DEVATAMURA: ENCHANTED, MYSTERIOUS AND-LOST

By Manas Paul

Wrapped in deep winter mist and soft chill, quiet flows the river Gomati - piercing through two massive mountains and moist verdure-to an ancient place- a place that has long been forgotten and long forsaken- Devatamura. It is where far, far from the madding crowd the 16th century amazing rock cuts despite their immense archeological splendors and importance stand desolate and forlorn. Devatamura is like Kublai Khan's Xanadu - enchanted, mysterious and isolated. But the vagaries of time and unforgivable apathy of the ASI and state government have taken the toll. Now this archeological treasure is on the verge of extinction.

Located deep in the forest with no human anywhere within 50 to 60 kms of its radius the two panels of the rock cuts- several miles apart - of unspecified deities of Hindu pantheon- just carved out at the steep rocky face of straight cliff that descends directly to the river bed about 150-200 feet below - are the archaeological splendour that is quite literally in the middle of nowhere. The only sounds here are those of nature - like the river which, after charting an arduous course through hills and dales, forests and verdure, gurgles like a baby in its cradle, or the birds that chirp as if to humour it.

THE TRAVEL THAT MAKES YOU A PART OF THE WILD

The two densely forested high hills that made the deep crevice through which the Gomati slowly and silently travels to reach Udaipur miles and miles ahead, is so densely green in mid-December that even a single unknown tree with a patch of white bark would immediately invite attention of the traveling tourists in the country-made boats far below.
If you want to escape from the daily drudgery that makes you so tired and often, insensible,- then drive your car up to Gomati ghat at Rangamati near Amarpur in South Tripura and rent a boat for a day's cruise down the stream for an encounter with the wild and the exotic manifestation of ancient arts. The experience for those ready to take the difficult trip is, indeed, rewarding. Only thing you must not forget is to carry dry foods and bottled water along. For the next 10 hours or so you will be on boat traveling in the wilderness. During the mesmerizing cruise through the all pervasive emerald green, it is a pall of hushed silence- a silence that oozes out from the dark wood, from the springy weeds, the damp ferns, the cunning creepers and the wintry mist that loosely drapes the tree leaves up in the mountain ridges- is your only companion.
As the boat floats in the hypnotic ambience, the huge and deeply dark unknown trees and flowering shrubs hanging awkwardly over the swollen river exude an earthly smell in abundance. A little torrent of a stream that emerges from nowhere behind a lonely moist stone- trickles down to meet the mighty and indifferent -Gomati and then gets lost without making any ripple- accepting the fate and embracing the long awaited union with a bigger entity.
The isolation is now and then accentuated by rasping of an elderly monkey hidden somewhere in the bushy banyan tree, or by an unidentified bird breaking into a sudden flight overhead or by an unknown creature slinking into dense foliage.
The sounds seem suggestive - only to add an element of expectancy and uncertainty that would grow with every passing moment in the human heart. "I won't be surprised if an anaconda emerges from the river. Its like experiencing the Amazon", murmured Biswajit Bhattacharjee, a young IT professional.
The 'possibility' and the 'feel' of a huge 'anaconda' indeed following you silently beneath the boat- is unsettling, for a moment. As the woods turns more magnetic, more inviting, more you loose your worldly moorings. You become a part of the wood. A part of the green, and the water, and the Wild.
And then, all of a sudden on your right appears the grand archeological rock cuts sculptured at the stony face of the cliff- a steep decline that is partly seen, partly covered by weeds, creepers and undergrowth.

THE MAJESTIC ROCK DEITIES

"This is where you wanted to come. Look, how beautiful". Dharma Jamatia, the tribal boatman, made his first uttering in three hours while two of his companions 'both Bengalis- who had already warmed up themselves with considerable gulps of local brew, slowly veer the boat towards the rive edge near the rock cuts. "But, seldom people come here", one of them rued. At that moment Subhash Das, former Director of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism of Tripura government also broke his long silence. He was lost in himself looking intently at the nature for the last three hours. "None knows exactly how and when those ancient artists carved out these rock cuts, but apparently these are about 500-700 years old" he said ' telling no one in particular.
According to legend in 16th century a Moghul expedition led by Houtan Khan defeated the Tripura King Amar Manikya (1577-86) who ruled from Amarpur at that time. The King took refuge in this deep forest at Gomati's bank. An artist who was also with the king in hiding found out his leisurely time and sculpted the two panels filled with deities, and something that resemblance a King's procession..
"There were bullet marks in the rock cuts.It is likely that the Mughal soldiers while cruising past the rock cut opened fire at them. In fact, we had found some irons possibly remnants of the bullets", said Swapan Nandi, an eminent artist of the state.
"Even at the base of the rock cut that appears to be of Durga you will find symbols that look like wine glasses of the Mughals. We believe that as the Moghul soldiers could not destroy the rock cuts with cannon firing, they sculpted wine glasses at the base of the Hindu deity", Nandi said. Das pointed out that though it is quite likely that the sculptures were made during the time of Maharaja Amar Manikya exact date can be ascertained only by experts.
"But if you look at the cliff face where the rock cuts were chiseled, you can imagine the desperation and devotion of the artists. Even today it is simply impossible to touch those massive sculptures that stand about 200 feet directly above the river bed. It is indeed amazing how in those days the artists could find out the place in such a wilderness and stood over the river with their chisels. A matter of ancient miracles", said Das, presently chairman of Tripura Small scale Industries Corporation.
"I have traveled across the world and seen many a world heritage site and I find this one no less a wonderful archeological splendor in comparison to them", he added.

THE APATHY AND THE UNFORGIVABLE LOSS

Boatman, senior bureaucrat, artists-all, however, agree in one point: the Archeological Survey of India has done nothing to preserve the ancient site. Nor has the state government done anything to make it a tourist spot. The result is --the rock cuts that stood silently for ages are now in ruins and many more sculpted panels that were evidently there at a point of time are peeling off the rock face.
"Even last time I remember some more panels were there which I do not see now. The apathy is unforgivable. It is a sin. It simply tells of our lack of sense of history and culture", said Priti Achariya, a poet. Then she added: Can you imagine, had these ancient sites been in a foreign country what kind of importance would have been attached to it and how they would go all out to make it an important tourist destination?
"It is true that Devatamura is not a favored tourist destination. None really seemed interested to come here", Das agreed.
"The ASI failed to do anything for the site. And it would be completely lost within next five years if immediate steps are not taken in right earnest to preserve this magnificent site. We have to really, really do something 'immediately", he added.
The points taken and understood. But none actually believes that the ASI or the state government would suddenly discover the importance of the ancient site. The ASI has already miserably failed to protect other historical sites like Unakoti, Pilak and Boxanagar Buddhist centre located in more easy places across Tripura. So, there is no reason to be hopeful that they would come here in the deep forest to protect the rock cuts at inaccessible mountain face.