TrivandrumLife>> When the morning sun showers its rays on the Azhimala beach, the famous sculpture of Gangadhareshwara at the Shiva temple over the cliff unveils its full grandeur. The 58-feet Gangadhareshwara, a robust masculine figure holding a trishul and his wildly dreadlocked hair carrying Goddess Ganga, will astonish you each time you see it in the backdrop of the Arabian sea.
As you see the intricate sculpture of ‘Gangadhareshwara‘ statue of Lord Shiva, you will arguably think about a grey-haired man reminding actor Thilakan in ‘Perumthachan’ behind the major work. In fact, credit to the tallest Shiva statue in the state goes to Devadathan P S, a 29-year-old alumnus of Govt Fine Arts college Trivandrum. The 6-year-long effort of the young sculptor, who is a resident of Azhimala, is attracting a lot of tourists and nation-wide attention these days.
More than god or spirituality, I wanted to see this as a piece of art. I knew this space would create a positive vibe in the mind of viewers. I have spent lot of years here with my friends and was confident on how I can utilize the space to enhance its beauty. I had visualized the sculpture in my mind when the responsibility was given to me. We have done studies and research to check the density of rock based on the wind load and on what materials need to be used for the sculpture,” said Devadathan.
Before even the sculpture was unveiled, the photograph of the statue had gone viral through social media and the tourists flocked to the place. Devadathan started working on the sculpture when he was 23 years old without any prior experience on such a major work. The sculpting journey was embarked on April 2014. It took 6 years of hard work and dedication to complete the grandiose statue. “After plus two, I got interested in drawing. I started studying autoCAD, animation and that was the beginning of everything. I understood that this is my passion and I started pursuing it. I have used 3D dynamics and autoCAD to do the designing to model the size of the image,” he said.
Being a young sculptor, Devadathan mentioned the challenges he had to go through. “I don’t have any prior experience, so I had to do a lot of research. Even my father was doubtful at times on whether I could complete it. That’s because of the outlook or perception of people towards a sculptor. I was always confident I could do it. During the sculpting, people will come and pass their comments but it has never stirred my mind. It is never because of any ego or over confidence. But if people have will power, they can master any art” said the very confident Devadathan.
Devadathan seemed very vocal when he talked about how an architecture or the place we sit can drive our emotions. In addition to the sculpture there is also a meditation hall of around 3000 sq feet built beneath the shiva idol. “Gangadhareswara refers to prosperity. The concept was suggested by chief priest Jyothish Potti,” he said.
Devadathan mentioned how a visual can create imagery in the mind of the people. He also pointed out about lack of awareness or art education in the Malayali society.
As the sun pays homage to the Shiva statue daily at Azhimala beach, we can see the aura of the sculpture gazing at the sky.
Nisha Nath is a techie who is an avid writer and traveller.
