Bhubaneswar: Illustrious sculptor from Odisha, Padma Vibhushan Raghunath Mohapatra passed away on Sunday at the age of 78 years.
Known as a complete school in himself on stone carving not just because of the magic he worked out with his hands and a chisel, but also because of his lucid understanding of the traditional style in temple architecture, Mohapatra had won a national award in sculpting at the age of 22 years and was conferred with numerous other recognitions including the Padma Vibhushan in 2018.
He was conferred with Padma Shri in 1976 and also the Padma Bhushan in 2001 by the President of India.
Some of his renowned works include a six-feet-tall sandstone statue of the Sun God carved at the Central Hall of Parliament, New Delhi; a wooden sculpture of Buddha at the Buddha Temple in Paris.
He had also served as a consultative expert in the preservation of several ancient monuments in Odisha including the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri and Konark Sun Temple. He is also credited to have envisaged an ambitious idea of building a ‘second Sun Temple’ on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.
Top personalities from across Odisha and the country expressed deep condolences at the demise of the veteran sculptor.
PM Modi took to Twitter and wrote, “Saddened by the demise of MP Shri Raghunath Mohapatra Ji. He made pioneering contributions to the world of art, architecture and culture. He will be remembered for his contributions towards popularising traditional crafts. My thoughts are with his family and admirers. Om Shanti.”
Similarly, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also condoled the passing away of Mohapatra.