The Chaturdasha Temple, also called the Fourteen Gods Temple, stands at Khayerpur in Old Agartala, about 6 km from Agartala city in West Tripura district. Maharaja Krishna Manikya of the Tripuri royal line is credited with building it around 1760, when he moved his capital here. The shrine houses the Chaturdasha Devata, fourteen deities of the royal pantheon, and fills with pilgrims each July for Kharchi Puja, a week-long worship of the fourteen gods and the earth conducted by the tribal Chantai priests.
The Chaturdasha Temple, at Khayerpur in Old Agartala, West Tripura district, is a royal temple housing the fourteen deities of Tripura’s Manikya dynasty, represented not as full figures but as fourteen metal heads. It is best known for the week-long Kharchi Puja, usually held in July, which the hereditary tribal priests called Chantai conduct.
Key takeaways
- The Chaturdasha Temple sits at Khayerpur, Old Agartala, about 6 km from Agartala city, according to Tripura Tourism; Agartala has both the nearest airport and railhead.
- Maharaja Krishna Manikya is credited with building the temple around 1760 (Wikipedia); it enshrines the Chaturdasha Devata, the fourteen family deities of the Manikya dynasty.
- The fourteen gods are worshipped as fourteen heads only, not full images, a point noted by Tripura Tourism.
- Kharchi Puja, a week-long festival usually in July (Shukla Ashtami of Ashadha), is conducted by non-Brahmin royal priests called Chantai, per PIB material dated 15 July 2024.
- Best months to visit are October to March for comfortable weather; visit in July if you want to see Kharchi Puja, as of October 2026.
- Entry for darshan is generally free and no ticket counter was found; treat timings as indicative and reconfirm locally.
About the Chaturdasha Temple and its fourteen gods
The Chaturdasha Temple is a royal shrine at Khayerpur in Old Agartala that enshrines the fourteen deities of the Tripuri Manikya dynasty, together called the Chaturdasha Devata. Tripura Tourism places it in Khayerpur, West Tripura district, about 6 km from Agartala, and notes that the images are not full figures: only the heads of the gods are present.
Old Agartala, locally Puran Agartala, was the royal capital before the seat shifted to the present city. The temple remains an active place of worship and a family shrine of the former ruling house, maintained by the state government since Tripura merged with the Indian Union on 15 October 1949, according to The Sentinel. For a wider picture of the region and how this shrine fits a longer route, see our Tripura travel guide.
The name comes from chaturdasha (fourteen) and devata (deities). The fourteen are a Shaivite pantheon, led by Hara (Shiva) and Uma (Durga), and became the household gods of the Manikya kings. The combination of a Hindu temple served by hereditary tribal priests is the feature that makes this shrine unusual among Indian royal temples.
The Chaturdasha Devata: the fourteen deities
The Chaturdasha Devata are fourteen gods of a Shaivite Hindu pantheon that became the family deities of the Manikya dynasty, as described on Wikipedia. Each is worshipped through a metal head rather than a full image. The table below lists the fourteen names and their widely cited Brahmanic equivalents, drawn from Wikipedia’s account of the pantheon.
| Name | Brahmanic equivalent | Associated with |
|---|---|---|
| Hara | Shiva | The destroyer |
| Uma | Durga | Consort of Shiva |
| Hari | Vishnu | The preserver |
| Ma | Lakshmi | Prosperity |
| Bani | Saraswati | Knowledge |
| Kumara | Kartikeya | War |
| Ganapa | Ganesha | Wisdom |
| Biddhu | Chandra | The moon |
| Ka | Brahma | The creator |
| Abdhi | Samudra | The ocean |
| Ganga | Ganga | The river Ganges |
| Sekhi | Agni | Fire |
| Kama | Kamadeva | Love |
| Himadri | Himavat | The Himalaya |
Sources list the deities in slightly different ways, and some give Kokborok names such as Lampra and Akhatra alongside the Sanskritic ones. Treat the equivalents above as the common Brahmanic reading rather than a fixed, single tradition. The heads-only form is consistent across the sources consulted here.
