KOCHI: Azhimala in Vizhinjam, Thiruvananthapuram, picturesque with the tranquil yet erratic sea, mellow fisherfolk, a handful of tourists and the revered Shiva Temple, is now host to a congregation of tourists. In majestic glory, a 58-ft-tall statue of Lord Shiva as Gangadhareswara, with his windswept, tumultuous dreadlocks enclosing a triumphant Goddess Ganga, has been intricately sculpted on the premises of the Azhimala temple, adjacent to the sea.
Unveiled recently, the country’s tallest statue of Lord Shiva has gone viral — both on land and on social media. Sculpted by 29-year-old P S Devadathan over six long years, the concrete statue, mounted on a rock at an altitude of 20 ft from the sea, invokes a magnificent grandeur and a sense of sacredness. The Azhimala native was handed over the mission by the temple priest.
“I’ve been close to him for as far as I can recall. We’ve shared a similar sense of intellectualism which eventually led him to share such a concept and trust me with the same. Owing to my age, the public had their apprehensions. But I believed in my abilities,” says the College of Fine Arts (Thiruvananthapuram) graduate.
The duo wasted no time. Three to eight months were spent on pre-production wherein Devadathan tried to study the topography and climate of the place, which he claims wasn’t difficult, due to his deep-seated understanding of the place. A three-dimensional design was modelled, proportions were surveyed and the rhythmic formation was vetted.
“After we were certain about the work, I started sculpting the figure. I found concrete to be the most suitable material, mindful of the tempestuous sea and the wind load. The experience was rather thought provoking. Several times, I had to depend on the fisherfolk to determine the forecast that very day,” explains Devadathan. Unlike most statues with a face-frontal view, Devadathan’s sculpture sees the towering Lord Shiva gazing angularly at the sky, nerves and muscles delicately carved.
“In its simplest form, such a flexure is by no means easy,” he says. Now that the statue is completed and tourists are flocking to take in the figure, Devadathan is elated and grateful. “I couldn’t see every step of my progress due to the scaffolding. Upon unveiling the statue, I was struck by reality and its enormity. While I have exhibited my works in galleries earlier, none can beat the aura of a 58-ft-tall sculpture. However, there is more work to be done. Lord Shiva’s vahana (vehicle), Nandi, will be sculpted next to him. Simultaneously, beneath the statue, there is a 3,500-sq-ft chamber comprising sculptures that detail the history of the Azhimala Shiva temple. The entire project will be inaugurated within a few months,” he adds.