Neermahal, Water palace in Melaghar, India

Neermahal is a former royal palace of the Tripura Kingdom, built in the middle of Rudrasagar Lake in Melaghar, 53 km from Agartala. Its lower level is a solid red wall with curved projections; above rise white pavilions, domes, arched windows, balconies and a central pediment. A white arched bridge and a minaret-like tower stand at the right end.

Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Debbarman had the summer residence built between 1926 and 1930 by the British architectural firm Martin & Burns. The builders chose an island in the lake to house the royal family during the warm months.

The name means water palace and describes exactly what visitors see: a royal residence rising above the lake. The compound merges different building styles and shows how Indian rulers combined European ideas with local forms.

Boats reach the palace from the jetty at Melaghar, about 53 km from Agartala. Inside, two stairways lead down to a landing on Rudrasagar Lake, the same route the Maharajas used by hand-powered boat from Rajghat. The terrace garden on the roof has suffered from poor maintenance.

The palace has 24 rooms and two internal stairways leading down to a landing on Rudrasagar Lake; the Maharajas reached it by hand-powered boat from Rajghat. Its roof once held one of India's finest terrace gardens, now reduced by poor maintenance and few visitors.