Pilak
Where Buddhist and Hindu sculpture meet in the forest
In the quiet south of Tripura, Pilak is an archaeological site that opens a window onto a cosmopolitan past, with terracotta plaques and stone sculptures dating from roughly the 8th to the 12th centuries. Uniquely, it preserves both Buddhist and Hindu images side by side — a reminder that this frontier region was once a meeting point of the great religious currents of eastern India and Bengal.
Scattered across fields and low mounds are images of Avalokiteshvara and other Buddhist figures alongside Hindu deities such as Surya and Narasimha, some still being excavated. It is a place for the traveller with a taste for history and archaeology rather than grand monuments, set in gentle rural Tripura.
What to see & do
- The 8th–12th century Buddhist and Hindu stone sculptures
- Terracotta plaques and the excavated mounds
- The Avalokiteshvara and Narasimha images
- The quiet rural landscape of south Tripura
Getting to Pilak
| How to reach | In south Tripura near Santirbazar/Jolaibari, a few hours from Agartala. |
| Best time | October to March. |
| Permit | No permit for Tripura. |
| Good to know | Best for history enthusiasts; combine with the drive south from Agartala and other Manikya-era sites. |