Wax statue of Shivaji unveiled

Mumbai: The first life-size statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji in wax was unveiled here Wednesday evening.

The statue has been created by wax artist Sunil Kandalloor and will be displayed permanently at Celebrity Wax Musuem, Lonavala, around 125 km from here. "We took several months to create and complete this major project of a historical figure like Chhatrapati Shivaji. Well-known historian Babasaheb Purandare contributed immensely to give shape to the statue," museum Director Subhash Kumar said on the occasion, as Maharashtra Tourism Minister Chhagan Bhujbal unveiled the statue. Although there are many statues of Chhatrapati Shivaji, the great Maratha warrior king, in India and around the world, this is the first attempt to make his lifesize statue in wax. The museum in Lonavala has over four dozen life-size wax statues of celebrities like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Michael Jackson, Oscar winner A.R. Rahman and several others. Several living celebrities have donated their attire or personal belongings for the their statues at the museum, which is now on the list of must-see tourist destinations in Lonavala. IANS