‘Angkor Wat of the North-East’- Unakoti vying for UNESCO world heritage tag for stunning rock carvings and murals
Both the government and ASI are working in body to preserve the lakhs of Shaivite rock carvings figures and images of deities at Unakoti, Tripura, also known as the ‘Angkor Wat of the North-East’.
According to Panna Lal Roy, a well-known historical writer of the state, a report stated that the Centre has approached UNESCO to declare it a World Heritage Site and has recently granted Rs. 12 crore to the state for developing the place as a major tourist destination. The Tripura government is developing areas near the site to encourage tourists to visit this treasure of the North East.
“The structures of the rock-cut sculptures are gigantic and have distinct mongoloid features and display almost the same mystical charm as the spellbinding figures in the Angkor Wat temple of Cambodia. So call it the Angkor Wat of North-East,” told Roy to PTI.
Become a Premium Member to access our exclusive contents: https://authindia.com/premium-community-membership/ Literally, Unakoti means ‘one less one crore’ in Hindi and Bengali and it is believed that these many rock carvings (ninety-nine lakh ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine) are present here. In the local Kokborok language, it is called Subrai Khung and is the central tourist spot of the Unakoti District in the Kailashahar Subdivision of Tripura.
Apart from being wondrously picturesque the place has great mythological significance. According to mythology, Lord Shiva and one crore gods and goddesses made a night halt at this location while going to Kashi. He asked all his fellow gods and goddesses to wake up before sunrise and proceed for Kashi, none of them could wake up so he proceeded to Kashi alone, cursing others to become stone images.
As per a tribal myth, Kallu Kumhar (potter), a devotee of goddess Parvati wanted to accompany Shiva-Parvati to Mount Kailash. It is believed that Shiva agreed to take Kallu to their abode in Mount Kailash on Parvati’s request only if he would make one crore idols of Shiva in one night. However, by the morning, he could complete only one less than a crore idols and Shiva left the potter behind with his idols in Unakoti.
There are two types of sculptures found there, namely rock-carved figures and stone images. Among the rock-cut carvings, the central Shiva head and gigantic Ganesha figures deserve special notice. The central Shiva head is known as ‘Unakotiswara Kal Bhairava’ and is about 30 feet high including an embroidered head-dress which itself is 10 feet high.
The place being an architectural wonder offers a visual treat and inspiration for architects and designers. These carvings and images are located in a thick forest landscape area with green vegetation all around. Every year, thousands of pilgrims visit a big fair, known as ‘Ashokastami Mela’ which takes place in the month of April.
