This was a sudden vacation planned out of a desire to get away from the dull drudgery of daily life and to have a family get- together away from home. We landed in the erstwhile kingdom of three cities –‘Tripura’, a small state in northeast India. Little did I know, that what was initially planned – to spend time with family during the Durga puja, will turn out to be a full-fledged expedition to one of the lesser known marvels of our wonder land.’ Unakoti’ meaning one less than a ‘koti’ (crore), a place located around 178 kilometers from Agartala, left me astounded with its sublime beauty. The unique 7th century rock carvings proudly stood before me defying the passage of time. According to the legends, Lord Shiva, while going to Varanasi along with 1 crore Gods and Goddesses including him, had halted at this place. They wanted to take rest for the night but Lord Shiva had warned them that they should be off the next day before the first ray of light touches the Earth. However, the following morning only Shiva himself got up and nobody else. Enraged, Shiva cursed them all to become stones and remain there forever. That is why there is one less than a crore stone sculptures. The most prominent figure of this holy enclosure is a huge carving of Lord Shiva with an elaborate head gear. There is a small waterfall oozing out of the rocky body which gives the effect of the holy Ganga flowing out of Lord Shiva’s tresses as depicted in Hindu mythology. The entire hillock can be traversed by steps carefully built around the entire architecture. After reaching the hilltop, we were welcomed by the soothing sounds of the birds and the winds blowing amidst the forest cover. It was almost like being in a meditation. The road to Unakoti is nothing less than a pilgrimage. The meandering hilly terrain has myriad picturesque views with lush green paddy fields and tea gardens in between thick forest cover. While travelling back, I found myself wondering how Unakoti doesn’t feature as a place famous for ancient Indian architectures; in a way am glad that it is hidden and protected by obscurity.