BERHAMPUR: For Satya Maharana of Silk City, small is beautiful. The 36-year-old artisan, known for creating miniature idols, added another feather to his cap by carving out a 4.1 cm idol of Lord Ram from ‘Gambhari’ wood. Satya has 25 international and national records to his credit. Apart from wood, he has used chalk, soap and sand to create miniature figurines.
“I decided to do something new for Ram Navami and sat down to work on the idols. It took me over an hour to carve out the statue and complete all its details,” he said. Satya’s idol has Lord Ram holding a bow, arrow and a quiver.
The artisan’s creation comes at a time when the Uttar Pradesh government is planning to construct a 251 metre high statue of Lord Ram, the tallest in the world, on the banks of Sarayu river in Ayodhya.
Like Satya, another artisan from the city has taken to the tough task of creating miniature structures.
Dilip Maharana is aged just 18 but his passion for the art knows no bounds. Dilip has constructed a three inch replica of Ram Mandir, being constructed at Ayodhya. “I collected the detailed design of the Ram Mandir from Google and worked on my dream project,” said the youngster who had entered the India and Asia Book of Record for the smallest idol of Goddess Durga measuring just one inch during Durga Puja last year. Dilip was encouraged by his father Bhagaban and elder brother Manoj to pursue the tough job.
Unlike Satya, Dilip took a week to construct the replica of the temple and he has already applied to Asia Book of Record and Guinness World Records. He hopes to present his creation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.