Krishna Manikya and the Old Agartala royal capital
Maharaja Krishna Manikya of Tripura is credited with building the Chaturdasha Temple around 1760, when Old Agartala became the royal capital, according to Wikipedia, which gives a completion year of 1761. The shrine is a product of the Manikya dynasty’s long patronage of the fourteen gods, who had been royal deities well before this temple was raised.
Sources differ on the exact date and ruler, so it is worth being precise. Wikipedia attributes the temple to Krishna Manikya around 1760–1761. A 2025 PTI report, carried by The Week, instead says Maharaja Krishna Kishore Manikya established the temple in 1780. Tripura Tourism adds a third thread: it says the images stood at Udaipur, the earlier capital, until 1770, when they were moved to Old Agartala. The safest summary is that the fourteen gods were installed at Old Agartala in the second half of the 1700s under a Manikya king, with the specific year and name still debated.
What is not disputed is the royal context. The Chaturdasha Devata are the family deities of the Manikya rulers, and the daily worship and festival still follow royal-era practice. The merger of 1949 passed custodianship to the state, and the Tripura government announced fresh conservation of the temple and the surrounding complex in May 2023, as reported on Wikipedia. The royal story runs through much of the state; our Tripura travel guide traces it across Agartala and Udaipur.
The architecture of the temple
The Chaturdasha Temple is a compact, square brick shrine crowned by a single whitewashed dome. Wikipedia describes the dome as a Tripuri form patterned after the roofs of the state’s village huts, finished with a stupa-like structure on top that it reads as a trace of Buddhist influence. The effect is plain and rounded rather than spired.
To many visitors the bulbous, whitewashed dome reads like the Indo-Islamic domes of the North Indian plains, a resemblance often remarked on at Old Agartala. The temple is modest in scale and sits within a walled compound; the scale is devotional, not monumental. Photography of the exterior is generally allowed, but ask before photographing inside the sanctum or during rituals.
Kharchi Puja and the Chantai priests
Kharchi Puja is a week-long festival, usually in July, at which the fourteen gods and the earth are worshipped together, and it is conducted by hereditary non-Brahmin royal priests called Chantai. PIB material dated 15 July 2024, summarised by Drishti IAS, places the main day on Shukla Ashtami in the lunar month of Ashadha, which falls in July.
The festival carries a clear meaning in local belief. According to that PIB account, the Mother Goddess Tripura Sundari, Tripura’s guardian deity, is held to menstruate in June, a period called Ambubachi, during which the earth is considered impure. Kharchi Puja is performed once that period ends, to cleanse the earth and absolve people of sin. On the main day, the Chantai carry the fourteen gods to the Saidra river for a ceremonial bath and then return them to the temple.
The festival has tribal roots and is now shared across communities. At the 2025 inauguration on 3 July, Chief Minister Manik Saha said that “The Kharchi puja, once a festival for the tribal, has become a festival for all,” as reported by PTI. Thousands of devotees gather over the seven days, and the first day is a government holiday. If you visit for Kharchi Puja, expect large crowds, a fair around the old palace grounds, and heavy monsoon conditions. Treat all festival dates as shifting each year and reconfirm before you travel, as of October 2026.
