Though there are hundreds of architecturally big palaces built by rich Maharajahs of former princely states across India during the colonial rule, only two of them are them are set in the midst of a picturesque lake. The Jai Mahal in Rajasthan and the other being Neermahal palace of former Tripura Kingdom. Jai Mahal palace (originally built in 1699 by ruler Jai Singh II of Amber on plot of 18 acres of land in the Man Sagar lake, Jaipur) which is partly converted into a five-star heritage hotel is smaller in size than Neermahal.
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| Neermahal palace, Tripura upload.wikimedia.org/ |
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| Neermahal palace, Tripura commons.wikimedia.org/ |
Situated in the middle of a serene Rudrasagar Lake in Melaghar, 53 kilometers away from Agartala, the capital of Tripura, Neermahal or "Water Palace" is a fine tourist spot. It is the largest palace in East India built in the 1930s and the Hindu architectural features dominate the structure and they are blended with Islamic design styles as evidenced by the presence of minarets and the central dome. Th style can be classified as Indo-Saracenic and sandstone is the main construction material. The interior parts are well embellished - decorative walls, parapet with balustrades, small bridges, jharokha pavilions (typical of Rajasthan) well get your attention. So are the well- decorated royal rooms meant for the royal family members, Such style is similar to Mogul design and artwork. 
location Melaghar,Tripura, NE India. tripura police.gov.in
The mammoth royal palace was built by Maharajah of Tripura Kingdom Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur of the erstwhile Kingdom of Tripura, India and is often called ‘lake palace’ of Tripura,
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| Neermahal palace, Tripura whatshot.in |
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| Neermahal palace, Tripura whatshot.in |
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| Neermahal palace, Tripura whatshot.in |
Maharajah Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Debbarma wanted to have a nice palace in the middle of Rudrasagar lake to beat the summer heat and to cool off. In 1921, it was commissioned and the contractor was the British company Martin and Burns of Calcutta who successfully completed many projects in Bengal then. It took nine years to complete the palace for Maharaja Manikya Debbarma. He was from the ‘Manikya Dynasty’ which is believed to be the second longest remaining dynasty in the world today.
The palace with 24 rooms, has two sections - the western one known as Andar Mahal was meant for the royal family whereas the eastern section has an open-air theatre. It was meant to stage cultural events, dance, drama, etc., and they were held exclusively for the enjoyment of Maharajas and their royal families. It is single story structure and has two stairways inside going down connecting the banks of Rudrasagar Lake. Maharajas used to access the palace with his hand powered boat from ‘Rajghat’.
As it has been the case with many monuments, this heritage palace has lost its sheen and look because of poor maintenance. An interesting fact is it has one of the finest terrace gardens of India and this palace is not known in southern states primarily because of poor publicity by the tourism department.
If you want to be in the midst of a quiet lake with nice cool breeze blowing across and smoothening your nerves and be away from the urban madness, it is the right place for a brief sojourn. One of the most beautiful palaces in the this part as splendorous as the Jai Mahal palace of Rajasthan it is in the midst of well mowed lawns, flower gardens and the placid lake; it offers a unique ambiance in a natural setting. At night this place is well illuminated and one can see the reflection of part of the lake on the placid lake.
I wish the state tourism department had set up a small museum and improved the amenities for the visiting tourists to this water palace, one of its kind in the NE part of India.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neermahal#Architecture
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, near Agartala, is one of its kind in NE India - a fine Indo-Saracenic structure!){kind=link}