Of all the places of interest around the country, the Northeast is perhaps the least publicized. And among the Seven Sisters of this region-Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Tripura-the last is the least known, in spite of the state's richness in terms of beautiful scenery, virgin forests and lush valleys, exquisite craft traditions and a colorful cultural-historical heritage.

Part of the reason for the obscurity of the state of Tripura lies in its being a "corner within a corner," tucked away behind the borders of Bangladesh. The other contributing factor has been that Tripura was always a princely state ruled by a Maharaja until the time of independence and never came under British supervision. This meant that it did not become 'fashionable' as a winter resort like Shillong (in Meghalaya) and Shimla (in Himachal Pradesh) became. Yet, this tiny state-the smallest in terms of area, among the seven sisters-can lay claim to a variety of attractions in terms of archeological importance, religious significance, folk and tribal culture and ethnic artifacts.