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Unakoti, 178 kms
from Agartala, is deservedly reputed for its 7th – 9th century stone and
rock cut images, deep in the forests near Kailashahar. The worship od Shiv
Shakti is an old tradition in Tripura and this is beautifully endorsed by
the 30 ft high Shiva head (The Unakotiswara Kal Bhairava) with an
embroidered headdress which forms part of one of the largest bas-relief in
the country, at Unakoti. On either side of the headdress of the central
Shiva are two life-size female figures. Three enormous images of the Nandi
bull lie half buried in the ground.
Legend has it that Lord Shiva on his way to Kashi, present day Varanasi,
with a crore of gods and goddesses stopped at Unakoti for the night. Before
retiring for the night he instructed them all to wake up before sunrise to
continue on their journey. Finding he was the only one up at the prescribed
time Lord Shiva left in a rage, turning his companions into stone images
with a curse. There is thus one stone imageless amongst the crore that you
will find at Unakoti.
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