Holy Pilgrimage – Temples in Tripura State at 9:58 PM

Holy Pilgrimage – Temples in  Tripura State

Tripura

Tripura   is a state in North East India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers 10,491 km² (4,051 sq mi) and is bordered by Bangladesh to the north, south, and west; the Indian states of Assam and Mizoram lie to its east. Five mountain ranges run north to south, with intervening valleys, while to the west Agartala, the capital, is located on a plain. The state has a tropical savanna climate, with seasonal heavy rains from the south west monsoon. Forests cover more than half of the area, in which Bamboo and cane forests are common. Tripura has the highest number of primate species found in any Indian state.
The area of modern Tripura was part of an independent Tripuri kingdom that ruled for several centuries. It was a princely state during British rule, and joined the newly-independent India in 1949. Ethnic strife between the indigenous people and Bengali population has led to tension and scattered violence since its integration into the country, but the establishment of an autonomous tribal administrative agency and other strategies have soothed such conflicts. The state is peaceful as of 2012.
Tripura lies in a geographically disadvantageous location in India, as only one major highway connects it with the rest of the country. This hinders the economic prospects of the state. Poverty and unemployment continue to plague Tripura, which has a limited infrastructure. Most residents are involved in agriculture and allied activities, although the service sector is the largest contributor to the state's gross domestic product.
Indigenous communities, known in India as Scheduled tribes, constitute about 30 per cent of the population. The Kokborok-speaking Tripuri people form the major group among 19 tribes and many other subtribes; Bengali people form the ethno-linguistic majority. Mainstream Indian cultural elements, especially from Bengali culture, coexist with traditional practices of the ethnic groups, such as various dances to celebrate religious occasions, weddings and festivities; the worship of regional deities; and the use of locally-crafted musical instruments

Origin of name

The origin of the name Tripura is the subject of many theories. Tripura appears to be a Sanskritised version of Tipra, one name for the indigenous people inhabiting the area. One theory suggests that the name is derived from two Kokborok words tui and pra, meaning "water" and "near" The boundaries of Tripura extended to the Bay of Bengal when the kings of the Twipra Kingdom held sway from the Garo Hills of Meghalaya to Arakan, the present Rakhine State of Burma;  so the name may reflect vicinity to the sea. According to another school of thought, the word Tripura originated from Tripura Sundari, the presiding deity of the Tripura Sundari Temple at Udaipur, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas (pilgrimage centres of Shaktism).  Yet another theory attributes the name to the legendary tyrant king Tripur, who reigned in the region. Tripur was the 39th descendant of Druhyu, who belonged to the lineage of Yayati, a king of the Lunar Dynasty.

History

The State of Tripura has a long history. The Kingdom of Tripura in its peak included the whole eastern region of Bengal from the Brahmaputra river in the north and west, the Bay of Bengal in the south and Burma to the east during the 14th and 15th centuries AD.
The last ruler of the princely state of Tripura was Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur who reigned from 1947-1949 Agartala after whom the kingdom was merged with India on 9 September 1949 and the administration was taken over on 15 October 1949

Mythological period

The origins of the kingdom is shrouded in the myths written in Rajmala, the chronicle of the Kings of Tripura, which meanders from Hindu mythologies and Tripuri folklores.

Ancient period

The ancient period can be said from around 7th century when the Tripuri kings ruled from Kailashahar in North Tripura and they used "Fa" as their title, "pha" in Kokborok means "Father" or "Head".

Historical period

The Kings of Tripura adopted the "Manikya" title and shifted their capital to Udaipur (formerly Rangamati) on the banks of river Gomti in South Tripura in the 14th century. These was their most glorious period and their power and fame was even acknowledged by the Mughals, who were their contemporaries in North India.

Modern period

The modern period starts after the domination of the kingdom by the Mughals and the further tribute to the British India after the British defeated the Mughals. In 1871, the British Indian government appointed an agent to assist the Maharaja in the administration. During this period the capital of the kingdom was shifted to Agartala, in West Tripura the present state capital in the early part of 19th century.
After India's independence, the princely state of Tripura was merged with the Union of India in 1949. Tripura became a Union Territory on 1 July 1963 and attained the status of a full-fledged state on 21 January 1972.

Transport

Auto rickshaws are a common form of transport in Agartala, as in most towns and cities across India, and provide a cheap and efficient means of getting about. The newest, environmentally friendly, versions run on compressed natural gas.

