• Jan 25 2016
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Unakoti Rock Carvings

The site of Unakoti is located in the northeastern part of Tripura, about 8 km from Kailasahar and 185 km from the State capital Agartala. The vertical surface of the Unakoti hills was used by the ancient people to carve various mythological scenes such as the different iconographic forms of Siva, Ganesha, Uma-Maheshwara, etc. Unakoti is famous for its colossal rock cut panels depicting Hindu deities. Unakoti provides evidence of ancient Saiva worship in Tripura from 8th-9th centuries CE.

The site of Unakoti is known to the people as an ancient holy place associated with Saiva worship. The bas relief sculptures at Unakoti are on stylistic grounds ascribed to 8th to 9thcentury CE, to the period of Pre-Manikya rule. The rock art may have been patronised by the ‘Deb’ generation of Sri Bhumi.The earliest literary reference found of Unakoti as a place of lord Siva is in the works of A. K.Cahudhuri (1910-11) and the writings of Captain Williams (1914) the then British political agent to the Tripura. The Archaeological Survey of India has also published an authoritative account on Unakoti in its Annual Report (1921-22).

Etymologically Unakoti stands for ‘Una’ meaning one less and ‘koti’ meaning crore in Bengali, hence the name of the site ‘Unakoti’ literally translates as “one less than a crore”. According to a legend, Unakoti was the meeting place of Gods and Goddesses where they assembled on the Shukla Ashtami (8th day of lunar fortnight of the Chaitra month) with the intention of creating another Vrindavan near Mathura. Lord Shiva instructed his fellow companions to wake up before sunrise in order to resume their journey. In the morning no one could get up except Shiva himself. So, he cursed them to turn into stones. Legends though only attribute to the prevalent beliefs.

The rock carvings at Unakoti are west facing and are located in a beautiful landscape with lush green vegetation and a stream flowing in the central part of the hillock, downwards in east-west direction. The streamlet forms three kundas at the bottom. These kundas were sacred to religious practices under Brahmanical Hinduism and are a big part of the annual Ashokashtomi Mela (fair) held at Unakoti.