G20 leaders will be greeted by a magnificent 27-foot Nataraja, the world’s tallest dancing statue of Lord Shiva, in front of the Bharat Mandapam at New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan this weekend.
The statue is an Ashtadhatu (eight-metal alloy) piece of art, made by the sculptors of Swamimalai in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. Weighing about 18 tons, it was brought across the country on a 36-wheel trailer.
61-year-old Srikanda Sthapathy, who created the idol along with his brothers, told The Indian Express that the design took inspiration from three revered Nataraja idols – the Thillai Nataraja temple in Chidambaram, the Uma Maheswarar temple in Konerirajapuram and the Brihadeeswara temple (temple). , a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Thanjavur.
