The former princely state of Tripura was ruled by Maharajas of Manikya dynasty. It was an independent administrative unit under the Maharaja even during the British rule in India, though this independence was qualified, being subject to the recognition of the British, as the paramount power of each successive ruler.
As per Rajmala, the royal chronology of Tripura, a total of 184 kings ruled over the state before it merged with the Indian Union on October 15 1949. Since then the history of Tripura has been interspersed with various political, economical and social developments. On January 26, 1950 Tripura was accorded the status of a ‘C’ category state and on November 1, 1956, it was recognized as a Union Territory. With the sustained efforts and struggle of the people of Tripura, it gained full statehood on January 21, 1972, as per the North-East Reorganisation Act, 1971. And democratic set-up got further stretched upto the village level in 1978 with election to the local bodies that ultimately culminated in the introduction of three-tier Panchayati Raj System.
On the other hand, for socio-economic development, preservation of language and culture of Tripura Tribal Areas, Autonomous District Council (ADC) was constituted in 1982 under the 7th Schedule of the Constitution and later on in 1985 it was brought under the 6th Schedule. The ADC in Tripura encompasses 68.10% of the state’s total geographical territory and is home to roughly one third of the state’s population. Once Tripura was a single-district state. Now keeping the administrative convenience in view, decentralization has been taken further ahead by forming eight districts, 23 subdivisions, 58 rural development blocks, 591 Gram Panchayats, eight Jilla Parishads, nine Nagar Panchayats, 10 Municipal Councils and 1 Municipal Corporation. In addition, 587 village committees are working as Gram Panchayats under 6th Schedule areas.