Tripura Sundari Temple, a historic temple dedicated to Devi Tripureshwari, is located in Udaipur, the former capital of India’s Tripura state. The Tripura Sundari Temple is one of the Shakti Peethas of the Goddess Sati located throughout the country. Tripurasundari refers to the Shakti, or Goddess, while Tripuresh refers to the attendant Bhairava.

It is considered to be one of the holiest Hindu temples in this region, with the highest number of visitors for a temple in North-East India, second only to Kamakhya Temple in Assam. This temple is considered one of the 51 most important shaktipeeth temples.

Story Behind Tripura Sundari Shaktipeeth

The goddess of Dakshayani, Sati, Parvati, or Durga—Hinduism’s most influential woman and most powerful deity—is referred to as Shakti. Durga Devi, Mahakali, and Gowri are the three main manifestations of Shakti, the power goddess. She is Adi Shakti’s avatar.

Sati was the Prajapati Daksha’s daughter, and she married Lord Shiva despite Her father’s wishes. Prajapati Daksha once put together a massive yagya, but he didn’t call his daughter and son-in-law. Sati was very saddened by Her father’s actions. When she got there, her father ignored the Sati and insulted her. She could not bear the insult of his husband (Lord Shiva) and she jumped into the fire of Yagya and committed suicide. She passed away, but her body didn’t burn. Lord Shiva had taken His Virabhadra Rupa out of rage. Daksha’s head was cut off by him, but in the end, He forgave him by bringing him back to life.

Lord Shiva, devastated, had taken Sati’s body and wandered the universe. Finally, Lord Vishnu used His Chakra to break the Sati’s body into pieces. Each body part transformed into Shakti Pitha. The temple had emerged where the body part had fallen to the ground. In order to safeguard the Shakti Pitha, Lord Shiva created 52 Bhairava for each one.

The Shakti or Goddess is known as Tripura Sundari, and the accompanying Bhairava is known as Tripuresh. This pithasthan is also known as Kurma Pith because it is situated atop a hillock that resembles the hump of a tortoise (Kurma). This magnificent structure, which dates back about 500 years, is the city’s oldest temple.

History of Tripura Sundari Shaktipeeth

Legend has it that King Dhanya Manikya, who ruled Tripura at the end of the 15th century, had a dream in which Goddess Tripura Sundari told him to start her worship on a hilltop near the town of Udaipur, which is now the kingdom’s capital. The king learned that the hillock already had a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. He was perplexed because he was unable to comprehend how an idol of Shakti could exist in a temple dedicated to Vishnu. The divine vision came back the following night.

The king was aware that Vishnu and Shakti were distinct manifestations of the same Supreme Deity or Brahman. As a result, the Tripura Sundari temple was built around 1501 CE. The temple has been around for more than 500 years as this century begins. This legend serves as an illustration of cooperation between two Hindu subgroups: the Shakta and Vaishnava sects.

The architecture of Tripura Sundari Shaktipeeth

The original temple was built by Maharaja Dhanya Manikya in 1501, but the current structure was built by Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya Bahadur between 1896 and 1990.

The main entrance is to the west, but there is also a small entrance to the north. The temple is surrounded in four corners by four 75-foot-tall pillars. On top of the temple, there are seven pitchers or pots each holding one flag. The temple’s architecture blends medieval Bengali style with Char Chaala (four slanted roofs) and features a square sanctum with a conical dome. The main shrine is constructed in the Bengali Ek-Ratna style and features a three-tier roof with a finial and a cubical structure. On the eastern side of the temple, there is a holy lake called Kalyan Sagar where big fish and tortoises live together peacefully.

The two identical images of the same deity are present in the sanctum of the temple, which is recognized as Tripura Sundari (5 feet high) and Chhotima (2 feet tall). The symbol of Maa Kali is worshipped in the form of ‘Soroshi’ and is made up of Kasti stone, which is reddish black in colour.

Facts about Tripura Sundari Shaktipeeth

• In Udaipur, the Goddess is worshipped as Tripura Sundari. Local variants of the name of the goddess are Tripureśwarī or Ṣoḍasi.
• Goddess Parvati is worshipped here as Tripurasundari, Tripureshwari and “Soroshi” (a local variation of the name).
• Covering an area of five acres, the lake of Kalyan Sagar is located on the eastern side of the Tripura Sundari Temple.
• As per “Pithamala Grantha”, Sati’s right foot fell here during Lord Siva’s Tandava Dance.
•  The Tripura Sundari Temple consists of a square-shaped sanctum that resembles a typical Bengali hut.
•  A giant Mela is conducted during Diwali, and people from various states and countries come to visit the Mela.

Famous Festivals In Tripura Sundari Shaktipeeth

Millions of people visit this temple every year to celebrate all of the festivals that are held here. Some major festivals held here are

• Durga Puja. (Winter) – Devotees celebrate Navaratri at this temple in the month of Ashwin (Sep-Oct) as well as celebrate the triumph of the Goddess Durga over the buffalo demon (Mahishasura).
• Navaratri. (Summer) – They celebrate other Navaratri in the fortnight of the Chaitra (March-April). Every nine days, they worship Navadurga (nine Durgas).
• Diwali – Diwali is one of the most admired and auspicious festivals in the town. A very famous Mela (fair) is conducted near the temple every year.

How To reach Tripura Sundari Shaktipeeth

An ancient temple dedicated to Devi Tripureshwari, Tripura Sundari Temple, is located in the city of Udaipur, the former capital of the Tripura state of India.

By Air:  Agartala Airport is at a distance of nearly 64 km from the temple.

By Rail:  Agartal Railway Station is merely 51 Km from the temple.

By Road: The city bus service is quite frequent and convenient to reach Tripura Sundari Temple. Agartala Bus Station is marely 55 km from the temple.

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