Chennai:
An eight-foot-high bronze statue of Karikala Cholan, seated on an elephant, which was made at a studio here, is all set to be installed in Thanjavur district.
Following chief minister J. Jayalalithaa’s announcement, the government took up the task of making the statue to perpetuate the memory of the king who built the Kallanai dam for irrigation in the Cauvery delta region.
Jayalalithaa had announced the statue for the king while inaugurating in January this year the memorial of John Pennycuick who built the Mullaiperiyar dam.
“The 2,000-year old Kallanai dam which stands stronger than many other dams in the state was built by the Tamil king, and hence, his statue is being readied to stand majestically at his memorial near the dam,” said Kishore. J. Nagappa, who sculpted the statue.
“It took us around three months to finish the statue,” Nagappa said.
“The statue has been so designed that it can stand the test of time and remain a subject to be talked about. Hence, it is meticulously done,” he added.
The memorial will be constructed at a cost of Rs 2.10 crore along the banks of the Cauvery on an area of 4,090 sq ft.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC / November 10th, 2013