Taran couldn’t sit still. They had boarded a taxi at Agartala, Tripura, to Unakoti, which was about 170 km away. He exclaimed, “99,99,999 carvings!”
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“Did you know Unakoti means one less that a crore in Bengali? That’s where the place gets its name from. The abode of 99,99,999 carvings on stones,” said Appa.
When they got off the taxi and began to walk, it was dense jungle all around. “I feel like I have been transported into an adventure movie and the hero has to break a centuries old curse,” said Taran.
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Mythical connection
“…And bring all the carvings back to life?” quipped Amma, fuelling his imagination. “Strangely, legend has it that Lord Shiva was passing through this jungle along with 99,99,999 followers — not Instagram ones. At night, when they decided to rest, he instructed that the journey would resume at the crack of dawn. At sunrise, only he was awake; so, in his anger, he turned everyone to stone and went ahead alone.”
“Whoa,” said Taran. “What a temper. I’m sure our school bus driver would do the same if he could, whenever anyone is late.”
“So maybe — the carvings are waiting for a saviour,” Amma smiled.
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Soon, they reached the base of the carving known locally as Unakotishwara Kaal Bhairav. Over 30 ft tall with a 10 ft headdress carved on a single rock, it was arresting. “Trilochana (three eyes) but no eyeballs,” pointed out Taran, “and large earrings. Lord Shiva really looks cool.”
Mystery
Tiny waterfalls trickled down and everything was green, quiet and still. The rocky hills had stone sculptures. The place was mysterious. Of the other carvings, Taran liked the three Ganeshas: two standing and one sitting. The guide said that the carvings were scattered in the forest and some were being excavated. They spotted a couple of Nandis half buried in the ground.
“Who created all this?” asked Taran.
“Archaeologists say that these carvings date back to the eighth to 11th centuries, though there is evidence of Paleolithic and Neolithic Age civilisations,” explained Appa. “Local lore has it that a sculptor called Kallu, a devotee of Goddess Parvati, wanted to accompany Lord Shiva to Mt. Kailash. Lord Shiva wasn’t keen, so he gave him the task of completing one crore carvings before dawn. Excited, Kallu set to work and, because he was so skilled, he almost made it. However, he was just one short but Lord Shiva used that as an excuse to leave him behind.”
“Wow! Lord Shiva was not a God to be messed with!” said Taran, as they headed back to the taxi, awestruck by the beauty and mystery of Unakoti.