Unakoti

Unakoti is located 178 kms to the North East from Agartala. It is 8kms to the East from Kailasahar, district headquarters of North Tripura district and 148kms to the South east from Silchar.

Unakoti hill meaning, one less a kuti (crore) in Bengali, hosts an ancient Shaivite place of worship with huge rock reliefs celebrating Shiva. It is the prime tourist spot of Tripura district. Unakoti is a beautiful place with marvellous rock carvings murals with their primitive beauty. The waterfalls here are an added bonus. The carvings are located at a beautifully landscaped forest area. The green vegetation all around add to the beauty of the carvings.

Unakoti, in its own way has a mythological significance too. It was built as an outcome of Lord Shiva’s curse to the God’s and goddesses.

Unakoti is a wonderful place with images and rock carvings of different figures. Two types of images are found in Unakoti - rock carved figures and stone images. Among all the figures, the Central Shiva head and Gigantic Ganesha figures deserve a special mention. The Central Shiva head is also known as Unakotishwara Kal Bhairava. It is about 30ft high includng an embroidered head dress which itself is 10ft high.

Many festivals are also celebrated in Unakoti. In the month of April, a big fair known as the Ashokastami mela is held. In January another smaller festivals take place. it is a major tourist destination.

The Govt. of India has approached to UNESCO to declare it as a world heritage site. Recently, the state has been granted Rs. 12 crore for the development of the area.