Dharmanagar

Dharmanagar or (Dhôrmônôgôr) is a town with a municipal council in the northeast of India. It is the administrative center for North Tripura district, located in the northernmost region of the state near the Assam border on the west and the India-Bangladesh border on the east. It is the second largest urban area in the state, which make it one of the important commercial centre. The Juri river flows through the town. Majority of the known history of Dharmanagar is derived from the ancient Rajmala scripts, which is the ancient Royal chronicles of the Kings of Tripura written in the 14th century. The origin of the name 'Dharmanagar' cannot be accurately traced back in time. The Rajmala refers to at least four known ancient kings whose names include the word 'Dharma'. So it remains a matter of speculation as to which king had lent his name to the town. Various uncovered documents however, indicate that the existence of Dharmanagar goes back deep into time. The Rajmala further indicates that the name 'Faticuli' was used to mean Dharmanagar back in those ancient times. The exact geographical boundaries of Dharmanagar in the ancient times, have not been clearly documented. However, a general idea about the size obtained from various sources indicate that one major position of Sylhet (now in Bangladesh) was included in Dharmanagar. Sources also indicate that Dharmanagar in those days was not as small as it is today. The size of Dharmanagar has been greatly diminished over the ages and what was once the mighty capital of Tripura has now been reduced to a district town of the state. At present Dharmanagar is bound by Moulvibazar of Sylhet, Bangladesh in the North, Karimganj district of Assam in the East and Mizoram state in the South and Kailashahar subdivision of Unakoti district in the west. The population of Dharmanagar, as estimated in late 2006, is around 32,912. Dharmanagar has an average literacy rate of 73.66%, higher than the national average of 65.38%: male literacy is 81.47% and female literacy is 65.41%.