Padma Shri awardee and internationally acclaimed sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik unveiled a towering 30-feet sand sculpture depicting Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati, and the symbolic Kanwar at the golden shores of Puri Beach.
#HarHarMahadev 🙏
On the last #ShravanSomvar, I created a 30-ft-long Kanwar sand art along with Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati at Puri Beach, Odisha.#KanwarYatra #SandArt #LordShiva #Shravan2025 #OmNamahShivaya pic.twitter.com/kzkVxFRMlX— Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) August 4, 2025
The masterpiece commemorates the fourth and final Monday of the sacred Sawan month, a time marked by intense spiritual observances across India.
Thousands of devotees and art lovers gathered to witness the spectacle, which merges mythological reverence with environmental messaging. Pattnaik, known for infusing social themes into traditional motifs, stated that the artwork aims to inspire harmony and peace during this spiritually potent period.
Sawan, the monsoon month in the Hindu calendar, holds special significance for devotees of Lord Shiva. Many observe fasts and Kanwar Yatras, carrying sacred water from holy rivers to Shiva temples. Pattnaik’s sculpture visually narrates this ritual, amplifying Odisha’s rich cultural canvas and the artist’s global storytelling prowess through sand.
