Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti

Tripoto
28th Nov 2019
Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das
Day 1

That was kind of sudden plan of ours. My collegues’ wedding invitation plus a long waited invitation from a friend over there, plus one another issue which is not to be mentioned!

So We booked our flight ticket and got backpacks ready within 7 days.

The flight was Indigo 6E 139. Kolkata to Agartala , departing 7:30 am. ✈️

Kolkata NSCBI Airport , Terminal 2

Photo of Tripura, India by Biswapriya Das

Dawn , NSCBI Airport, Kolkata

Photo of Tripura, India by Biswapriya Das

And we arrived Agartala Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport on 40 mints, crossing another country then again landing on to the same country I belong! The sky has changed to deep blue. And fresh lighter air welcomed us in the new state we’re going to explore. The pollution level in Agartala is far better than Kolkata.

our flight. and the blue sky which i usually miss at Kolkata

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

agartala airport

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

interior. so exhibiting the arts and tourism of tripura

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

outside of the airport

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

My friend came to pick us up in Airport.

So There’s plenty of shared car and hiring car options available in Airport. Public transport is not very well in Tripura and there’s no Uber/Ola service available in Agartala even, so better to book a car, He had pre-reserved a Swift Dzire for us, which is too comfie for having a long journey in Hills.

We started our car at around 9:30 am from airport.

And our first destination is Unakoti in Kailasahar. Which is roughly 4.5 hour journey in hilly terrain.

Breakfast Halt.Champaknagar. Driver told us that the road ahead is full of Hills so won’t get much

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

The first lapse on Hills . Baramura range on Khowai district. the excessive winding highway made us sick ! But it’s a blessing indeed to see such natural contrast of blue green and yellow

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

We took Assam-Agartala highway from Agartala heading towards North Tripura. After crossing Jirania Champaknagar the hills started. Driver told us that we have to cross three ranges chronologically Baramura,Atharomura,Longtharai to reach Unokoti hills. So we got prepared accordingly with Domperidone in stomach.

The towns of Teliamura.Ambassa.ManuBazar were on the way we crossed. And then before reaching Kumarghat we had a small halt in a jungleside tea stall. Named it “ Rockey-r chaa er dokan”

tea stall and the owners home in the midst of forest

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

Pradip, my hubby (pampering the cute puppy, on his name I named the tea stall) and my friend Rupan standing beside

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

A small tea stall in the middle of Longtharai Forest

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

local food item

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

Our lunch break was on Kumarghat. A roadside restaurant that our driver suggested in Hospital Road( although I forgot the name ) . The food was awesome on meal system. Local chicken( desi murgi ) curry made with green chilli paste is must try ????

Rupan and Driver dada in that restaurant in Kumarghat

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

the interior of the restaurant was found filled up with these paintings from mahabharata

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

Unakoti is around 40 km from Kumarghat so after completing lunch we started our trip towards the destination. We left the Assam Agartala Highway at Kumarghat and turned left towards Kailasahar Unakoti. On the way there’s a lot of tea estate and the surroundings were beautiful.

If anyone interested coming in Train then Kumarghat is the nearest rail head for Unakoti. There’s many options of private cars and share cars from Kumarghat Railway station for reaching Unakoti.

Kailasahar tea estate

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

there’s nothing called Tripura tea. so these are considered as Assam Tea I guess

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

Kumarghat-Kailasahar road passes through these kind of beautiful landscapes

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

Tea garden

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

Then we finally reached our first destination Unakoti at around 3 pm !

Unakoti is known for rock cut carvings of hindu deities. According to the mythology It’s believed that there’s one less than 10 million rock carvings present, although some of them were discovered. And well preserved by ASI .

It’s a nice place to visit .situated in the middle of hills and forest and have some spiritual positivity as well.

There’s a mela held on each makar sankranti and shivaratri , on those occasions pilgrims come over here but otherwise very few footfalls made this place serine and beautiful.

There’s no hotels or homestays nearby so if anyone interested in staying overnight he must travel to Kailasahar Town which is around 8km away and there’s hotels and govt guest house available to stay.

the story of unakoti

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das
Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

one has to get powerful lungs to go down and climb up here

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das
Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

shiva carving

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das
Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

multiple carvings on the hillock

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

museum

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

a place for worship nearby in the forest

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

there’s a stream below

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

carvings. in which one of them is lord ganesha. other three unknown to me

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

a cute sunset from unakoti hill

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

We had no plan to stay in Kailasahar on first day night so then we headed towards Vanghmun, our final destination for the day. It’s on Jampui Hills, highest range of Tripura state. That’s around 3 hrs road journey from Unakoti. We started our trip again after sunset for our stay at Eden Tourist Lodge at Jampui Hills.

There’s no other staying option except Govt’s Lodge in Jampui Hills, neither a proper market present over there, so one has to book room by online or offline by calling and order for food(dinner) is must otherwise starving is the only option. ????

The nearest town from Vanghmun is Kanchanpur. Which is 30 Km away downhill. All basic items of need have to be packed from Kanchanpur before climbing into the Jampui hills, and even we did so, bought water bottles.chips and other dry foods( pre caution, in case there’s food crisis in lodge / and thankfully we didn’t had to face that ) .

After travelling 3 hours into the nearly no mens’ land of dense forest and hills ( only localities like Dharmanagar bypass, Panisagar and Kanchanpur in the way where some lights were visible ) we reached our final destination of the day 1 at around 8 pm !

And surprisingly it’s not cold there as much we heard

kanchanpur market. last locality towards vanghmun

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

a solitary momo stand in kanchanpur

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

it was our room in Eden tourist lodge, the only option in Jampui Hills. the rooms are good and clean with all basic amenities

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das

Eden Tourist Lodge. Vanghmun.Jampui Hills.Tripura

Photo of Exploring Tripura - Trails To Unokoti by Biswapriya Das