Gangtok: As many as four sculptors, among them Gautam Pal of Krishnagar, Bengal, have shown an interest in making the proposed 95-ft statue of Lord Gautam Buddha at Rabong in South Sikkim.
Yesterday, the sculptors made their presentation at the conference hall of the Tashiling secretariat before the core committee of the Sakyamuni project. The project comprises the statue and a garden coming up on a 25-acre plot along the road to Ralong.
Being constructed to commemorate the 2550th birth anniversary of Lord Buddha, the project is expected to boost pilgrimage tourism.
During the presentation, the artists showed the committee members samples of their work and provided a possible estimate of the cost involved in making the statue. The core committee, headed by state urban development minister D.D. Bhutia, also has additional chief secretary T.T. Dorji as a senior member.
The quotations submitted by the sculptors will be opened on June 18 to decide who will be entrusted with the task. The entire statue will be made of bronze.
Pal, who has studied art and sculpture in India and Italy, is internationally famous with over 50 of his works having been installed in several European countries, Asia and the United States. A 10-ft statue of Mahatma Gandhi, made by the artist, has been installed in the garden of the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at the Indian embassy in Washington. Several of his works also find a place in Parliament including an 18-ft statue of Subhas Chandra Bose and statues of Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi. The statue of Gorkha freedom fighter Durga Malla, that has been installed in Parliament, was also made by Pal.
“It is a good project (Sakyamuni) and I am happy to be here to offer my quotation. If the task is entrusted to me it will be a major challenge for me,” Pal told The Telegraph. The sculptor, who seems to be the frontrunner among the four bidders, has won several awards including the three bestowed on him by the Academy of Fine Arts. He also added that such a huge statue would require technicians, engineers and metallurgists.
J.P. Agarwal from Siliguri and a local firm Babu Kazi Sakya are also in the bidding fray.
The state government has already set aside Rs 5 crore for the Buddha statue and the garden this year. Construction and development of the site has started since last month. The foundation for the platform where the statue will be placed is being dug at present. The total cost of the statue has been pegged at Rs 30 crore.
At the committee’s meeting yesterday it was decided that Tashi Densapa, the director of the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, would head the religious committee of the project.
The project is expected to be completed by December 2009.
Yesterday, the sculptors made their presentation at the conference hall of the Tashiling secretariat before the core committee of the Sakyamuni project. The project comprises the statue and a garden coming up on a 25-acre plot along the road to Ralong.
Being constructed to commemorate the 2550th birth anniversary of Lord Buddha, the project is expected to boost pilgrimage tourism.
During the presentation, the artists showed the committee members samples of their work and provided a possible estimate of the cost involved in making the statue. The core committee, headed by state urban development minister D.D. Bhutia, also has additional chief secretary T.T. Dorji as a senior member.
The quotations submitted by the sculptors will be opened on June 18 to decide who will be entrusted with the task. The entire statue will be made of bronze.
Pal, who has studied art and sculpture in India and Italy, is internationally famous with over 50 of his works having been installed in several European countries, Asia and the United States. A 10-ft statue of Mahatma Gandhi, made by the artist, has been installed in the garden of the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at the Indian embassy in Washington. Several of his works also find a place in Parliament including an 18-ft statue of Subhas Chandra Bose and statues of Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi. The statue of Gorkha freedom fighter Durga Malla, that has been installed in Parliament, was also made by Pal.
“It is a good project (Sakyamuni) and I am happy to be here to offer my quotation. If the task is entrusted to me it will be a major challenge for me,” Pal told The Telegraph. The sculptor, who seems to be the frontrunner among the four bidders, has won several awards including the three bestowed on him by the Academy of Fine Arts. He also added that such a huge statue would require technicians, engineers and metallurgists.
J.P. Agarwal from Siliguri and a local firm Babu Kazi Sakya are also in the bidding fray.
The state government has already set aside Rs 5 crore for the Buddha statue and the garden this year. Construction and development of the site has started since last month. The foundation for the platform where the statue will be placed is being dug at present. The total cost of the statue has been pegged at Rs 30 crore.
At the committee’s meeting yesterday it was decided that Tashi Densapa, the director of the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, would head the religious committee of the project.
The project is expected to be completed by December 2009.
