About 55 km from Agartala, Tripura Sundari Temple it is situated in the ancient Udaipur. It is believed to be one of the holiest Hindu shrines in this part of the country. The temple is located in a small hillock popularly known as Matabari. It is served by the red-robed priests who are traditional ministers of the mother goddess- Sundari.
According to mythology, Lord Vishnu had cut off the body of Mata Sati into 51 pieces with his ‘Sudarshana Chakra’ and all these pieces fell at different places throughout the country and these places are known as ‘Shaktipeeths’ and the Sundari Temple is one among the 51 others. It is said that 'right foot' of Mata Sati fell at Matabari on the southwestern outskirts of Udaipur town. This ‘pithasthan’ (centre of pilgrimage) is also known as Kurma Pith because the shape of the temple premises resembles that of "Kurma" or tortoise. The idol of ‘Maa Kali’, presiding deity of the temple, stands in thesanctum. It is made of reddish black stone, and is popularly known in Bengali as ‘Kashtipathar’.
It was built in 1501 A.D by the then Maharja Dhanya Manikya. This temple today harbours hundreds of devotees. The Goddess ‘Kali’ is worshiped in her incarnation as ‘Shoroshi’ (sixteen year old girl) . An idol of smaller size of Maa Kali called 'Chotto Maa’stands beside the presiding deity. It is believed thatthe kings used to carry it during hunting expeditions and also during war for worship in tents. The temple consists of square type sanctum of the typical Bengali hut structure with a conical dome.In the eastern side of the temple there is a famous Kalyan Sagar where fishes and tortoises are found in very huge size. Here devotees can feed them with "muri" (puffed rice) and biscuits. This makes the temple interesting for even children. The fishes are looked after with utmost care and so its a 'No fishing' zone. Though there is no particular time for visiting this temple but every year on ‘Diwali’, a famous ‘Mela’ or fair takes place near the temple which is visited by more than two lakhs pilgrims.
The temple is 3 km from Udaipur and is well linked by NH 44 which connects Agartala with many north eastern state. It is connected by regular bus services with all sub-divisional towns of Tripura. Besides, bus service is also available from Silchar, Guwahati, Karimganj and Shillong. The temple being very close to the state, creates an easy access to accommodation for the tourists coming to visit the Tripura Sundari Temple. Though not of very high class, you may find hotels, which may be convenient and comfortable for you.
