New Delhi: Odisha was the centre of attraction on the occasion of India’s Independence Day at Times Square New York as celebrity chef Vikas Khanna unveiled a replica of Odisha’s famous Konark Sun Temple wheel. Hundreds of Indian-Americans turned up to witness the grand event, along with Randhir Jaiswal, the Consulate General of India in New York, Indo-American Arts Council.
Earlier, on August 13, the celebrity chef posted on Facebook, “Are you ready for the most iconic Indian Independence Day. We will see you at Times Square 10am onwards. Flag hoisting ceremony followed by unveiling of the best art pieces of modern times. My heart will beating for billion+souls as we will unveil the art that represents 1200+ years of lineage in New York.”
Several artists from Odisha’s Lalitagitri village have worked for months on the handcrafted replication, which is made of sandstone and weighs approximately 4,000 pounds, IANS reported.
“While I have been dreaming and conceptualising about this moment for almost five years, the brilliant artists at work in India have toiled day and night for many, many months to make this come alive! This will be a magical moment!,” Khanna had tweeted earlier.
Khanna had said that he was inspired by the sand Konark wheel sculpted by Odisha’s renowned sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik.
Responding to a video of the unveiling, Pattnaik wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “You have created history by unveiling the replica of world heritage monument Konark wheel in Timee Square on the occasion of Indian Independence Day. This is a proud moment for all of us. Thank you again for contributions in promoting Indian art and culture.”
It took 12 years and 12,000 artisans to build the 13th century Konark Sun Temple, a monumental representation of the chariot of the sun god, which is a Unesco-designated World Heritage Site.
The 24 wheels of the chariot are decorated with symbolic designs and led by seven horses symbolising time.
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