Unakoti District

Unakoti district has been the name of a new district which was originally a portion of the North Tripura District, as a consequence of the bifurcation of this district which presently includes the northern parts of the state of Tripura.

Unakoti is the rock-cut archaeological site located in Tripura, the North Eastern state in India. The visit to Unakoti is also known as Unakoti Tirtha. It is an ancient Shaivite place of worship with huge rock-cut images and stone idols of Lord Shiva or Mahadeva. It is a mystical abode to its visitors giving them an enchanting retreat from the daily hustle bustle.

Unakoti is about 178 km from Agartala, the capital city of Tripura. It is a unique place, which cannot be compared to any other place in the country in terms of absolute grandeur and artistry.

Unakoti is deservedly reputed for its 7th - 9th century AD stone and rock-cut images, deep in the forests near Kailashahar. Unakoti literally means one less than a core (10 million) i.e. 99, 99,999. The place does not have that many rock-cut sculptures, but these hundreds of massive rock-cut sculptures and those made out of sandstone, besides scattered ruins of ancient temples make Unakoti a unique place. It is Shaiva pilgrimage and dates back to the 7th - 9th centuries if not earlier.

Mythological History of Unakoti
According to Hindu mythology, when Lord Shiva was going to Kashi through this place, along with one crore other Gods and Goddesses, he spent a night here. He had asked his followers to wake up before sunrise and proceed for Kashi. But, unfortunately, nobody woke up, except for Lord Siva himself. He cursed them to become stone images. That is why there is one less than a crore stone images.

The official bifurcation of Unakoti District came into existence from 21st January, 2012. The District headquarters of Unakoti district is Kailashahar. Unakoti district occupies a total geographical region measuring about 686.97 square kilometre. Bangladesh surrounds the Unakoti district on the western part, Dhalai District is present on the south-western portion and the North Tripura District surrounds the district on its eastern end.

Unakoti district consists of a total population of approximately 2, 98, 574 and the literacy rate of this region measures about 88.29 percent according to the 2011 census. As per the records of this census, the female literacy rate of Unakoti District measures about 84.69 percent. Five Assembly Constituencies are existent in Unakoti District, namely Pecharthal, Chandipur, Pabiacherra, Kailashahar and Fatikroy. Karamcherra and Machmara are the two District Council Constituencies of Unakoti District.

Kumarghat and Kailashahar are the two subdivisions of Unakoti District. Gournagar, Kumarghat and Pecharthal are the three developmental blocks located here. There exists 20 villages in the Sub Division of Kumarghat and 7 villages in the Sub Division of Kailashahar. There is one District Council office in the areas of Kumarghat and Kailashahar.

The images found at Unakoti are of two types namely rock-carved figures and stone images. The famous rock-cut carvings are the central Shiva head and gigantic Ganesha figures. The central Shiva head known as "Unakotiswara Kal Bhairava" is about 30 feet high including an embroidered head-dress which itself is 10 feet high. On each side of the headdress of the central Shiva, there are two full-size images of goddesses - one of Durga standing on a lion, while the other one is believed to be that of Ganga astride a Capricorn. Besides, three enormous image of Nandi Bull are found half-buried in the ground. There are various other stone as well as rock-cut images at Unakoti. Every year a big fair is popularly known as the "Ashokastami Festival" is held in the month of April which is visited by thousands of devotees. Unakoti houses the largest Bas relief sculpture in India.

Another three-eyed figure a little far away is believed to be that of Lord Surya or Lord Vishnu. A huge Ganesha figure is also carved in the Unakoti complex, while there is also a chaturmukha Shivalinga nearby. Among other rock-cut and stone images are those of Vishnu, Nandi, Narasimha, Ravana, Lord Hanuman and several unidentified deities. The consensus among archeologists is that although the predominant impact of the Shiva cult is obvious, the sculptures were also influenced by several other cults like Tantric, Shakti and Hatha yogis. It is also assumed that the site dates back to the period between the 12th and 16th centuries AD and that the sculptures belong to two different periods of art.

Fairs of Unakoti District promote the tourism of this Indian district located in Tripura and involve numerable interesting festivals and fairs like Ashokastami Fair, Maghi Purnima Fair, Makar Sankranti and Shivaratri.

Ashokastami Fair
Unakoti district teems with innumerable devotees during the months of March and April, which is the time for celebration of the great Ashokastami Fair. This `Mela` is held at the region of Kailashahar, at Unakoti Tirtha. The assembled devotees perform the task of taking a holy dip in the Ashtami Kund, which forms an integral part of this fair. It is believed that if the pilgrims take a dip in the holy waters of Ashtami Kund, it alleviates their sins and enables them to receive God`s divine blessings. This fair is observed and calculated as per the moon`s movements, which are termed as `Tithi`.

Maghi Purnima Fair
The local inhabitants of Unakoti district enjoy some festivals which are observed during the auspicious time of the `Maghi Purnima`, which is generally in February and March. The venue of this grand festival is the Chaturdas Devata Mandir of Khowrabill which is located under the subdivision of Kailashahar. A vast number of devotees arrive at Unakoti district during the period of celebration of Maghi Purnima fair.