Artistes sculpt sand idol of Lord Buddha in Bihar

Bodhgaya, Jan 17 (ANI): A group of sand artistes created eye-catching sculptures of Lord Buddha in Bodhgaya, a Buddhist pilgrimage site in Bihar.

The sculptures of Lord Buddha, Mahabodhi Temple and the famed Bodhi tree, under which Lord Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment about 2,500 years ago, made by artists from Orissa, left the visitors spellbound.

"These artistes have made Mahabodhi tree, Mahabodhi Temple and Lord Buddha from sand. These sand idols are main attractions at Bodhgaya as of now," said Sanjay Kumar Singh, District Magistrate, Bodhgaya.

For the artistes, the entire experience of creating beautiful sculptures in the holy land of Bodhgaya was enriching and incredible.

"It is for the first time that we have come here. We have been to many places before also. But the kind of happiness, we have got after working at this place is incredible," said Suresh Kumar Maharana, a sand artist.

Buddhist scriptures describe Bodhgaya as the navel of the Earth, and 100,000 pilgrims and tourists visit every year, packing the town and its Mahabodhi Temple.

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002, the Mahabodhi Temple is believed to have been built 1,500 years ago. By Surya Pratap Singh (ANI)