Neermahal, Water palace in Melaghar, India
Neermahal is a palace on Rudrasagar Lake in the state of Tripura. The building surfaces spread across several pavilions with domes and colonnades linked by terraces.
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 leave from the jetty in Melaghar to the island and bring visitors in about ten minutes. The trips run throughout the day as long as daylight lasts.
The architects divided the compound into two areas: the western wing serves as living space for the hot months, the eastern for the cooler times. This arrangement uses the sun position and the wind directions above the lake.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
