Introduction : Do you ever heard that there is a place in Tripura where 9,999,999 gigantic rockstructures of God and Goddess are carved out of mountains? If you are not aware of this or haven’t heard about it then today I am here for you to introduce you to the rarely known treasure of northeast India.

 

So hello guys, get ready to take a look at the unknown mythical land of 9,999,999 gods and goddess ‘Unakoti’ a place in Tripura, the land of most diverse cultures in north-east India. Get ready with me in this thrilling adventure where I am gonna show you this entire marvelous place. You will get to know some astonishing facts and mysteries which are still mystifying for all of us, I will share some stories, and also I will give out some important information about how to reach? Where to stay? And when to visit. So now let’s get into it

 

Why Unakoti : So first of all let us understand the meaning of this word, Unakoti means one less than a crore.

·                    It’s a historical and religious spot. It is famous across the country for it’s massive rocks that are carved out of mountains.

·                    It is declared as a world heritage site, tourists and enthusiasts visit this place to see these gigantic structures carved out of mountains.

 

When I was young I first visited this place and my mouth was kept open wide enough to permit the entry of a bird. Just kidding I was so surprised to see these huge rock statuses. How would you feel if you get to see 9,999,999 enormous structures of gods and goddess?  If you are from one of those people who keeps on wondering about this place then no worries it’s my duty to help you. If you are planning your next in northeast India then I am always here to assist you.

 

Unakoti Related Facts :

Fact #1 : In the year 2018 Princess of Thailand visited the Unakoti hills.

Yes, you heard it right. On Tuesday8^th November 2018 Princess of Thailand Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visited Tripura to see this 8^th-century rock carving. She was warmly welcomed by the CM of Tripura Mr. Biplab Kumar Deb. Princes said that she wondered why she didn’t visited this marvelous spot before.

 

Fact #2 : Every year thousands of Pilgrims visit Unakoti just to take a bath.

Here’s another mind-blowing fact for you. As you know Unakoti is a Shiva pilgrimage spot where every year devotees gather to celebrate and worship Makar Sankranti, Shiv Ratri, and Ashokastami.

So here I will only give out some information about Ashokastami cause it’s the most famous festival celebrated here.

 

Ashokastamialso reputed as Ashokastami fair is a festival where thousands of devotees visit every year to take a dip in the holy water of Astamikunda. AstamiKunda is a river flowing from unakoti hills, the water falls from those sculptures and gets collected in-front of the massive Shiva statue.

Taking a dip in holy water is considered to bring blessings of God during the occasion of Ashokastami.

 

Fact #3 : 30ft high Shiva statue.

The most famous of these statues is the 30ft high gigantic Shiva head which is also known as UnakotiswaraKalBhairava. The remarkabletrait of this statue is the complicated headdress which is 10ft high by itself shows the goddess Ganga and adjacent to it have a statue carved of Goddess Durgastanding on a lion.

 

Fact #4 : 8^thecentury-old carvings.

It is believed that the carvings are 7^th-8^th century old. Based on the little studies done on Unakoti historians said that these sculptures date back to the 8^th century approx.

 

I wonder how is it possible to make such gigantic structures in that time when there was a lack of mechanical engineering. How did they have done it?

 

Fact #5 : The disappearance of statues.

As you know that Unakoti is a mysterious and historical spot, however, in today’s date there are not many statues available here. Many people believe that statues are taken away from time to time by people, but there is no strong evidence about who has taken it and where? Also, there is no confirmation about how many statues are taken and how is it possible to steal huge and heavy statues by crossing forest and hills.

Did you have any idea about it?

I actually can't find any answer at the top of my head.

 

Fact #6 : Unknown origin.

Unakoti hills arae of those best-kept secrets of Tripura. As a result of limited studies done in this place, it’s origin is still unknown. Historians didn’t get any proper explanation about how it is built? And what purpose does it serves?

 

But where history and studies fail, there are always legends!

LEGEND 1 : A mason made 9,999,999 statues in one night.

It is believed that Unakoti is constructed by a popular mason named Kalu Kumarto please Lord Shiva and GoddessParvati.He claimed that he would make 1 crore(10million) statues of God and Goddess before the dawn. But by the daylight, he was able to make 9,999,999 status but lacks by one.

Hence, he gave this place the name ‘Unakoti' which literally means one less than a crore. This later became a pilgrimage centre.

LEGEND 2 : The curse of Shiva.

According to another belief once Lord Shiva along with one crore other Gods and Goddess including himself had been travelled from Kailash to Kashi.

At twilight, they agreed to take rest and landed in Raghunandan hills. Lord Shiva alerted all Gods and Goddess to wake up before dawn to proceed their journey to Kashi. Unfortunately, the next morning no one was able to get up except Lord Shiva himself. So he left for Kashi alone and cursed all Gods and Goddess to sleep forever. With time every one of them turned into stones. So Unakoti is also called the land of sleeping, God, and Goddess.

LEGEND 3 : Lord Shiva cursed all Gods and Goddess to Sleep Forever.

Here is another remarkable legend of Mason. He was a devote of Goddess Parvati and wished to look after Shiva and Parvati in their abode Kailash. So Parvati acknowledges that if he is able to carve one crore structures of all Hindu God and Goddess then his wish will be granted, Shiva agreed to this condition.

Kalu Kumar tirelessly worked to complete his task. But before sunrise, he was able to sculpt 9,999,999 statues and shorts by one. So he leaves behind this Shiva pilgrimage centre in Tripura which later came to be known as Unakoti, one less than a crore.

Best Time To Visit : Generally, the time from October to April is considered the best time to visit this place because of the pleasant weather conditions. Also every year Ashokastami is held in the month of April where thousands of devotees visit this place, another small fair is also celebrated here in the month of January.

Where To Stay : The nearest lodge is the Unakoti lodge which is situated near the head PO of Kailashahr.

Tel: 03824-223625

Cell: 098560712

How To Reach : It is a Shiva pilgrimage center. It lies 178km to the northeast from Agartala which is the capital of Tripura.

·                    By Air

If you like to ride helicopters than you maytake helicopter service from Agartala and reach kailashahar with ease. Besides that you can take plane rides and reach Agartala.

 

·                    By road

You can board buses from nearby cities to reach Unakoti.

 

·                    By train-

You can take a train from Agartala to reach Dharmanagar. In my opinion, it is much easier cause the morning train from Agartala reaches Dharmanagar before 10 am and from Dharmanagar it only takes about 30-40 minutes to reach Unakoti.

CONCLUSION : In short, we discovered every possible detail about the land of 99,999,999 Gods and Goddess. You gained information about one of the best-kept secrets of Tripura. I know those mythical stories are fascinating and moreover, the mystery behind these hills is yet to be discovered. Unakoti is really very astonishing but as I said earlier beauty of these rocks are getting damaged by time. Now if you plan your next trip to Tripura don’t forget to come and explore this place. Now, even Thailand Princess can come and take a tour in these hills then why are you still far away from us. I gave every information about how to reach and where to stay? So that you don’t get into any trouble.

So let me know in the comments below from where you are tuning from and suggest me about your desired place to visit in northeast India, I will try my best to bring my next blog according to your interest.