Best time to visit
The best months to visit the Chaturdasha Temple are October to March, when the weather is dry and comfortable; visit in July only if your aim is Kharchi Puja, as of October 2026. Tripura’s monsoon runs roughly June to September and is heavy, so the festival coincides with wet, humid weather. The table below is a planning guide to the seasons at Old Agartala.
| Season | Months | Conditions | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | Oct–Feb | Dry, pleasant, cool mornings | Comfortable sightseeing, pairing with Agartala |
| Spring/early summer | Mar–May | Warm to hot, rising humidity | Quieter visits; carry water |
| Monsoon | Jun–Sep | Heavy rain, high humidity | Kharchi Puja (July); expect crowds and mud |
How to reach the Chaturdasha Temple
The Chaturdasha Temple is at Khayerpur in Old Agartala, about 6 km from Agartala city according to Tripura Tourism, and the simplest approach is a short taxi or auto ride from Agartala. The nearest airport and railway station are both at Agartala, so most visitors base themselves in the city and make a half-day trip out to the temple.
| Mode | Gateway | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Air | Agartala (Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport) | Tripura’s main airport; hire a taxi onward to Old Agartala (approx. 20 km, reconfirm) |
| Rail | Agartala railway station | Connected to the national network; local taxi/auto to the temple (approx. 8 km, reconfirm) |
| Road | Agartala city | About 6 km to Khayerpur (Tripura Tourism); auto, taxi or app-cab in 20–30 minutes |
Distances other than the official 6 km from Agartala are approximate planning figures and should be reconfirmed locally. There are no special permits for reaching Old Agartala; domestic travellers do not need an Inner Line Permit for Tripura. Plan the temple together with Agartala’s own sights, since both share the same base, as laid out in our Tripura travel guide.
Entry, timings and what to expect
Entry for darshan at the Chaturdasha Temple is generally free, and no ticket counter or published visiting hours were found from official sources; treat any timing you are told as indicative and reconfirm locally, as of October 2026. As a working temple, it typically opens through the daytime, with a midday break common at Indian shrines.
Dress modestly, as you would at any active temple, and remove footwear before entering the sanctum. The shrine is small, so a visit outside festival time takes under an hour. During Kharchi Puja the experience is entirely different: queues, a fair, and continuous worship over seven days. Respect the rituals and the priests, keep a quiet distance during ceremonies, and ask before photographing people or the deities.
Where to stay
Stay in Agartala, the state capital, which has the fullest range of hotels and is a short drive from the temple; there is no significant tourist accommodation at Khayerpur itself. The city covers budget lodges through mid-range hotels and a few upper-tier properties, plus the Tripura Tourism guest-house network. The bands below are indicative planning estimates and should be reconfirmed when you book.
| Type | Indicative band | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Budget lodges / guest-houses | ₹800–₹1,800 | Basic rooms near the city centre and bus stand |
| Mid-range hotels | ₹2,000–₹4,500 | AC rooms, restaurants; book ahead during Kharchi Puja |
| Upper / business hotels | ₹5,000+ | Limited choice; reserve early in festival season |
Book well ahead if you travel for Kharchi Puja in July, when the city fills up. At other times, rooms are usually available on shorter notice. Tripura Tourism operates official yatri niwas and lodges that are worth checking for dependable, government-run stays.
Nearby places
The Chaturdasha Temple pairs naturally with Agartala’s royal and lake sights, most within an easy drive. The table below lists the main options; all distances are approximate and should be reconfirmed, as of October 2026.
| Place | Approx. distance from temple | Why go |
|---|---|---|
| Agartala city | About 6 km | State capital; base for stay, food and transport |
| Ujjayanta Palace, Agartala | About 8 km | Former royal palace, now a state museum of the northeast |
| Kamalasagar (Kasba Kali temple & lake) | About 30 km (reconfirm) | Lakeside Kali temple near the Bangladesh border |
| Neermahal, Melaghar | About 53 km (reconfirm) | Lake palace set in Rudrasagar lake; boat rides |
A common plan is to see the Chaturdasha Temple and Ujjayanta Palace in one day from Agartala, then take a separate half or full day for Neermahal and Rudrasagar lake. Our Tripura travel guide sets out longer itineraries that string these together with Udaipur and the Tripura Sundari temple.
