Poush Sankranti (Tirthamukh Mela)

Tirthamukh, the name of an ancient sport in Tripura awakes amid the bangs and booms on the Poush Sabnkranti in mid-January. The entire tourist spot breaks into a sea of humanity when thousands of people observe the Hindu religious festival with lots of traditional zeal and fervour.

As soon as the dawn falls, the devotees from the far flung areas of the country shave their heads in the name of their ancestors before taking holi dips in the river Gomati. Other religious formalities comprise sacrifice of goats, ducks and chickens in the name of the departed ancestors. The tribals and non tribals alike in Tripura believe in the foot print of the Lord Vishnu on the river bank where they observe the religious event to mark the northern course of the sun on the mid-January day.
 
The ancient religious spot keeps throbbing with a huge fair to promote tourism in the north eastern state. Now the festival is not only confined to the Hindus. People from all castes and beliefs throng the spot to catch a glimpse of the event of unity and integrity.   

Hemmed in the high ranges of hills, the must visit tourist spot in South Tripura district turns into a shrine where the devotees as well as the pilgrims realise their pledges. Since time immemorial, Tirthamukh had been a holy place of the Hindu Tripuri tribals where they flock to the place of worship.

Foreign and domestic tourists find it a good occasion to got to know the beauty, bounty and the unique tribal cultures and tradition in the two days fair. The same event also takes place in Amarpur, Mahamanipara, Kanchanpur in Larmanagar. But the main fair at Tirthamukh steals the show every year which has been witnessing a massive footfall of the domestic and foreign tourists.