Devtamura, a nondescript place in Tripura located on the steep slopes of a hill along the banks of the Gomati river, where panels of 15th-century rock carvings are present, is all set to welcome tourists. The carvings comprise 37 sculptures of Hindu gods and goddesses like Shiva, Ganesha, Kartikeya, Durga and Her Mahishasurmardini avatar. Although the creator of these beautiful deities is unknown, as the place is quite remote and inhabited mainly by Jamatiya and Reang tribes, the carvings do make a beautiful sight, as photographs shared on social media show.
The place is being brought on the tourism map as part of an initiative by the state government, news agency PTI reported.
The chiselled masterpiece of Devtamura, also known as Chabimura, which is located around 75 kilometres from Agartala, had fallen into obscurity due to a long-running insurgency and a lack of adequate infrastructure suitable for tourism, including roads and lodging options.
According to the PTI report, Tourism Minister Pranajit Singha Roy said the tourism infrastructure of the state is being developed to welcome visitors and increase the number of footfalls to the archaeological site at Devtamura.
He said: "Tourism brings together different cultures and creates good people-to-people relationships. We are attaching maximum importance to this sector and creating more infrastructure to increase footfalls of tourists."
As people have begun to travel again, now that the pandemic is at bay, tourism at Tripura has also felt its impact as the minister said the state is supposed to be witnessing a steady rise in the number of tourists.
Initiatives Taken To Promote Tourism:
Talking about the latest developments made, Singha Roy said that the complete stretch between Amarpur, a sub-divisional town, to Devtamura in the Gomati district, which is about 12 kilometres, has been recently widened. To further promote tourism and welcome visitors to the state, a tourist lodge has also been constructed and a boating facility has been introduced. As a result, one can reach the banks of the Gomati river in a car and then undertake the rest of the journey by boat.
What Historians Say About The Origin Of The Rock Carvings
Historian Jahar Acharjee, who studied the carvings on rock-cut sculpture, wrote that available evidence suggests that the carvings have been made by some of the soldiers who went into hiding in that area during an attack by Muslim aggressors in the 15th century, the PTI report said.
However, writer Panna Lal Roy, who has also studied the sculptures, contradicted Acharjee's contention and told PTI: "There is no historical evidence to support it and that it needs more research to find the creators."
The origin of the name, 'Devtamura', is said to be mentioned in the historical chronicle of Tripura, titled 'Rajmala'. According to the book, the local Reang tribes, who rebelled against the Manikya kings, had named the place so. Roy said that the tribes later became loyal to the Manikiya kings.
How To Reach Devtamura
One can only access this home of the gods by walking through the dense jungles that cover the hill ranges. The path leading to the riverbank where the rock-cut images are located is also visually appealing. Additionally, it is a hub for ecotourism.
The height of the first panel measures 10.3 m, is spread over a length of 28m and is south-facing. The monolith on which the carvings were done stands at an almost 90-degree angle.
The area to the right of the panel extends up to 60 m where some other sculptures existed. At present, some of them have been lost due to weathering and sliding of the rock panels.
The Deity Of Chakrak-Maa
About a kilometre from the first panel, the second depiction of Mahishasurmardini is located at a height of over 10 metres above the river bed. The natives worship the deity as Chakrak-Maa, and this carving is the largest of all. The carving is 7.70 m broad and 10.70 m high. The face is round-shaped with dishevelled hair in a number of hair locks. The rock-cut picture has ten arms, where nine of the arms are shown to be clutching weapons, while the bottom one is grasping the demon king's hair. Due to erosion and vegetation growth, the weapons are mostly indistinct.
Manas Paul, who authored 'Eye witness', a book on militancy in Tripura, said Devtamura was completely inaccessible until 2004 during the three decades of insurgency due to the presence of National Liberation Front of Tripura.