Agartala, Sept 23 (TIWN) "The government has decided that the name of the state museum would be Tripura State Museum, Ujjayanta Palace. A statue of the erstwhile king Radhakishore Manikya Bahadur, who built the palace in 1901 would also be set up before the museum," State Minister for Higher Education Bhanu Lal Saha said today

Responding to the movement for renaming Tripura state museum incorporating Ujjayanta Palace, the Tripura government Monday decided to keep the name (Ujjayanta Palace).

“It is hereby clarified that the state museum will be named as ‘Tripura State Museum, Ujjayanta Palace’,” an official release said.

It said : “The state government has already decided to install a statue of Maharaja Radha Kishor Manikya, during whose reign the palace was built, within the premises of the museum. The statue is under preparation and will be installed as soon as it is ready.”

Earlier, various political parties, including main opposition Congress and its electoral ally Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura  (INPT) have been organising rallies and demonstrations to rename the Tripura state museum integrating the name of Ujjayanta Palace.

Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari will inaugurate the new museum housed in the 112-years old palace on September 25.

Tripura’s royal scion Pradyut Bikram Kishore Devbarman, Congress and INPT leaders have protested  the state government’s earlier decision to exclude the name of ‘Ujjayanta Palace’ with the name of Tripura state museum. 

Built in 2001 by then king Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya, Ujjayanta Palace housed the Tripura state legislative assembly till July 2011.  During the princely rule and until Tripura’s  accession to the Indian union in October, 1949, the Ujjayanta Palace was the command center for the princely rulers.

"The debate seems to be derived from a wrong conception or wrong interpretation of a unique initiative of the state government to preserve the heritage building and simultaneously recognizing it before the world," Tripura Industry, Commerce, Forest Minister  Jitendra Chowdhury said. 

Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra, a tribal based party, had written to Vice President Hamid Ansari (who will inaugurate the new museum) protesting the proposed renaming. The current head of Tripura royal family had said he would launch a signature campaign against the proposed move. 

The decision of housing the Tripura State Museum in the palace was taken in 1993, as it was made part of an accord signed between the Government of Tripura and one separatist outfit, which returned to the mainstream, Chowdhury told on news agency. 

"Since then, 20 years have elapsed, but from no quarter or any individual any question was raised. The Tripura Legislative Assembly was housed in the palace till 2011. The structure was simultaneously known as Assembly building and Ujjayanta palace. The stature of Ujjayanta has always dominated and shall be dominating in future too," Chowdhury said. 

"The debate is very unnecessary, unfortunate and misconceived," he said. 

The minister said the massive structure was retrofitted with utmost care and would be opened for public from September 25. 

"So, a commendable job has been accomplished by the government and the eminent artists and workers of our country to preserve and glorify it to the rest of the world. The name Ujjayanta shall further glow." he said. 

Vice President Hamid Ansari is scheduled to inaugurate the new Tripura State Museum housed in the palace on September 25. 

Ujjayanta Palace served as the Tripura state legislative assembly till 2011. It was built by Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya during 1899-1901.