New Delhi: Unakoti is among those famous places in India which show the architectural brilliance prevalent in this country at a time when technology was not remotely advanced compared to the present age. It is called the Angkor Wat of the North-East for its breathtaking architectural beauty. It is an ancient Shaivite place with rock carvings, images and figures of gods and goddesses with the name Unakoti meaning ‘one less than one crore’. In 2022, it became part of the tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The importance of Unakoti
Located at about 178 km to Agartala’s northeast in Tripura, the history of Unakoti goes back to the 7th and 9th centuries and its murals and marvellous rock carvings are a sight to see. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva was once on his way to Kashi along with one crore gods and goddesses when he decided to halt at Unakoti at night. He asked everyone to wake up and proceed to Kashi before sunrise.
But apart from Shiva, nobody else could get up before sunrise and hence the Lord himself set out for Kashi and cursed others to become stone images. Hence, the place has one less than a crore of stone images and carvings. These carvings are present in a place surrounded by a beautiful forest. There are two types of images at Unakoti, rock-carved figures and stone images. On the other hand, as per the local tribals, Kallu Gurjar, a devotee of Parvati made those stone images. He was to go to Mount Kailash along with Shiva and Parvati and while the former reluctantly agreed to the proposal, Shiva put a condition that he would have to make one crore idols in one night. Kallu, in the end, was one short of his target and Shiva left him with his idols in Unakoti.
Among the carvings, the head of Lord Shiva and gigantic Ganesha figures are especially praiseworthy. The Shiva head is called Unakotiswara Kal Bhairava and its height is about 30 feet and has an embroidered head-dress which is 10 feet high. On each side, there are full-size figures of Goddess Durga on a lion on one side and another female figure on the other. Also, there are three huge images of Nandi, the bull of Lord Shiva along with other stone and rock-cut images. Each year in April, a big fair called ‘Ashokastami Mela’ is held in Unakoti and thousands of pilgrims visit it.
Among the carvings in Unakoti, the head of Lord Shiva and gigantic Ganesha figures are especially praiseworthy. The Shiva head is called Unakotiswara Kal Bhairava and its height is about 30 feet. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
