Tripura is the gomukh of the north-east. It thrusts out into Bangladesh with only its neck attached to Mizoram and Assam . All over India the Gomukh is an auspicious emblem. Ancient drinking fountains and clear springs are often directed to flow through spouts fashioned in the form of a cow's head. It is a land of transition; a satisfying compromise between the old order and the new; a fusion of styles and cultures of the hills and plains. Previously a princely state, and subsequently a Union Territory of Independent India, Tripura was elevated to the status of a state on January 21, 1972.

There is a common belief that the name of the State has originated from 'Tripura Sundari' - the presiding deity of the land which is famous as one of the 51 pathos of Hindu Pilgrims. Apart from this traditional view it is believed that originally the land was known as 'Tuipra' meaning a land adjoining the water. It is fact that in days of yore the boundaries of Tripura were extended up to the Bay of Bengal when its rulers held sway from Garo hills to Arakan.