Unakoti

Unakoti means one less than a crore, and the name comes from a legend that Shiva was travelling with ninety-nine lakh ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine other gods, who were turned to stone when they failed to wake at dawn. What is actually there is a group of rock reliefs and stone images cut into a forested hillside beside a stream, the largest a Shiva head some ten metres high with an elaborate headdress, flanked by figures of Durga and Ganesha several metres each. The date is uncertain, generally placed between the seventh and twelfth centuries, and who made them is unresolved.

What you actually see

• The great Shiva head - a ten-metre relief with a carved headdress.
• The flanking figures - Durga and Ganesha carved several metres high.
• The scattered images - stone figures across the hillside and stream bed.
• The forest setting - jungle hillside with a waterfall beside the carvings.

When to go

October to March; the monsoon makes the hillside slippery though the stream and waterfall run best then. The Ashokashtami mela in April brings pilgrims.

Honest expectations

Many carvings are eroded, moss-covered or damaged. The site is remote in northern Tripura with limited facilities. Steps down to the carvings are steep and wet. Interpretation is minimal given the unresolved history.

Nearby

Kailashahar lies west; Agartala is south.