Largest scale model of Taj in black sand

Vijay Upadhyay
Agra. According to one of the various stories spun around the making of the Taj, it took 22 years to complete the monument of love. However, for this contemporary Taj, the time span has shrunk to only 72 hours.
This is precisely the time world renowned sand sculptor Sudershan Patnaik will take to erect a 12 feet high black sand Taj Mahal on the hillock of Hotel Taj Khema to commemorate Emperor Shahjahan's dream of a black marble mausoleum for himself.
Hailed as the largest scale model of the Taj to be ever erected, this sand Taj will be unveiled on September 25 to mark the inaugural of the three-day closing ceremony of the 350th anniversary celebrations of the Taj.
Patnaik, who built a white sand Taj in Houston, Texas, earlier this year was tasked by the UP Tourism department to build a replica of the Taj in black Yamuna sand "as a birthday gift to the Taj" and as a tribute to the unfulfilled dream of Emperor Shahjahan to construct an identical black marble mausoleum for himself.

Patnaik admitted to The Pioneer that this is the most difficult challenge he has undertaken in his 15-year-long career as a sand sculptor. He says he made the Houston Taj without even having ever seen the Taj except in pictures. While that one was seven feet tall, this black sand model will be about 12 feet high.

He said so far all the sculptures he has made have been on a "triangular" base so a completely "vertical" Taj presents a wide range of difficulties to be overcome before this dream can be realised. Also, Patnaik said, it is not possible to create the "minarets" in exactly the same proportion as they are in the original.
Patnaik points out that sand sculptures have their own limitations governed as they are by the laws of physics. Therefore, the black sand replica of the Taj Mahal cannot have the original's proportions, although Patnaik promises to try and get as close to the original as possible, aware that spectators shall have the original specimen at hand to compare his art with.
Patnaik expects the black Taj to withstand the weather for 4-5 days after which he will bring it down as the charm of sand sculpture lies in its volatility. He said the creation of a black Taj had opened a new chapter in his art career and he now dream of recreating the temples of South India, including the impressive Konark.
(UNITED NEWS NETWORK)
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