The Kalacherra area in Tripura has of late come in the news for its archaeological importance. It consists of North Hurua, East Hurua, Gobindapur, Pratyakroy and Kalacherra village under Kadamtala rural development block of Dharmanagar sub-division in North Tripura district. Kalacherra is situated a few kilometres away from the railway town of Dharmanagar.The villagers of Kalacherra mainly depend upon agriculture. Most of them are daily wage labourers. Some are government employees.
The villagers have been discovering various unique historical and archeological items since the time of the royal dynasty in Kalacherra. According to the local myth, Kalacherra symbolised the history and heritage of Dharmanagar. In 1906 the villagers of Kalacherra found some remnants of an ancient building at the residence of one Jamar Mohammad. At that time the rumor of discovery of a hidden treasure had triggered quite a sensation among the people of Tripura. It set off a gold rush among the employees of the then ruler of the state. An iron plate and ancient candle stick were found during excavations at the spot. Later, the diggers also discovered some relics linked to Lord Shiva near a pond. Besides, the image of Lord Vishnu, Lord Krishna, broken parts of bronze slabs and boats were also found around the spot. Bronze coins dating back to the eleventh century were also discovered. Recently a large number of iron weapons have been found near Padmabill in Dharmanagar.
Discoveries of some stone plates and iron lightstands about a hundred years ago had created curiosity in the local population of Kalacherra.Thereafter archeological interest began to develop in the area in the hope of further discoveries of antiques. The local people believe more and more artefacts may be found if exploration is taken up again. A local teacher, Mantu Das believes that some villagers possessed many antiques and stone images in their personal custody. But he is sure that many more relics which may reveal the socio-cultural and economic life of ancient Tripura still lie buried at Kalacherra . According to his study Kalacherra was inhabited several years ago. Kalacherra was under a dense forest. But by the fifteenth century there was a developed society, with its own civilisation and culture in the area, he said. Several researchers believe Kalacherra to be a shrine of God Agnihotra. This belief deepened after the discovery of an image of Lord Shiva found during the digging work in south of Kalacherra. Some scholars have maintained that Banabhatta, the court poet of king Harshavardhana, had close links with Kalacherra during the seventh century. The people of Tripura believe a syatematic excavation at Dharmanagar and its nearby areas may reveal more about ancient Tripura and its civilization
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