Tripura is remarkable in that only one major road, the National Highway 44 (NH-44), connects it to the rest of India. The national highway starts at Sabroom in southern Tripura, goes north to the capital Agartala, turns east and then north-east to enter the state of Assam. Locally known as "Assam Road", the NH-44 is often called the lifeline of Tripura. However, the highway is single lane and of poor quality; often landslides, rains or other disruptions on the highway cut off the state from its neighbours  Another National Highway, NH 44A, connects the town Manu in South Tripura district with Aizawl, Mizoram.
The Tripura Road Transport Corporation is the government agency overlooking public transport on road. A hilly and land-locked state, Tripura is dependent mostly on roads for transport.  The total length of roads in the state is 16,931 km (10,520 mi) of which national highways constitute 448 km (278 mi) and state highways 689 km (428 mi), as of 2009–10.
Rail transport was absent in the state until 2008–09 when a rail connection was established between the capital Agartala and Lumding junction in Assam.  This is a meter gauge rail track connecting to the usual Indian gauge at Lumding. The major railways stations in this line are in Agartala, Dharmanagar, and Kumarghat. As of 2009–10, the total length of railway tracks in the state is 153 kilometres (95 mi). Extension of railway line from Agartala to the southernmost town of Sabroom is in progress, as of 2012.  Agartala Airport, which has flights to Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, and Silchar, is the main airport of the state. The Agartala–Kolkata and Agartala–Guwahati flights are particularly important for rapid connectivity with the rest of India. Passenger helicopter services are available between the capital and major towns (Kailashahar, Dharmanagar) as well as to more remote areas such as Kanchanpur and Gandacherra.  
Residents in rural areas frequently use waterways as a mode of transport.

 

Flora and fauna

 

Tripura, like most of the Indian subcontinent, lies within the Indomalaya ecozone. According to the Biogeographic classification of India, the state is in the "North-East" biogeographic zone As of 2011, forests cover 57.73 per cent area of the state. Tripura hosts three different types of ecosystems: mountain, forest and freshwater. The evergreen forests on the hill slopes and the sandy river banks are dominated by species such as Dipterocarpus, Artocarpus, Amoora, Elaeocarpus, Syzygium and Eugenia. Two types of moist deciduous forests comprise majority of the vegetation: moist deciduous mixed forest and Sal (Shorea robusta)-predominant forest.  The interspersion of bamboo and cane forests with deciduous and evergreen flora is a peculiarity of Tripura's vegetation.^[34] Grasslands and swamps are also present, particularly in the plains. Herbaceous plants, shrubs, and trees such as Albizia, Barringtonia, Lagerstroemia, Macaranga flourish in the swamps of Tripura. Shrubs and grasses include Schumannianthus dichotoma (shitalpati), Phragmites and Saccharum (sugarcane).

Culture

The diverse ethno-linguistic groups of Tripura have given rise to a composite culture.  The dominant ethnic groups are Bengali, Manipuri, Tripuris, Jamatia, Reang, Noatia, Koloi, Murasing, Chakma, Halam, Garo, Kuki, Mizo, Mogh, Munda, Oraon, Santhal, and Uchoi. Bengali people represent the largest ethno-linguist community of the state. Bengali culture, as a result, is the main non-indigenous culture. Indeed many elite tribal families which reside in towns have actively embraced Bengali culture and language.  The Tripuri kings were great patrons of Bengali culture, especially literature;  Bengali language was the language of the court. The Nobel laureate Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore had notable friendship with the kings. Elements of Bengali culture, such as Bengali literature, Bengali music, and Bengali cuisine are widespread, particularly in the urban areas of the state.
Tripura is noted for bamboo and cane handicrafts.  Bamboo, wood and cane are used to create an array of furniture, utensils, hand-held fans, replicas, mats, baskets, idols and interior decoration materials.  Music and dance are integral to the culture of the state. Some local musical instruments are the sarinda, chongpreng, and sumui (a type of flute).  Each indegenous community has its own repertoire of songs and dances performed during weddings, religious occasions, and other festivities. The Tripuri and Jamatia people perform goria dance during the Goria puja. Jhum dance (also called tangbiti dance), lebang dance, mamita dance, and mosak sulmani dance are other Tripuri dance forms Reang community, the second largest scheduled tribe of the state, is noted for its hojagiri dance that is performed by young girls balanced on earthen pitchers.  Bizhu dance is performed by the Chakmas during the Bizhu festival (the last day of the month of Chaitra). Other dance forms include wangala dance of the Garo people, hai-hak dance of the Halam branch of Kuki people, and sangrai dance and owa dance of the Mog.

