THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It’s not often that one comes across a relief carving of ‘Ananthasayanam’, even though replicas of it have been painted or sculpted. Perhaps the reason why the relief carving at the curios shop on the premises of Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple is attracting believers. Carved out of a three-feet-wide and two-feet-high wood, the replica is priced at Rs 10,000. The piece is not crowded with motifs. To give a three-dimensional feel, the artist has made Sree Padmanabha’s arm larger.
The temple authorities, expecting a good demand, have decided to stock many pieces of the relief carving. Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple PRO Bablu Shankar says, “The pieces are being brought to the shop, as and when work on it gets over. It has been received well by the believers. Two pieces were sold, though it was introduced to the shop only some days ago.”
It was first spotted by Kumar Gopi, a Sree Padmanabha Swamy believer, at an artist’s house. He decided to give it to the temple. He says, “The profit on this piece is nominal. I thought it should be sold at the temple, rather than just about any curios shop.” He did not divulge the details of the artist.