Padmanabha Swami Temple in Andheri!

A towering 18-foot sand sculpture of the shrine that has been in the news for its hidden treasures will be erected at a Ganesh mandal in Andheri by renowned sand artist

The famous Padmanabha Swami temple in Kerala has been in the news lately for the hordes of treasure chests found in it. But if you cannot visit the temple, don't worry.

Now, one will have the chance to view the great temple right here in the city during the 10-day Ganesh festival, thanks to an Andheri-based mandal, which is building a replica of the temple with sand.


The 40X15 feet Somnath sand replica created
by Manmohan Mahapatra last year

The Andhericha Raja Sarvajnik Ganeshotsav Mandal has decided that it will use the shrine to draw in large crowds this Ganesh Chaturthi.

The mandal, known for its unique decorations, has also planned on building the Akshardham temple of Gujarat using Plaster of Paris.

Uday Salian, spokesperson of the Mandal told MiD DAY that the temple replica would be placed opposite to the deity of Ganesha inside the pandal.

While the set of the Akshardham temple will be created by art director Ananth Shinde, the sand replica will be built by none other than sand art maestro Manmohan Mahapatra, Asia's first sand sculptor and the man responsible for building the Somnath temple replica last year.

"We are still researching on the type of sand that is needed for the replica. It will take another week to complete the study. We took 14 days to complete the Somnath temple replica last year," said Mahapatra.

Salian added, "Our committee has sent the sand artists to the Padmanabha Swami temple where they will study minute details required to make the sand imitation.
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The height of this sand model will be around 18 feet and the pandal will be 22-feet in height and air-conditioned."

Treasure Temple
A mesmerizing treasury of gold and silver coins, jewels and precious stones in the Sree Padmanabha Swami temple of Kerala surprised the world as sealed vaults were opened.

Thousands of statues of gods and goddesses made of solid gold and studded with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and other precious stones, crowns and necklaces were unearthed (worth $ 22 billion). Officials are yet to open chamber B.

Did you know?
Dr Pranali Patidar created the largest sand painting measuring 6,000 m in Dhule on January 26, 2009. The painting depicted the flag of India.