The word Tripura is a Sanskritised form of the original name Twipra and is a recent origin which is derived from two Kokborok terms namely, Twi which means water and Bupra which denotes adjoining lands and region. It is a fact that in the heyday the boundaries of Twipra kingdom extended up to the Bay of Bengal. The Britishers, however, during their rule in India, being unable to pronounce the original name of Twipra kingdom, started referring to it as sovereign and independent Tippera kingdom. It was in the 20th century particularly since 1920 that the name of independent Twipra was formally changed to the present form of Tripura by the political Agents (Britishers) who acted as liaison between the king and the British India. More authentically it was on 13th Nov. 1920 A.D. (1330 Twipra Era. also known as Tring) the name of Twipra was formally changed to the present form of Tripura (the Sanskritised form of Twipra) as referred to in the Twipra state Gazette of 1330 Tring Era or 1920 A.D.

It is to be noted here that the word Tripura, unlike Twipra, has no affinity with its people (Borok). On the other hand, the term Twipra has not only linguistictise with its people but also its own and original historical meaning.

The indigenous people of Twipra are known as Borok. They belong to the Tibeto-Burman group of mongoloid origin and speak their own mother tongue Kokborok. They have a distinct and unique culture of their own.

The former Twipra kingdom was one of the most ancient princely state of the world. According to the chronicles of Twipra kingdom known as Bubagra khumtrang also called Rajmala which means garland of kings, the kingdom of Twipra was ruled continuously by as many as 184 Borok kings roughly for more than 5 thousand years i.e. from 3102 B.C. to 1949 A.D. with sovereign and independent status.

The Bubagra khumtrang or Rajmala provides a detailed account of Borok people (Kiratas from Cilata) who once ruled over Twipra kingdom that covered a vast territory extending up to Twirongo or the Brahmaputra in the north the Bay of Bengal to the south, Vanga in the west and Akyab-Arakan now in Myanmar in the east in ancient times. To be more specific, from the pre-Yudhisthir period of the Mahabharata, one of the epics of India, to the period of British advent in India these territories were under Twipra kingdom. Prior to the merger with Indian union in Oct. 15, 1949, Twipra, a princely independent state was a peaceful and self-sufficient endowed with all resources of revenue and income.

After the partition (1947) of the Indian subcontinent (India and Pakistan) and the subsequent merger of Twipra with India, there had been unprecedented influx of foreign nationals in to the state of present Twipra, particularly the Bengali Hindus from erstwhile East Pakistan, now Bangladesh and mainland India. Before the merger the Borok people who were in absolute majority in their own homeland (Twipra) and accounted for more than 99% of the total population of the present state of Twipra, have now been reduced to a mere 31% (as per 2001 Census) in the state. In fact, Twipra is the only state in India and one of the few places in the world in the 20th century whose indigenous have been transformed from being a numerical majority and ruling community in to a minority with almost no economic and political back bone within 56 years of the merger (i.e. 1949-2005). Such a dramatic change in the demographic profile of the state has had wide ranging economic, political, cultural, religious and social implications for its people. But till now there has been no protective measures taken by either the Twipra state Government or the central to prevent the unabated process of infiltration in to the state. Thus, the demographic profile of the state has threatened the very existence of the Borok people in their native land. If this trend continues in Twipra for another 50 years the Borok people will certainly be wiped out from the demographic scene of Twipra state.