Artist makes sand sculptures of Lord Jagannath to mark start of ancient festival
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Puri, March 29 (ANI): Eminent sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik made sculptures of Lord Jagannath at Puri beach in Odisha to mark the beginning of an ancient festival where the old idols of the Lord are replaced with the new ones. The ancient festival known as Nabakalebar is the periodical renewal of the wooden images of Lord Jagannath, his brother Bhalabhadara or Balarama and sister Subhadra. Last time this festival was held in 1996. The idols are made from special type of wood from the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), known as Daru Bramha. The sand sculptures are six feet high and are same as the ones carved out of wood. Meanwhile, a tourist from Raipur city, Ishita Sharma, praised the sand art as it looked exact like the real wooden sculptures. On July 18, the annual religious procession will be held in Puri, called Jagannath Rath Yatra, which commemorates a journey by Lord Jagannath, his brother and sister in specially made chariots.
