Unakoti
Unakoti Rock Reliefs, On UNESCO'S Tentative List; A Protected Monument · Kailashahar, Tripura
A hillside in the forested Raghunandan hills of northern Tripura, covered in enormous rock-cut reliefs of Hindu deities carved into the cliff faces and boulders, probably between the seventh and ninth centuries. The centrepiece is Unakotiswara Kal Bhairava, a head of Shiva around ten metres high with an elaborate headdress, flanked by figures of goddesses, alongside a great Ganesh relief and many smaller carvings scattered along a stream and a valley of steps. The name means one less than a crore, ten million, after a legend that Shiva turned an entire gathering of gods to stone except himself. The site is on UNESCO's Tentative List and draws pilgrims especially during the Ashokastami festival in spring. It is remote, a long drive from Agartala, the state capital, near the town of Kailashahar, and receives few visitors from outside the northeast, which is exactly its appeal for those who make it. The carvings are weathered and surrounded by jungle, and the monsoon makes the steps treacherous. Agartala's Ujjayanta Palace is the other main sight of the state.
Unakoti, near Kailashahar, Kailashahar, Tripura, 799277, India
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED; confirm locally before the long drive. The usual pattern: open in daylight hours, roughly from sunrise to sunset, with no staff or lighting after dark; the Ashokastami festival, around March or April, draws crowds and a fair. In the monsoon, roughly June to September, parts of the steps or paths may be closed after heavy rain, and roads can be cut. THE TRAPS: attempting a day trip from Agartala and arriving in the afternoon, wet steps in the rains, and leaving the site after dark.