DGP Inaugurates Sudarsan’s Sand ‘Boita’ At Balijatra

Padmashri Sudarsan Pattanaik, an internationally acclaimed sand artist, sculpted a massive sculpture of a ‘boita’ (boat) using 90-100 tonnes of sand at the Lower Balijatra ground here to highlight the ancient maritime trade tradition of the Sadhabas of Kalinga (present-day Odisha) on the occasion of Balijatra.On the eve of Kartik Purnima, Odisha DGP Sunil Kumar Bansal unveiled the sand sculpture.

The sculpture is 68 feet long and 42 feet wide, and it contains 25,500 diyas (earthen wicker lamps). For three days, 20 students from my school worked tirelessly with me to create it. We used 90-100 tonnes of sand to build it. “The sculpture is inspired by the unique Odia tradition of sailing boats with lamps in rivers and bodies of water on Kartik Purnima,” Sudarsan Pattanaik explained. Pattnaik stated that they have officially requested the ‘Limca Book of Records’ in order to set a world record. He added, “They have given us permission to make an attempt.”