Tallest Buddha statue coming up in Sarnath

Tallest Buddha statue coming up in Sarnath
                                                        

                                                           By Girish Kumar Dubey

-Its height will be second only to the Bamiyan Buddhas

SARNATH (UTTAR PRADESH): A number of sculptors in Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh are busy chiselling an eighty feet tall statue of the Buddha, which will be the world's tallest Buddha statue after the ones demolished in Afganistan's Bamiyan valley under the Taliban regime. Thailand support The tallest Buddha statue is part of an old project, which started ten years ago but had to be put on hold in the wake of financial problems. The work was resumed three years ago with the assistance after the Government of Thailand extended its help for the project. It will take three more years to complete the statue.

``We are making a statue of Lord Buddha with the help of Thailand government. It will be the tallest statue of Buddha in a standing position and it comes second in height only to the Bamiyan Buddhas [statues]. It has been more than 10 years since we began work, and now we are also creating awareness about its construction,'' said Mohan Lal, designer of the statue.

 
``At least 20- 25 artisans are working on this statue for over three years.... it will take three to four more years to complete. Right now, we are through with the stomach, feet and the face. Two or three months will be taken for the finishing work,'' said Jyoti Singh Khushwaha, the contactor undertaking the construction of the statue.

Workers at the site said the statue would use over 635 blocks of sandstone and would be made in the Gandharva style, which laid great significance to it. The Buddha attained enlightenment at the age of 35 in Bodh Gaya in Bihar and finally departed from the world at the age of 80 in Kushinagar. Situated 10 kilometres away from Varanasi, Sarnath is the place where the Buddha is believed to have delivered his first sermon in 500 B.C. The place has a number of stupas (hemispherical domes) and monasteries. In the early days of Buddhism, stupas were built to honour important events including Buddha's enlightenment — ANI

Uttar Pradesh artists take up to eco-friendly idols for Durga Puja

Uttar Pradesh artists take up to eco-friendly idols for Durga Puja

By Girish Kumar Dubey

Varanasi, Sep. 29 : Ahead of Durga Puja idols of gods are being made here from environment-friendly materials to save the River Ganga from pollution. The idols are immersed in it at the culmination of the festival.

"This year we started using natural colours. We use turmeric for yellow colour and leaf for green colour. We are using natural colours to prevent our holy river Ganga from getting polluted," said Chitranjan Pal, an artist.

Earlier, the idols used to be made from materials like plaster of Paris, which do not dissolve easily and reduced the oxygen level in the water, resulting in the deaths of fish and other aquatic animals.

But the idols this year are being made of clay, and they are also being colored with natural colours, which are safe and will not pollute the River Ganga.

"We make colours out of natural things so that there are no chances of pollution or infection," said Sushant Kumar Pal, an artist. By Girish Dubey (ANI)

Upcoming general elections affect inflow of tourists to Uttar Pradesh                                                                     By Girish Kumar Dubey     Varanasi, Apr 2(ANI): The upcoming general elections have taken a toll on the tourism sector in Varanasi as tourists chose to stay away owing to security problems and other operating difficulties. Web-lebrity on Facebook The river banks and the hotels which used to be buzzing with tourists at this time of year are now lying vacant. The tourist operators and guides are all citing the hassles encountered during the elections as chief reason for the lack of tourists in the city. "Due to elections, there are certain restrictions on the movement of the tourists. They cannot go everywhere and the tourists feel scared and confused in such a scenario. They don't feel at ease and prefer to go to other locations," said Neel Pratap, a tourist guide. Despite majority of the tourists aborting their tours, there are few who have trickled into Varanasi. These are economy tourists who have been forced to undertake the trip as rules and regulations of certain airlines and hotels prevent them from getting a refund on canceling their tours. "The tourists who have come here are the people who had made their bookings in advance due to the certain policies and rules of the airlines. Hotels cannot get a refund on cancellation of their reservations. In such a case, these people are forced to undertake their tours. They are all economy tourists who have come here at their own risk, but so far no untoward incident has been reported, so we are quite hopeful," said Ronald Nadar, a travel assistant. After the Mumbai terror attacks and the global recession, the general elections have emerged as new hurdle in the once booming tourism industry in the city. Varanasi is a hot spot for foreigners visiting India. With its scenic riverbanks and plenty of religious sites, the holy town is quite popular with the tourists. Tourism is one of the major sources of revenue in the city. By Girish Kumar Dubey ANI)