where is "Unakoti"?

“Tripura” The third smallest Indian state may not have a well-developed infrastructure for travellers but it has something that attracts history mystery lovers the most.

Tripura takes its name from a word meaning ‘Three Cities’ — similar to the Greek word ‘Tripolis’. Tripura is famous for Unakoti’s ‘Lost Hill of Faces’.

Located around 178 km from Agartala, Unakoti is a centuries-old pilgrimage spot. Travellers who have visited Unakoti called this hidden gem India’s version of Macchu Picchu. But in my opinion, it is way more mysterious than Macchu Picchu.

Also Read : The Brij Raj Bhavan Place : Night Guards Can't Asleep Here

 

So, What's Unakoti and Where is Unakoti?

Here is the answer.

  

The name Unakoti means ‘one less than a crore’ 99,99,999 — a crore in the Bengali language is called Koti). It is full of huge or enormous sculptures of Hindu deities.

These sculptures are believed to date back to the 8th and 9th centuries. Most of them are about 30 to 40 feet high and feel like they were made by local tribes. They were sculptured in a tribal style of art than in the classical Indian style.

The bas-relief sculptures of Unakoti are the largest size found in India. Their styles of carving- classical and tribal - indicate they 

were made during different historical 

periods.

Also Read : Kuldhara – A Village abandoned by Paliwals

Myth or Mystery

Like other places, there is also myth and mystery behind Unakoti.

According to one myth, Unakoti, which literally means 'one less a koti' in the Bengali language, traces its origins to a short visit by Lord Shiva. 

Once he was on his way to Mt. Kailash, He was accompanied by an entourage of 99,99,999 gods and goddesses. Wanting to reach his home on time, he had asked his followers to wake up before dawn so they could make their way towards Kailash.

However, none of them awoke on time, except for Lord Shiva. Before he set out for Kailash alone, the enraged god put a curse on the late sleepers, condemning them to eternity on Earth and turning them to stone. Since then there have been a koti minus one – minus Shiva – deities at the site.

There is another myth, according to that, these huge or enormous rock-cut sculptures were carved by Kalu Kumhar a talented sculptor who was a great devotee of Shiva-Parvati. When the divine couple and their mammoth entourage were passing through this region, he asked permission to accompany them.

Also Read : "Sahasralinga" : A place of thousands Lingas

Shiva was wary of accepting this proposition, so Parvati came up with a solution — if the sculptor was able to make 1,00,00,000 images of Shiva and his entourage overnight, he could accompany them. Unfortunately, as the sun rose the next day, Kalu Kumhar fell just one short of a crore, which gave Shiva the excuse to leave him behind.

A variation of this story is that in a dream Kallu Kumar was given the task of carving the ten million deities. He did so, and hopeful of being considered divine himself he made the last carving an image of himself, making the number one less a koti of deities.

Whatever the stories or legends behind these carvings, still nobody knows how they were made and who made them. The story of Unakoti still remains a mystery. The Archaeological Survey of India is yet to carry out detailed research work in Unakoti, though according to some archaeologists, there may be bas-reliefs and sculptures in the forested hills that are yet to be discovered.

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