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PM Modi inaugurates redeveloped 524-year-old Tripura Sundari temple in Gomati
The temple, built in the shape of a tortoise hump, was established by erstwhile Manikya ruler Dhanya Manikya in 1501.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the redeveloped 524-year-old Tripura Sundari Temple Complex, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas, at Udaipur in Tripura’s Gomati district, under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) scheme.
PM Modi landed at the Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport in Agartala around 2pm, where chief minister Manik Saha and Governor Indrasena Reddy Nallu welcomed him. The PM reached the temple premises around 3:30pm.
At the temple, Modi was welcomed with traditional dance performances, following which he visited different parts of the redeveloped site and offered puja. CM Saha and Rajya Sabha MP Rajib Bhattacharjee were also seen offering puja with PM.
The redeveloped temple site has got a three-storied structure with 6,784sqm ground floor with lobbies, 86 stalls, multi-purpose halls, Prasad ghar, first floor dormitories of 2317sqm, residential quarters for volunteers and monks. The top floor of 7,355sqm has the main temple — ‘naatmandir’ — where devotees gather to watch rituals and the five water bodies surrounding the temple.
Facilities of ramps, lifts for differently-abled devotees are also available in the redeveloped temple.
The temple, built in the shape of a tortoise hump, was established by erstwhile Manikya ruler Dhanya Manikya in 1501. Legend has it that Dhanya Manikya built the temple after getting divine command from ‘Aadishakti’ in his dream.
In the temple, there are two idols — a five-foot idol of Goddess Tripurasundari (the main deity) and another Goddess known as ‘ChhotiMa’ or Goddess Chandi. According to royal history, the Tripura kings used to carry ChhotoMa during their hunting expeditions and also in battles to ensure their protection.
After coming to power for the first time in 2018, the BJP-led state government constituted a new trust led by former chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb for the development of the Tripura Sundari temple as a major pilgrim centre.
Earlier this July, CM Saha laid the foundation stone of the 51-Shakti Peethas Park at Banduar, nearly 4km from the Tripura Sundari temple.
The park would feature replicas of 51 Shakti Peethas, which would be the first of its kind in the Northeast Region.
Prior to his arrival to Tripura, PM Modi visited Arunachal Pradesh where he laid the foundation stone of multiple projects worth over Rs. 5,100 crore.
