By Firstdespatch Desk Aug 04, 2026
Agartala, Aug 4 (FD) The traditional Ker Puja, the centuries-old ritual dedicated to the guardian deity of Tripura's erstwhile royal family, commenced at the historic Ujjayanta Palace on Monday night and will conclude on Wednesday morning.
Performed in accordance with Tantric traditions, the elaborate rituals are being conducted within the royal palace premises. Historical records trace the observance of Ker Puja by Tripura's royal family to at least the early 15th century.
According to sources familiar with the ritual, Ker Puja is held annually immediately after the commencement of the Kharchi Puja festival. The sacred ceremony is believed to invoke divine protection for the state, its people and the royal family from wars, natural calamities, epidemics and other adverse forces.
Unlike conventional forms of worship, Ker Puja has no visible idol of the deity. Instead, a pair of flexible bamboo poles bent in the middle is symbolically worshipped as part of the Tantric rituals. The head of the erstwhile royal family traditionally serves as the Yajman (chief patron) of the ceremony, as is also the case with the Kharchi Puja of the Fourteen Deities.
As part of the ritual, the area surrounding the place of worship is declared out of bounds and access is restricted throughout the duration of the ceremony. In earlier times, movement of people and vehicles was prohibited across a large area surrounding Ujjayanta Palace, extending up to Ker Chowmuhani. At present, restrictions are limited to the right side of Sachin Debbarman Sarani, from Rabindra Bhawan Chowmuhani to the palace entrance. The restrictions will be lifted on Wednesday morning after the conclusion of the final rituals.
Ker Puja has been observed continuously by the Tripura royal family for more than six centuries. Following Tripura's merger with the Indian Union on October 15, 1949, the responsibility for meeting the expenses of the ritual was assumed by the government in accordance with the merger agreement.
The merger document, signed by the then Regent Maharani Kanchan Prava Devi on behalf of Tripura and V.P. Menon on behalf of the Government of India, provided that the government would continue to bear the expenses of worship at key temples and traditional religious observances patronised by the royal family. These include the Tripureswari Temple in Udaipur, Kharchi Puja at Old Agartala, Lakshmi Narayan Bari Temple and Durga Bari Temple in Agartala. FD JK