Welding history and art together, Maha Shivaji statue to be ready in a yr

Nagpur: Sonal Kohad — sculptor from Nagpur selected by the Shiv Smarak Samiti to build the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji — wants his work to be distinct from others. The facial features of the Maratha warrior king were taken from paintings by Dutch and Mughal artists apart from a sculpture in the Sayaji museum at Vadodara in Gujarat.
“Written material was also referred to and the entire effort was to ensure that the statue resembles real looks of the king to the extent possible,” says Kohad.
From among those who were approached by the samiti, Kohad, a masters from JJ School of Arts, was finally chosen to make what is claimed to be the tallest statue of Shivaji Maharaj that would be installed at Nagpur University campus.
From getting a final approval of the state’s directorate of arts to completing an intricate process of making clay models and metal casting, it may take at least a year to finish the 52 feet statue, Kohad says.
The statue of Shivaji alone would be 32-feet tall, rest will be the throne’s height. It would weigh around 13 tonne.