Agartala

Agartala   (Bengali: আগরতলা Agortôla) is the capital of the Indian state of Tripura and is second largest city in North-east India after Guwahati,  both in municipal area and population. It lies on the bank of Haroa River and is located 2 km from Bangladesh. Agartala has temples and palaces. As per 2011 census, Population of Agartala city is 399,688. The population of Agartala was 367,822 in 2004 after the municipal expansion  (189,327 in the 2001 census).  The Noble laureate Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore visited the city more than once and also built a house that still exists.

 Foundation

The ancient capital of the then Princely State ‘Swadhin Tripura’ was at Rangamati (Udaipur, South Tripura) by the bank of the river Gomati. In 1760 it was shifted by the Maharaja Krishna Chandra Manikya Bahadur (r.1829-1849) of Manikya Dynasty  to present old Agartala by the bank of the river Howrah/saidra and was named ‘Haveli’. Due to frequent invasion of the Kuki's and also to keep easy communication with the British Bengal, the Maharaja Krishna Chandra Manikya started the process of shifting the capital from Old Haveli to New Haveli (present Agartala) in 1849.

Planned city

Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur is called the founder of the planned city of Agartala. During the 1940s the town area was re-organised in a planned manner with new roads and a market building.
Hinduism is the dominant religion and there are many temples across the city.
Temples Some prominent temples are:

• Lakshmi Narayan Templein the Palace Compound.
• Jagannath Temple.
• Ram Thakur's Ashram in Banamalipur.
• Durga Bari Temple in the Palace Compound
• Pagla Debata Temple, Agartala Old Motorstand
• Satsanga Bihar, Krishnanagar
• Kalibari Temple in the Palace Compound
• Baba Loknath Temple, Laxmi Narayan Bari Road
• Umamaheshwar Temple(Shibbari), Central Road
• Ramkrishna Mission, Math Chowmani (Near Dhaleswar), Gandhi Ghat & Amtali
• Bhavatarani Temple, Melarmath
• Pagli masi Temple, Melaghar
• Universal Prayer Hall is at the Ramakrishna Mission Dhaleswar Complex in Agartala.

 

Transportation

Airport

Agartala is connected by air, via Agartala Airport which connects it to other cities in India. There are direct flight connections to Kolkata, Imphal, Delhi, Silchar, Aizwal, Guwahati, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Agartala airport is the second busiest airport in north east India after Guwahati. The airport is located in Singerbhil 12.5 km (6.7 nautical miles) northwest from the heart of the city of Agartala. The major airlines are Air India, Jet Airways (Operating Codeshare and Konnect Flights), Indigo Airlines and Spicejet.
Planning is going on to upgrade the Airport building with better facilities & modern equipments

Roads

National Highway 44 connects Agartala to Assam and the rest of India by road. The highways (NH44, NH 44A) connects Agartala with Silchar (317 km), Guwahati (599 km), Shillong (499 km), Dharmanagar (200 km) and Aizawl (443 km). A bus service connects it to Dhaka (150 km).
Agartala is well connected by road to other parts of Tripura state. National highway 44 has been extended to the south, thus improving the road connectivity between Agartala and south Tripura. Buses, Jeeps, Trekkers and SUVs are the most popular public carriers, and cars and vans are usually used for private hire.
The main mode of transport within the city consists of a network of cycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws and buses.

Railways

Agartala has been connected to other cities in India since June 2008. The foundation stone for the 119 km Kumarghat-Agartala railway project was laid in 1996 by former prime minister H D Deve Gowda

 Agartala is the second capital city (after Guwahati, Assam) in the northeast to be connected to the country's railway network.

A rail link between Agartala and Akhaura, Bangladesh was approved by the Government of India in September 2011

 

 

Lakshmi Narayan Temple, Agartala

 

A temple dedicated to the Hindu God Lakshminarayan located in the Ujjayanta Palace ground in the city of Agartala, Tripura state, India. The temple was constructed by the King of Tripura, Birendra Kishore Manikya (r. 1909-1923), a century ago.

 

Unakoti

Unakoti hill, literally meaning, less a crore in Bengali, hosts an ancient Shaivite place of worship with huge rock-cut images and stone idols of Lord Shiva. It is the prime tourist spot of North Tripura District in the Kailashahar Subdivision in the North-eastern Indian state of Tripura.

