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Jatayu sculpture to be built in Kerala
A huge sculpture of the mythological bird from Ramayana will be built atop a rock in Kerala by 2008.
A huge sculpture of a mythological bird from the Indian epic Ramayana will be built atop a rock in Kerala by 2008.The sculpture will house a history museum, a mini theatre, an open area and also washrooms inside.
The 200-foot long, 150-foot wide and 50-foot tall 'functional' sculpture of Jatayu will be built on a 1,000-foot tall rock at Chadayamangalam, 50 km from here.
According to the Ramayana, when demon king Ravana was on his way to Lanka on Pushpak Vimana (flying chariot) after abducting Lord Rama's wife Sita, he encountered Jatayu. On seeing Sita cry for help, Jatayu got into a fight with Ravana during which he cut the bird's wings.
According to legend, Chadayamangalam, known as Jatayumangalam in local parlance, was the place where Jatayu fell after losing to Ravana.
Taking into account the historical relevance of the place, the Kerala eco-tourism department last year decided to erect a befitting monument to relive the myth. It entrusted sculptor-turned-award winning film director Rajiv Anchal to erect the functional sculpture at a cost of Rs.20 million.
Speaking to IANS, Anchal said it has been named as a functional sculpture because unlike other works this is one where people can move about inside the structure.
The project, when complete, is billed to be Asia's biggest 'functional structure'.
"The structure is going to be built using concrete and will have three floors. When completed, visitors can enter the Jatayu through the tail portion and exit through the slashed portion of the wing," said Anchal.
He said the Kerala government has passed an order sanctioning the first instalment of Rs.8.5 million.
"Now that the funds are ready, work is expected to begin in a week's time.
"It is going to be a real challenge because to build this huge structure all material has to be transported from the base of the 1,000-foot rock to its top," said Anchal.
"The most enchanting part of the project is that through the eyes of Jatayu, visitors could get a breathtaking and bird's eye view of the magnificent greenery all around."
In the second phase of the project, Anchal said a similar piece of art would be built in the foothills of the rock to show the slashed wing of Jatayu.
