The Legend of Unakoti: One less than a crore
India is a country filled with historical artefacts and heritage sites. One such heritage site that very few people are aware of is Unakoti. Located amidst lush green forests of the Jampui Hills in Tripura, Mizoram, and dating back to the seventh century, this place is considered a pilgrimage site. The Unakoti sculptures are about 178 kilometres from Agartala, Tripura’s capital city. An ancient gate made of stone leads to the massive rock sculptures strewn over the hillside. Serpentine bridges interspersed with broken staircases dot the entire hill.
The best time to visit Unakoti is during the Ashokastami Mela held during the month of April each year. This festival is the only reminder of the former importance of this old Shivaite pilgrimage site from the 8th or 9th century CE.
But what is the relevance of this name, Unakoti? Hang on, the answer is on its way!
The legend
One legend says that on his way to Kashi, Lord Shiva visited this place with 99,99,999 Gods! That's one less than a crore. The word Unakoti literally means one less than a crore (una means one short of, and koti means crore). The legend goes on to say that on the request of all the Gods and Goddesses, Lord Shiva decided to rest there for a night. After a night's rest, when Lord Shiva woke up the following day, he discovered that none of the other deities had woken up. So, Lord Shiva put a curse on everyone, turning them into stones. So, now, there are more than one crore sculptures adorning the hill of Unakoti. Some people truly believe that this is how the site full of stone murals came into existence. That is amazing, right?
The wonders of Unakoti
Unakoti is home to the head of Lord Shiva carved in stone, 30 feet in height. Locals refer to this carving of Shiva's head as Unakotiswara Kal Bhairava. On each side of Shiva’s head, figures of unknown women can be seen. Along with this sculpture, the place is filled with stone-carved murals scattered across the Unakoti hills. These murals depict various Hindu Gods and Goddesses. In addition, there are many larger-than-life figures of Lord Ganesha, Lord Hanumana, Goddess Durga and even Ravana. Large images of Nandi the Bull, who is Shiva’s vehicle, carved in stone and numerous other structures also adorn the hills of Unakoti. Rightly so, the hill is also called the ‘Lost Hill of Faces’.
By now, you must be wondering, who created these images and carvings. No one really knows. This is where the difference between fact and fiction starts to blur. Whether these carvings were made by real men long ago or are formed due to some mystic forces remains unclear and undocumented.