A specially-designed 28-foot-tall Nataraja statue — possibly to be the world's tallest, is being installed in the campus of Bharat Mandapam, the venue of the upcoming G20 Summit. The actual height of the statue is 22 feet and it is placed on a six-foot pedestal, adding up to 28 feet. The statue is made of eight metals - gold, silver, lead, copper, tin, mercury, zinc and iron.
Sources said this statue was made using the ancient lost-wax technique of metal casting that was used for making the famed Chola bronzes. The final touches to the unpolished Nataraja statue is being given in the national capital and the deadline to install it at the venue is September 4. The statue is brought to Delhi in a truck from Tamil Nadu.
According to officials, the 19-tonne artefact was made by Srikanta Stapathi, along with his brothers Radhakrishna Stapathi and Swaminatha Stapathi, sons of legendary sculptor Devasenapathy Stapathi in Tamil Nadu's Swamimalai district.
To ensure a smooth and uninterrupted passage, the ministry has sent messages to all state authorities and their respective toll plazas on the vehicle's route. The artefact has travelled through the cities of Hoskote, Devanahalli, Kurnool, Adilabad, Nagpur, Seoni, Sagar, Lalitpur, Gwalior and Agra, among others. The 'Nataraja' statue symbolises Lord Shiva as the 'lord of dance' and his cosmic power of creation and destruction. "We are installing the tallest-ever statue of Nataraja, in the campus of Bharat Mandapam, the venue of the G20 Summit," sources said.
"We are showcasing Panini's 'Ashtadhyayi' in the object of cultural significance category and the lost-wax process is one of our five submissions in the intangible heritage category, and the 'Nataraja' statue has been made using this technique," another source said.
According to sources, the statue was made using the ancient lost-wax technique of metal casting. The clay that is used to make the statue is available on a stretch of the Cauvery River that runs through Swamimalai. After allowing the clay to dry, the whole mass is heated. The melted wax is then filled with molten bronze.
In this metal casting process, molten metal, usually bronze, gold or silver, is poured into a mould made using wax or any resin-like material. Once the metal cools and solidifies, the wax model is melted and drained away.
During the ninth meeting of the G20 coordination committee to review G20 preparations, Prime Minister's Principal Secretary P K Mishra Wednesday took stock of the arrangements and also reviewed the installation progress of the Nataraja statue at the venue.
The exhibition of physical and digital artefacts under the 'Culture Corridor' will be spread over a 10,000 sq ft area in the hallway skirting the summit room, with a huge immersive zone planned in an alcove with a mega screen display, the sources said.
On the opening day of the summit, a 'Culture Corridor' envisioned by the Ministry of Culture will also be unveiled at Bharat Mandapam.
The concept of the 'Culture Corridor' is about "bringing the best and the most valuable artefacts" from all the 29 countries in one space which will then signify the essence of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam -- the theme of the G20, a senior official said. Besides, the corridor would also signify that "culture unites all', he said.
'Culture Unites All' was the sub-theme of the Culture Working Group of the G20 under India's presidency. As part of the 'Culture Corridor – G20 Digital Museum', artefacts in physical and digital formats sourced from all G20 members and invited countries, will be exhibited on the same floor where the leaders' meetings will take place, and they will walk through this "cultural corridor" while moving into and out of the summit room, according to sources.
