Devotees visiting the temple city, in the next few weeks, can add a new ‘place of interest’ to their itinerary! Yet to open its doors to the public, the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Theme Park located at Shilparamam’s Urban Hut highlights the painstaking work of new age sculpture artists, who have transformed scrap metal into iconic masterpieces.
Keeping in tune with the importance the pilgrimage destination, not to mention the interests of tourists, artists built twenty one sculptures centred around the theme of Lord Venkateswara. The entire idea was envisaged during a workshop conducted by Shilparamam (Hyderabad) from May 2 to 8, wherein twenty one artists from across the state were trained on the new age sculpting technique.
The workshop was held under the guidance of Special Chief Secretary (Tourism) Chandana Khan and Shilparamam's Officer on Special Duty E. Siva Nagi Reddy and Special Officer V. Madhususan.
Speaking to The Hindu, Shilparamam’s Urban Hut Administrator A. Sriramulu said that the sculptures would be setup in a garden, specially demarcated for the purpose. “The idols will also be accompanied by a brief history for the benefit of the visitors. Through this event, we wanted to highlight that something creative and constructive can emerge from waste metal parts. The end product has surely lived up to the expectations,” he said.
At the park, one can find statues of Vakulamatha, Consorts of Lord Venkateswara – Sridevi and Bhudevi, Suprabatha Swamy, Lord Malayappa, Doorkeepers of Lord Venkateswara – Jaya and Vijaya, Kodandarama Swamy, Lord Hanuman, Garuda, Annamacharya, Kalpavriksha, Ramanujacharya, Lord Venkateswara’s Chief Commander Visvaksena etc., including the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu or Dasavatara, all constructed through scrap metal parts.
Some sculptures representing the face and bust of Lord Venkateswara have been immaculately constructed, highlighting even finer details like the Lord’s jewels through metallic parts. The main attraction is a sculpture – ‘Brahma in the form of Cow’, which depicts the scene where Lord Brahma (takes the form of a cow) feeds Maha Vishnu, while the latter meditates in an anthill disgusted over the insult of Sage Bhrigu.
