Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

1126 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Early medieval · Hindu · India

Unakoti

ঊনকোটি

Unakoti district, Tripura · 24.3170°, 92.0670°

Shiva (Unakotiswara Kal Bhairava)Deva of SamatataRock-cut
Sacred since
600 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
7th-9th c.
Deva of Samatata

History & significance

A Shaiva rock-cut site in northern Tripura carved with colossal reliefs, chief among them a Shiva head some thirty feet high with an elaborate headdress, along with a giant Ganesha and several Nandi figures. An inscription of the 11th-12th century records a pilgrim named Sri Jayadeva; the site is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India and was added to UNESCO's tentative list in December 2022.

Sthala katha — the legend

Shiva is said to have travelled towards Kashi with one crore companions who overslept, and on waking alone he cursed them into stone, leaving one short of a crore.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Deva of Samatata