Tripurasundari Temple

4.7

Location: Udaipur, Tripura, India

Estimated Visiting Time: 1 hour

Better known locally as Devi Tripureshwari temple, Tripurasundari Temple is a Hindu temple of the Goddess Tripura Sundari. About 55 km from Agartala, the temple is situated in the ancient city of Udaipur, Tripura, and can be reached by train and road from Agartala. In this part of the country, it is believed to be one of the holiest Hindu shrines. After this temple, the state of Tripura is named. The shrine is set upon a small hillock that resembles the hump of a tortoise, popularly known as Matabari. For a Shakti temple, this shape called Kurmaprsthakrti is considered the holiest possible site hence also bestowing the name of Kurma Pitha. By traditional Brahmin priests, the Goddess is served.

Attraction

The Goddess is worshiped as Tripura Sundari, in Udaipur, in the Indian state of Tripura. Tripureswari or Sodast are the local variants of the name of the goddess. Measuring 24 square feet at the base with a height of 75 feet, the temple is a small cubical edifice. People Spending time in Tripurasundari Temple On a small hillock that resembles in shape the hump of a tortoise, this holy shrine is situated giving it the name of Kurma Pitha. Stalls along the road to the temple sell flowers and baskets of offerings, as in other typical Hindu temples, that visitors can buy and offer to the goddess as Prasadam. The Peda is the common prasadam offered in this temple. To the goddess red hibiscus flower is also prized as an offering or as prasadam.

History

It is considered by the legend that, one night King Dhanya Manikya, who ruled over Tripura in the closing years of the 15th century, had a dream, in which he was instructed by Goddess Tripura Sundari to initiate her worship on the contemporary capital of the kingdom, the hilltop near the town of Udaipur, Then the king learned that by dedicating Lord Vishnu, there was already a temple on the hilltop. Historical Place in Tripurasundari Temple Unable to decide how a temple dedicated to Vishnu could have an idol of Shakti, he was in a dilemma and his mind was full of questions. But the king again dreamt the vision the following night and then he understood that The Supreme Deity (Brahman) has two different forms named Vishnu and Shakti. Thus, around the year 1501 AD, the temple of Tripura Sundari came into being. The temple has crossed 500 years, at the dawn of this century. Between two sub-groups of Hinduism, this legend is recounted as an example of solidarity: the Vaishnava and the Shakta sects.

Inside/Outside Views

Legend says that the little finger of the left leg of Sati fell here; to be one of the 51 Shakti Peethas this temple is considered as. Here, accompanying Bhairava is Tripuresh and Shakti is worshiped as Tripurasundari. With a three-tier roof with a finial, the main shrine, and a cubical edifice it was erected by the Maharaja of Tripura Dhanya Manikya in 1501 AD and was constructed in the Bengali Ek-Ratna style. In the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, there are two similar but different-sized black stone idols of the Goddess. The idol of Goddess Tripura Sundari is the larger one and its height is 5 feet the smaller one, Chhoto-Ma (literally, Little Mother), is 2 feet tall. It is said by folklore that on the battlefield, the smaller idol was carried by the kings of Tripura. Famous every year on the occasion of Diwali, Mela takes place near the temple, and more than 0.2 million pilgrims visit the mela.

Opening Hours

open 24 hours; 7 days a week

Entry & Others Fees

No entry fee is needed.

Near Restaurants

Near Hotels

How to Reach

By Air: Maharana Pratap Airport is the nearest airport in Udaipur, it is about 20 kilometers away from the city. It is well-connected by air to other cities in India.

Once a tourist reaches the airport, he can hire cabs or book taxis that are easily available for traveling between the airport and the city.

By Train: Udaipur lies on a vast network of rail that connects it to many other cities in India. Ranapratapnagar is the nearest railway station from Udaipur and is at a distance about 3 kms away. The other one is Mavli Jn at a distance of about 37 kms. Once a tourist reaches the station, he can hire a cab or an auto-rickshaw to visit where he wants to go in the city.

By Bus: There is a very well-established bus service network to Udaipur, that links Udaipur to many other cities. Bypass is the nearest bus stop at Udaipur. One can easily visit his desired place by hiring taxis or cabs.