AGARTALA: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Saturday invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the newly-redeveloped Tripura Sundari temple, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas worshipped by Hindus in India.
An official of the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said that CM Saha met PM Modi at his official residence at Lok Kalyan Marg, New Delhi and discussed various Tripura-related matters.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister invited Prime Minister Modi to inaugurate the redeveloped Tripura Sundari Temple in southern Tripura.
"This iconic temple is a symbol of the state's rich cultural heritage, and the Prime Minister's presence would be a testament to the temple's significance,” the official said.
The Tripura Sundari temple, set up in 1501 by the state's erstwhile king Maharaja Dhanya Manikya in Udaipur, 65 km south of Agartala, is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas in the country, and the third such shrine in eastern India after the Kali temple in Kolkata’s Kalighat, and the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati.
According to another official, the Union Tourism Ministry under the PRASHAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive) scheme had sanctioned Rs 54 crore for the all-round development of the Mata Tripura Sundari temple.
"The redevelopment work of the Tripura Sundari temple is almost completed. The remaining construction is expected to be completed very soon," the official told IANS.
At the end of the 517-year rule by hundreds of kings, on October 15, 1949, the erstwhile princely state of Tripura came under the control of the Indian government after a merger agreement was signed between Kanchan Prabha Devi, then regent Maharani, and the Indian Governor General.
The official said that to develop and protect the spiritual heritage, the Union Tourism Ministry has recently approved Rs 97.70 crore project to develop a 51-Shakti Peethas Park in southern Tripura's Banduar.
The proposed park has a religious significance as the place is just 4 km away from the Tripura Sundari temple, founded by the erstwhile king 524 years ago.
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