a mystical land and showcases the culture of a lot of ethnic groups living together.

Ambassa - Travel kitty :

One who comes to Ambassa would certainly look forward to the travel kitty that would be available here. The travel kitty of a place depends on what it offers and in case of Ambassa, it offers a lot of scenic beauty. Taking that as the first travel kitty, we can move around and look for some handloom travel kitty as handloom is mainly made in Tripura. So it is not surprising to find designed handlooms and silk here. Besides bamboo and cane work is prevalent in this state. So Ambassa is not far behind. The locals busy themselves getting this. One can also get the vertical and horizontal striped handloom which is so famous in this place. Articles made out of palm leaves, ordinary yarn, bamboo, cane etc are popular shopping items. Besides one also gets bamboo screens,sitalpati, lamp stands etc. This place is also popular for its bell metal things. The main travel kitty is the incense sticks that are produced here.

Ambassa - Joie de vivre in the city :

What fun it would be to go to a land of fairs, festivals and cultural events. That is what Ambasa, the new city is and that is what keeps the joie de vivre of living here. There are many fairs held here and these intrigue the tourist and the visitor. Let us see what we can see here :

Juice Plant :

At Nalkata there is a juice concentration plant and it is a major setup. Besides this place it also has a lot of handicraft industries.

Temples :

Longtharai Mandir : This is a temple where the presiding deity is “God Shiba”. This is how it is called in the dialect of the Kok Borok. It is believed that this is the place where Shiva or “Shiba” rested when he was on his way to Kailash. The hill came to be known as Longtharai which means Deep Valley. The temple is situated on the hill. There are lovely flowers which bloom here and these are the Khumpi. They bloom along the road side. This place with its tranquility and peace exudes a certain calm which the tourist longs for. Thousands of devotees come here on a pilgrimage and enjoy the serene temple area. The picturesque surroundings add to the experience and the person coming here is satiated completely.

Kamaleswari Mandir : This is located in the district of Dhalai. It is in the middle of the town and is a major pilgrim spot. Goddess Kali is also revered as Kamaleswari. Today Kamalpur is a subdivision and the place is named after the temple here. It is around 35kms from Ambassa.

Sanctuary :

Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary : This vast expanse of green forests is near Ambassa. One can come here throughout the year. With its humid climate it is however very pleasant in the winter season. Found in the south eastern part of the State it covers an area of more than 380sq km. There is a water reservoir near the sanctuary which has the best of migratory birds. There are also wild animals like the sambar, bison, barking deer, sarow and the wild goat along with many other animals. Reptiles of various kinds are found here too. Tourists like to come here and it is a haven for environment lovers. The flora and fauna found here is unique and the plants here have a medicinal effect. It is a therapeutic feeling to be here and the species found here are beautiful and worth treasuring. Agartala is the nearest airport and Gumti lies around 100 km from Agartala. One has to cross Ambassa to reach the sanctuary or else take the Jatanbari route.

Ambassa - Entertainment Factor :

Ambassa has its set of ways of entertainment. Music and dance are predominant here. The Garia dances are for the prosperity of the place and there are also bizu dance which is a dance by the chakmas. This dance is to signal the end of the Bengali calendar. Then we have the hai hak dance which is done by the halams and then of course the Cheraw dance of the Lusai Woman. Basanta Raas is a beautiful dance by the Hindu Manipuris. Then there are the attractive dances like the Lebang Bumani which is a dance of the community of riang. This dance is performed with a bottle on the forehead. The group dance Dhamail is also very famous. The Hajagiri dance of the riang community is also very popular.

Fairs And Festivals :

The festivals of Ambassa are like the rest of the Indian festivals. Some of the unique festivals are :

Durga Puja :

A great festival celebrated with full pomp and glory and augmenting the celebration of Goddess Durga’s win over Mahishashur, the demon.

Kharchi Puja :

This is a festival of the goddess worshipped in July and tribals from all over participate. With dances and songs revering the goddess this is a common festival in Ambassa.

Garia Puja :

This is performed in the month of Baisakh on the seventh day. This is a festival of seven days and the devotees dance during this festival.

Diwali :

A very important festival there are fairs held during this celebration. Ambassa also participates in all the fairs and festivals that are held in the State.

Pous Sankrant Fair :

This fair or mela has many people meeting at a big point. They take a dip in the river and celebrate it. People in Ambassa believe that they can wash away their sins by taking a dip.

Ashokashtami Fair and Festival :

Held in March and April, it is popular in other areas and in Ambassa too. There is a fair during this time. Again a time of pomp and grandeur the festivals form a major role in the life of the Ambassa people.

Rash Fair :

This is a fair of the Manipuri community. It is held in November. With colorful clothes.

Thus there are innumerable festivals which are celebrated here. People in Ambassa like to wear colorful clothes and participate in these group activities. Then we have the Dol Jatra, Buddha Jayanti, Id, New Year and Christmas and the local festivals like the Gajan, Ker Ganga, Garia which are unique to the locals. In May they have the nazrul festival and the Rabindra festival. With all this in tow, Ambassa certainly is a place to visit for its colorful contribution.

AS a person leaves this place he thinks “Colors of Tripura are in Ambassa too.”