Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat has arrived in Agartala to join the Prana Pratishtha ceremony at the Maa Chinmayi Soundarya Temple in West Tripura’s Mohanpur on April 21. The ceremony, set for Tuesday at Fakira Mura in Mohanpur, will coincide with the Adi Shankaracharya Jayanti observance. Amit Rakshit, President of the Chinmaya Seva Trust, mentioned that the event will include both the Prana Pratishtha and Kumbha Abhishekam rituals, attracting devotees and spiritual seekers from the region.
Several notable figures are expected to be present, including Tripura Governor Indra Sena Reddy Nallu and Chief Minister Manik Saha. The organizers anticipate that the attendance of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief and other leaders will add significance to the occasion. The temple, dedicated to Maa Tripura Sundari, is a distinctive spiritual edifice constructed with 27 black stone pillars from Tamil Nadu, symbolizing the 27 Nakshatras of Hindu astrology.
The temple’s unique design features no traditional roof, emphasizing a direct connection with the divine. Inside the sanctum, a 15-foot black stone idol of the deity stands alongside a smaller idol resembling the renowned Tripura Sundari Temple for daily worship. The complex also showcases inscriptions of Saundarya Lahari and other devotional texts, enriching its spiritual and cultural essence.
Priests from Nepal, selected through a rigorous process, will conduct the rituals to ensure authenticity and adherence to tradition. The upcoming ceremony on Tuesday is expected to be a significant moment in Tripura’s spiritual landscape, blending devotion, heritage, and architectural beauty. With national leaders and spiritual personalities converging, Fakira Mura is poised to become a focal point of faith and cultural pride.
The historic Tripura Sundari temple, one of the 51 revered Shakti Peethas for Hindus, is situated in Udaipur in southern Tripura’s Gomati district. Under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive Scheme of the Union Tourism Ministry, the 524-year-old shrine has recently undergone redevelopment costing over Rs 54 crore. The Central government contributed Rs 34.43 crore, while the Tripura government provided Rs 17.61 crore for the project.
Built in 1501 by erstwhile Maharaja Dhanya Manikya, the temple is among the 51 Shakti Peethas in India and the third in eastern India after the Kali temple at Kalighat in Kolkata and the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati. Following 517 years of monarchy, the princely state of Tripura merged with the Indian Union on October 15, 1949, after an agreement between Kanchan Prabha Devi and the then Governor-General of India.
