Preserving Heritage: Pilak in Tripura to Be Developed As An Enthralling Historical Tourism Circuit

Pilak, an over 1000-year-old archaeological site in Tripura, is set to woo more travellers as the state government has initiated steps to develop it as a historical tourism circuit with two other places

The place, nestled in Jolaibari, about 100 km from Tripura's capital, Agartala, formed part of a chain of Hindu-Buddhist sites on the tri-junction of East Bengal (now Bangladesh), Tripura and Arakkan (Myanmar) region

The dominant style of the rock-cut images and the sculptures in Pilak depict the influence of the Palas and Guptas of Bengal, the Arakkans in Myanmar (formerly Burma), and the local style

The tourism circuit starts from Agartala and links Pilak with Udaipur, a temple town in the Northeastern state where Tripureswari Kali Temple, one of the 51 Shaktipiths is situated

Bhubaneswari Kali Temple, which is featured in Rabindranath Tagore’s novel 'Rajarshi' is also located in Udaipur

It also covers Chhabimura, famous for its panels of rock carvings on the steep mountain wall on the bank of river Gomati

Stone engravings of Hindu Gods carved on stone in the Buddhist style, figurines of Shiva, Surya, Baishnabi, Mahishasurmardini, and Buddha statue can be found in Shyam Sundar Tilla, Deb Bari, Thakurani Tilla, Balir Pathar, and Basudeb Bari at the Pilak site spread over three sq km in the uplands and green valleys of Belonia subdivision

Among the many things to see in Pilak, one is the terracotta plaques, sealed with stone images of Avalokiteshvara and Narasimhan. The remains of brick-work is based on the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The designs on the sculptures reflect the influence of Chola architecture