Description

It is a historic Shaiba pilgrimage spot and dates back to 7th – 9th centuries if not earlier. While the marvelous rock carvings, murals with their primitive beauty form the chief attraction, natural beauty including mountain scenery and waterfalls are an added bonus.

Iconography

The images found at Unakoti are of two types: namely rock-carved figures and stone images. Among the rock cut carvings, the central Shiva head and gigantic Ganesha figures deserve special mention. The central Shiva head known as Unakotiswara Kal Bhairava is about 30 feet high including an embroidered head-dress which itself is 10 feet high. On each side of the head-dress of the central Shiva, there are two full size female figures - one of Durga standing on a lion and another female figure on the other side. In addition three enormous images of Nandi Bull are found half buried in the ground. There are various other stone as well as rock cut images at Unakoti.

Festival

Every year a big fair popularly known as Ashokastami Mela is held in the month of April which is visited by thousands of pilgrims. Another smaller festival takes place in January.

Location

Unakoti lies 178 km to the northeast from Agartala which has the closest airport, 8 km to the east from Kailashahar, district headquarters of North Tripura District, 148 km to the south-east from Silchar. The nearest railway station is about 20 km away at Kumarghat on the Lumding-Agartala line.

Preservation

The site has suffered centuries of neglect causing degradation and loss of considerable scale to the rock art. Since its adoption by the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) as a heritage site, the situation has slightly improved, though a lot of work including substantial excavation remains to be undertaken.The government of India has approached to UNESCO to declare it as a world heritage site. The Centre has recently granted Rs 12 crore to the state for developing the area, 178 km from here, as a major tourist destination.

Unakoti Myth

Once lord Shiva was going to Varanasi along 1 crore god and goddesses including him.On the way they thought of taking rest and shelter on this hill for night, before going to bed lord Shiva strictly warned them to get up at the dawn before the sun rises and leave for Varanasi.The following morning only lord Shiva got up and nobody else woke up being in angry mood he cursed them to become stone sculptures or images and stay there forever and ever.Since then we are having images numbering less than one crore sculptured on unakoti hill
According to the regional people, there was a sculptor & potter named Kallu Kumhar.The local tribals believe that it was Kallu Kumhar who had carved all these images. He was a devotee of Parvati and wanted to accompany Shiva and Parvati to their abode on Kailash Parvat. On Parvati’s persuasion Shiva agreed to take Kallu to Kailash if he would sculpt a koti images of Shiva in one night. Kallu worked as a man possessed. But as the dawn broke the number of images was still one less than a koti. Shiva who was keen to get rid of this nuisance called Kallu, used this excuse to leave behind Kallu Kumhar and his images at Unakoti.

 

Tripura Sundari Temple, Agartala

 

Tripura Sundari Temple is situated in the ancient Udaipur, about 55 km from Agartala, believed to be one of the holiest Hindu shrines in this part of the country. Popularly known as Matabari, crowns in a small hillock and is served by the red-robed priests who traditionally, minister to the mother goddess Tripura Sundari. Considered to be one of the 51 Shakti Peethas, consists of a square type sanctum of the typical Bengali hut. It is believed that Sati's right foot fell here during Lord Shiva's Nataraj Dance. The temple consist a square type sanctum with a conical dome. It was constructed by Maharaja Dhanya Manikya Debbarma in 1501, there are two identical images of the same deity inside the temple. They are known as Tripura Sundari (5 feet high) and Chhotima (2 feet high) in Tripura. The idol of Maa Kali is worshiped at the temple of Tripura Sundari in the form of 'Soroshi'. One is made of kasti stone which is reddish black in colour. It is believed that the idol was Chhotima was carried by king in battlefield. This temple is also known as Kurma Pitha because it the temple premises resembles kurma i.e. tortoise. Every year on Diwali, a famous Mela takes place near the temple which is visited by more than two lakhs pilgrims. (Information presented by Dr.Kamal Majumdar, Rajarbag, Udaipur. New info will be added soon).

 

Legend

Legend has it that king Dhanyamanikya who ruled Tripura in the closing years of the 15th century, had a revelation one night in his dream, ordering him to install Goddess Tripurasundari in the temple that stood on a hilltop near the town of Udaipur. The temple was already dedicated to Lord Vishnu, and the king was confounded initially, unable to decide how a temple dedicated to Vishnu could have an idol of the consort of Shiva. However, the oracle repeated the divine injunction to the king once again the following night, thereafter the ruler decided to obey the ethereal command, notwithstanding the fact that Vishnu and Shiva typified two different sects of religious following. Thus, the Tripura Sundari temple came into being in around the year 1501, and is now about 500 years old. This legend is recounted as one of the example of how solidarity between the two sub groups, the Vaishnava and Shaiva sects, was known and fostered even during medieval times.

