Gurgaon, July 22, 2013: Ahead of the Sawan month, city-based sculptor Naresh Kumar has created an eight-tonne metal sculpture of Lord Shiva.

According to the Hindu calendar, the auspicious month begins on July 23.

Kumar’s father Matu Ram is a well-known sculptor. Kumar’s creation consists of a 15-foot-tall statue of Nandi, the vehicle of Shiva, upon whom Shiva and his wife Parvati are seated. Along with that are statues of Lord Kartik and Narada.

The statues have been made of gun metal, comprising copper, brass, platinum, lead and pewter.

Awarded by various government bodies, Kumar was entrusted with making this sculpture by a group in Gujarat.

“The group is planning a rath yatra and will take the sculpture to different places within the state,” said Kumar.

It took Kumar and his team of 40 men six months to create the statue. Sawan, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva, starts from July 23 and ends on August 21.

Having carved several mythological figurines for the governments of Punjab and Haryana and also for some countries, Kumar says that there is a very high demand for culture-based sculptures.

“We have a lot of clients from outside India who demand statues depicting ethnic cultures of different states such as Rajasthan and Haryana. I am also currently working on a sculpture which has been ordered by a group in Toronto,” said Kumar, adding that about 40% of the orders he receives are from abroad.

Kumar has been awarded by the chief ministers of Haryana and Punjab, and the prime minister of Mauritius for his work.

Among his many creations, a 108-foot statue of Lord Hanuman placed at an altitude of 8,500 feet at Jakhu Temple in Shimla has been nominated for the Guinness World Records.

Source: Hindustan Times, DT. July 22, 2013.