Agartala, Dec. 30: Among the countless victims of insurgency in the interior areas of Tripura are invaluable archaeological treasures and artefacts. The Unokoti hills, an important Saivite site boasting of exquisite sculptures, is next only to Mahabalipuram in South India in its archaeological significance.
Already beyond the reach of tourists, it cannot even be accessed by experts of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). But the invaluable sculptural works in Debtamura and Chhabimura areas of south Tripura?s Amarpur subdivision, currently covered in thick jungle, are in a worse condition.
A boat journey on the Gomati river from Rangamati area in Amarpur, nine km towards Udaipur, takes a visitor to the Debtamura and Chhabimura areas. These archaeological sites rise steeply from the river bank amid thick foliage.
A clear view of the brilliant panel of Pancha Debtas (?five deities?) has appeared only after local labourers cleared the jungle. Carved gracefully out of sandstone, the panel shows images of Shiva, Vishnu, Ganesh, Kartik and Kali in Chhabimura. There are altogether 37 images carved out of sandstone on the hillside, hidden away and unknown to the outside world.
The region is a hotbed of insurgency. Labourers who had cleared the jungles said not a single visitor had arrived during the past two decades. The name of the place, Chhabimura, had been derived from the images (chhabi).
Three km further on, visitors aboard boats can view a 13-metre-high image of the Mother Goddess riding a buffalo. There are at least 27 other smaller images of deities as well. But even the image of the Mother Goddess, carved out of sandstone, is concealed by foliage. The smaller images of minor deities are still thickly covered by heavy undergrowth.
Numismatist and scholar Jawhar Acharjee said the carvings on the Debtamura and Chhabimura hill ranges had been created by artists in the eighth century.
It is quite well known by now that Hindu and Buddhist culture had co-existed in Tripura and nearby parts of eastern Bengal (now Bangladesh). ?It is possible that a group of artists who had been forced to flee their homeland had taken shelter here and carved the exquisite sculptural pieces,? Acharjee said.
Neglected by the state government, these important works of art on the Debtamura and Chhabimura hill ranges are suffering damage. No initiative has been taken to involve the ASI in preserving them.
Samaresh Roy, an official of the tourism department, said the place is desolate and there is no transport. Nobody is willing to go there for fear of militants.
?Earlier, there was a system of river transport from Udaipur to these areas in Amarpur but it stopped after the construction of a barrage. This treasure-trove remains unknown and uncared-for,? Roy said.
He hinted that unless there is an end to insurgency, the state government would not be in a position to ensure the site?s protection.
While important archaeological sites in the state are suffering, the tourism industry is also practically on the verge of collapse.
There are no places to visit barring two tourist spots where visitors can stay without getting abducted or killed.