Mystical sculptures of Hindu deities lay unexplored in Tripura’s Unakoti Hill

Looking at gorgeous locations online for that next vacay is our best way to virtually escape. But, for some reason, photos of forested regions with abundant flora, fresh air and less charted paths feel like the ideal daydreaming vessel. And that is what did the trick! Our search for the spot having the aforementioned qualities ended when we discovered the Unakoti Hill.

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Tucked away in the forests of Tripura, Unakoti is basically a pilgrimage site dedicated to Lord Shiva, and is believed to be 11-13 centuries old.
While, in Tripura, infrastructural developments might be hardly trickling in, it is distinguished for a paradise-like region on the Jampui Hills of North Tripura. Situated around 178 kilometres from Agartala, the heritage site ‘Lost Hill Faces’ of Unakoti, is home to giant bas-relief sculptures carved out of a huge hill. The huge sculptures carry a tribal look and exude almost the same mystical charm as the spell-binding figures in the Angkor Wat Temple of Cambodia.

Unakoti, which means “less than a crore in number”, has several discovered and yet-to-be-discovered sculptures of Hindu gods and goddesses. Of all, the 30-ft-long carving of Lord Shiva’s head called Unakotishwara Kal Bhairav is the most revered of all.

Just as there is always a cause behind every effect in the Universe, there are several interesting legends associated with the presence of the sculptures of Unakoti. Legend has it that once Kalu Kumhar, a devotee of Lord Shiva and his divine spouse Parvati, found the couple making their way to the Mount Meru and expressed his desire to travel with them to their renowned abode. Shiva, however, promised to tag Kalu along only if he could sculpt a crore images of all the holy deities before daybreak. Kalu worked with undaunted spirit but, as fate would have it, he failed to sculpt just a single image. As a result, Shiva and Parvati proceeded onward to their home leaving Kalu behind. There is another version of this story, which makes more sense, given its moral theme. It says that Kalu was assigned the job of carving images of the gods in a dream. But, he ended up making the last sculpture of his own self, thus, falling short of one image owing to his subtle desire for fame. The moral of Kalu’s story is to avoid falling prey to pride or ego.

How to reach:

By Rail: Kumarghat Railway Station is approximately 20 kilometres from Unakoti. It has trains arriving from Agartala and Lumding. Lumding is well-connected via rail to West Bengal, Assam, Nagaland, New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. From the railhead, it takes 30 to 40 minutes to reach the site by car.
By Air: Tourists can take helicopter services from Agartala and Kailashahar to reach Unakoti with ease.

By Road: Buses from nearby cities can be boarded to reach Unakoti.