Practical tips
Agartala is the hub for everything practical, so sort cash, SIM and bookings there before heading out to Khayerpur. A few pointers for a smooth visit:
- Connectivity and money: Mobile network and UPI work in and around Agartala; carry some cash for autos, small offerings and the festival fair, where digital payment can be patchy.
- Health: Agartala has the state’s main hospitals, including the government medical college; the temple itself has no medical facility, so keep basics with you.
- Permits: No Inner Line Permit is required for Indian travellers visiting Tripura; foreign nationals should check current rules before travel.
- Festival planning: For Kharchi Puja, expect monsoon rain, crowds and limited parking; go early in the day, wear modest clothing and footwear you can slip off, and keep valuables secure.
- Respect: This is a living royal shrine served by Chantai priests; follow their lead during rituals and do not treat worship or the community as a spectacle.
- Packing: Light cottons and a sun hat for Oct–Mar; a sturdy umbrella or rain jacket and quick-dry footwear if you come in July.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Chaturdasha Temple located?
The Chaturdasha Temple is at Khayerpur in Old Agartala, in West Tripura district, Tripura. Tripura Tourism places it about 6 km from Agartala city. The nearest airport and railway station are both in Agartala, so most visitors base themselves in the capital and take a short taxi or auto ride out to the temple.
Who built the Chaturdasha Temple and when?
Maharaja Krishna Manikya of the Tripuri Manikya dynasty is credited with building the Chaturdasha Temple around 1760, per Wikipedia, when Old Agartala became the royal capital. Sources differ: a 2025 PTI report names Krishna Kishore Manikya in 1780, and Tripura Tourism says the images moved from Udaipur in 1770. The fourteen gods were installed in the later 1700s.
Who are the fourteen gods of the Chaturdasha Temple?
The fourteen gods, called the Chaturdasha Devata, are a Shaivite pantheon that became the family deities of the Manikya kings. Wikipedia lists them as Hara, Uma, Hari, Ma, Bani, Kumara, Ganapa, Biddhu, Ka, Abdhi, Ganga, Sekhi, Kama and Himadri. Each is worshipped as a metal head only, not as a full image, as Tripura Tourism notes.
What is Kharchi Puja and when is it held?
Kharchi Puja is a week-long festival, usually in July, worshipping the fourteen gods and the earth, conducted by hereditary tribal priests called Chantai. PIB material dated 15 July 2024 places the main day on Shukla Ashtami of Ashadha. The deities are carried to the Saidra river for a ceremonial bath. Dates shift each year, so reconfirm before travel.
Is there an entry fee for the Chaturdasha Temple?
Entry for darshan at the Chaturdasha Temple is generally free, and no ticket counter or official published timings were found from authoritative sources. Treat any visiting hours you are told as indicative and reconfirm locally, as of October 2026. As a working temple it usually opens through the day, often with a midday break.
What is the best time to visit the Chaturdasha Temple?
The best time to visit the Chaturdasha Temple is October to March, when Tripura’s weather is dry and comfortable for sightseeing. Visit in July if you want to witness Kharchi Puja, but expect heavy monsoon rain and large crowds. The monsoon runs roughly June to September, so pack accordingly and plan transport in advance.
Last updated and sources
Go for the fourteen gods, the royal history of Old Agartala and a short, meaningful temple visit from Agartala; time it for October–March for easy weather, or for July if you want the full intensity of Kharchi Puja. Pair it with Ujjayanta Palace and, with a spare day, Neermahal.
Last updated: 23 October 2026. Fees, timings and permits change — reconfirm with official sources before you travel.
Sources: Tripura Tourism, Chaturdasha Temple listing; Wikipedia, Chaturdasha Temple; Wikipedia, Chaturdasa Devata; Drishti IAS summary of PIB, Kharchi Puja (15 July 2024); The Week / PTI, Tripura CM inaugurates Kharchi Puja (3 July 2025); The Sentinel, weeklong Kharchi Puja at Chaturdash Devata Mandir. Accessed October 2026.
