What Is The Mystery Of 9999999 Idols

Land of 9999999 Idols

If I tell you there's a place where you can find 9999999 idols of Gods and Goddesses within one kilometer of radius, what will be your answer? I assume your answer will be "In your dreams girl..."

Romain Rolland

                                    

"If there is any one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India... "

                                           - Romain Rolland

So whatever you can think of in your dreams, it takes shape in India. Today I will take you to the journey to a beautiful North Eastern state of India, Tripura.

Location of Tripura

Tripura is a hilly state in North East India. It is bordered on 3 sides by Bangladesh. It is a home of culture and religion. 

Map of Tripura

Kailasahar is a small city of Tripura situated in the exact border of Tripura and Bangladesh. But to find the mystery you have to go a little farther. The actual mystery lies within the forests of Kailasahar which is almost 10km from the main city. 

Map of Unakoti

The name of the place is Unakoti. The word Unakoti is a Bengali word which means one less than one Crore(10 million) . In Unakoti you will find several idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses made by carving out the rocks of the hills. It is said that there are 9999999 idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses and for this, the place is named "Unakoti".

Who made this idols and and when they were made is still a mystery. There are no historical evidence from which it can be known. All the stories about this place are mostly myth. 

Unakoti is a religious place for the Hindus. People from all over the country and even from Bangladesh come here to take blessings of God. As per the Indian Archaeological Survey, Unakoti is Asia's largest BAS Relief. 

Let's talk about the stories related to the creation of this place. There are several mythical stories about this place. 

Lord Shiva

The first and foremost story said that, once Lord Shiva along with 9999999 other Hindu Gods and Goddesses was going to Varanasi (for those who don't know Varanasi is considered to be the religious capital of India). During their journey towards Varanasi they all became very tired. So they proposed to take rest in Raghunandan hill of Unakoti. Lord Shiva permitted them to take rest for that night but also said that they will continue their journey in the morning. But all the Gods and Goddesses were so tired that they couldn't wake up in the morning. Lord Shiva was the only one who was able to wake up in the morning. He was very much disappointed to see all the other Gods and Goddesses sleep. So he decided to continue his journey all alone. He went on to his way to Varanasi without the other Gods and Goddesses. It is said that those 9999999 Gods and Goddesses who couldn't wake up that morning, became statues of rock. 

Idol of Lord Shiva in Unakoti

So this is the most believed story about the creation of Unakoti. But this story also makes us question it's authenticity. As per the story Lord Shiva left the place right? So there shouldn't be a rock statue of Lord Shiva. But there are several statues of Lord Shiva in Unakoti. How can this be possible? 

Unakotishwar

The tallest idol that can be found in Unakoti is the idol of Lord Shiva with his vahana(vehicle) Nandi. This idol of Lord Shiva is called Unakotishwar (god of Unakoti). Some people also call it Kal Bhairava. People from all over the country come to worship Unakotishwar.

Shiva with Almond Shaped Eyes

 

The Shiva idol of Unakoti is different from all other Shiva idols. The Shiva idols of Unakoti have almond shaped eyes. This type of eyes can be seen in the statues of Goutam Buddha. This gives us one more reason to believe that the Buddhist had made these statues. But this also is totally an assumption. 

Some people believe that the Shiva idol of Unakoti looks like the people of North East India. So people believe that the idol of Lord Shiva is actually the idol of Subrai who is considered to be the God of the tribals of Unakoti. So it can be possible that the idols of Lord Shiva in Unakoti are actually the idols of Subrai. 

Lord Shiva With Goddess Parvati

The tribal people of Unakoti have their own version of story about the creation of Unakoti. The main character of their story is Kallu Kumar who is considered to be the son of Lord Vishwakarma (the architect God). According to their story Kallu Kumar was a devotee of Goddess Parvati, wife of Lord Shiva. He wanted to accompany the deity to their home, Kilash Parvat. But Lord Shiva did not like this proposal. So Lord Shiva suggested Kallu Kumar to crave out 1 crore images of Shiva in one night. Kallu Kumar worked all night long but was only able to make 9999999 idols. He failed and did not get the opportunity to go to Kailash Parvat. That's why there are 9999999 idols in Unakoti. 

Different tribes have their different version of stories. Some of the tribes said that Kallu Kumar was the best architect of the world. So he was asked to make idols of 1 crore(10 million) Hindu Gods and Goddesses. He was working day and night to complete his job. But at the end he became selfish. He made 9999999 idols of Gods and Goddesses. For his final work he made his own statue. 

Idols of Gods and Goddesses in Unakoti

The religious version of the story is different from all other stories. When the Kalyug (the last of the four stages of the "cycle of Yugas") started all the Gods and Goddesses decided to leave Earth to go to Heaven. According to the Purana (religious book of Hindus) the human civilization will degenerate during Kali yuga. So the Gods and Goddesses didn't want to stay on earth. Before leaving Earth the Gods and Goddesses decided to keep there images on earth so that the people on earth can worship them. So they carved their own images on the hills. 

The stories are all legends. The truth behind the 9999999 rock statues is still a mystery. Some historians say that these statues were built in the time of the Pala Dynasty, some say they were built by Buddhist monks and some say these statues were built in the 8th century. Whatever the reason is, Unakoti being Asia's largest Bas relief is a must watch. So just go and enjoy the divine peace as well as the architecture of Unakoti.