Bhubaneswar: L Eshwar Rao, a celebrated miniature sculptor from Jatni has again surprised his fans by creating a Ganesh Puja pandal from 320 tamarind seeds. He has the distinction of creating a series of miniatures and a personal museum showcasing his work.
“I had been contemplating on how to present my skill this Ganesh Puja for the last three months. Then the idea struck and it took me 15 days to complete this 8-inch pandal. Primarily, I used tamarind seeds, gum, matchsticks and glass pieces. I always try to welcome the Lord in an eco-friendly manner,” Rao said.
Moreover, he has displayed around 500 miniatures of Lord Ganesh in different forms, many of which are inside bottles.
These miniatures range from a half inch Ganesh idol carved out of pencil tip to 5 inches carvings of stone and wood.
He has been working for the last 25 years on different miniatures and created miniatures for particular occasions and seasons. Rao mostly relies on objects like soap, wood, used ball pens, coal, clay, graphite pencil tips, chalks, crayons, rice grains and even tobacco seeds serve medium for his artistic talent.
Earlier, he had made miniature forms of FIFA World Cup-2018 trophy on a pencil and a piece of crayon, wishing the teams in his own unique style.
Last year, he surprised his fans by carving a special miniature Ganesh idol from a tamarind seed and placing as many miniatures of Lord Ganesh frame in 150 bottles sculpted on different materials.
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated across the country for prosperous beginnings as Lord Ganesh is considered as ‘Vignaharta’ or obstacle-remover in any work done.