Puri residents are rushing to the house of 21-year-old miniature artist Saswat Ranjan Sahoo to see the replica of the Ram Temple of Ayodhya that he created using matchsticks.

On Monday, he tweeted to the Prime Minister’s Office to present the replica to the Prime Minister.

Saswat, a first-year law student, said: “After the consecration ceremony of Lord Ram at Ayodhya, well-wishers rushed to congratulate me for creating the replica of Ram Temple using matchsticks. I have used 936 matchsticks for this purpose.”

He said: “A complete dedication is required to make a replica of any structure and that of the Ayodhya temple, which everyone is looking for, you need God’s blessings as well. I put a six-day effort into creating the replica of the shrine.” Saswat said: “The replica of the Ram Temple is that of seven-centimetre width and 14 centimetres length. Before using matchsticks, we need to dress up the sticks so that it looks attractive.”

The artist said: “Before doing the Ram Temple, I used to see the ongoing construction of the Ram Temple on YouTube and scanned it for days together on my mobile. Later, I analysed the video bit by bit and after I was convinced that I would be able to create the replica, I started work on it.”

He said: “I started learning the basics of this craft by seeing the craft show on televisions and mobiles. When I was in Class 10, I started doing replicas of various models. But I completely mastered the art during the coronavirus time. During that time, I had enough time and no outings with friends. I utilise time to master the craft.”

On being asked why he chose this mode of art to express his ideas and thoughts, Saswat said, “For one this is an eco-friendly way of doing such things. Besides, it’s cheap. Only by spending Rs 200 to Rs 300, I can create a model of any architecture. You need not depend on others for expenses.”

Saswat who has done more than 20 replicas of various structures and gods, has already presented his art to President Droupadi Murmu, Governor Raghubar Das and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. “All of them praised me a lot when they saw my craft,” said Saswat.

Saswat has a desire to present a replica of Ram Temple to the Prime Minister.

“I saw the consecration ceremony of the Ram Lala on the TV today. After seeing it, I have a desire to present the replica to the Prime Minister. I also tweeted to the Prime Minister’s Office to present this handcraft,” he said.