About The Temple

Goddess Parvati (also spelt as Partvathi) is worshipped here as Tripurasundari, Tripureshwari and "Soroshi" (a local variation of the name). The temple is a small, square edifice, measuring just 24 square feet (7 square metres) at the base with a height of 75 feet (24m approximately). The structure of the shrine resembles that of a tortoise, with a roof shaped like the humped back of a tortoise. For this reason, the shrine is also known as "Koorma Peetha" (Koorma meaning Tortoise). As in other typical Hindu shrines, stalls along the approach road sell flowers and baskets of offerings that visitors can buy and take up to be offered to Tripura Sundari and returned as Prasadam. A specialty here is the sweet, brown, condensed milk Pedas that devotees carry back from the temple, to be distributed among family and friends back home. The red hibiscus flower is also prized as an offering.

Tourist Attraction

All though the shrine draws devotees of all denominations and sects all year round (including some foreigners who are fascinated by the tribal heritage of Tripura and adjacent states of the Northeast, the crowds are particularly thick during Deepavali or Diwali (festival of lights), when a major fair turns the place into a tourist attraction.

Animal Sacrifice

Tripura is largely a tribal region and some customs typical of tribal communities have crept into the rituals of worship at the temple. One such custom is the offering of animal sacrifices (as in Bengal and in the famous Kamakhya temple in Guwahati). Goats are brought with garlands round their necks, as offerings. A notice board lists the charges for buffalo sacrifices, but these are obviously rare today. There are elements here of the Durga cult and rites, so popular in the eastern regions including Bengal, signifying an aggressive manifestation of the goddess as against the "Shanta-Swaroopini" image of Parvathi's incarnations, as at Madurai, for instance

Kalyan Sagar

Kalyan Sagar lies in the eastern side of the temple. Spreading over 6.4 acres, with a length of 224 yards and width of 160 yards this large expanse of water adds a dimension of great beauty to the temple precincts, with hills rising picturesquely in the background. The water is full of Tortoises, some of them quite large, that come up to the shore looking for crumbs of food that visitors buy at the nearby stalls and feed to these amphibians, as part of the rituals. Devotees feed them with "muri" and biscuits. Fishing is not permitted in the Kalyan Sagar. A big lake Kalyan Sagar just down to the Hillock at the backside of the Temple adds to its beauty. This natural pond has varieties of aqua species. The area of the Kalyan Sagar Lake is 2.752 acre. The lake is considered sacred and devotees worship the fishes and tortoises present here. Kalyan Sagar is famous for very rare species of tortoise in large numbers. The Matabari Temple Committee is cementing the banks of Kalyan Sagar Lake for the last 2-3 years. The water of the lake became acidic due to destruction of the ecosystem around the lake. This has resulted in death of tortoise, as the cemented embankments spoiled the natural habitat as well as places for laying eggs for this turtles. 

 

Agartala Jagannath Mandir

Located within the Ujjayanta Palace grounds in Agartala, India this temple is dedicated to the Hindu Gods Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra. Built in the 19th century by then Maharaja of Tripura, Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya, this temple with an octogonal base has four stories .The temple is adorned with bright orange stepped up Shikharas.

 

 

Chaturdasha Temple

 

The Chaturdasha Temple is a Hindu temple (mandir) situated near Old Agartala, India, and features the Bengal dome patterned after the roofs of village huts in Bengal. The dome is surmounted by a stupa-like structure which reveals traces of Buddhist influence. This temple was built in honour of fourteen Gods and Goddessess, together called the Chaturdasha Devata, by King Krishna Manikya Debbarma of Tripura and these deities are ceremoniously worshipped during Kharchi Puja. The Kokborok names of the fourteen deities are Lampra, Akhatra, Bikhatra, Burasa, Thumnairok, Bonirok, Sangroma, Mwtaikotor, Twima, Songram, Noksumwtai, Mailuma, Khuluma and Swkalmwtai.

 

Om Tat Sat

                                                        

(Continued...)                                                                                                                              

(My humble  salutations to the great devotees ,  wikisources  and Pilgrimage tourist guide for the collection )