During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Varanasi on the auspicious occasion of the Sawan month, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath presented him with a spiritually significant and artistically rich gift, a handcrafted ‘Shivling’ sculpture.
The artwork reflects the cultural essence of Kashi and celebrates its GI-tagged artisanal traditions.
The piece features a ‘Shivling’ placed in an Argha, accompanied by traditional symbols such as a five-hooded serpent, Nandi, Trishul, Ganga water in a Kalash, sandalwood ash, and prasad from Baba Vishwanath.
The Kasera community of Varanasi created the piece, featuring Meenakari work by artisan Arun Kumar and design guidance from Raghunath Kasera.
Dr Rajni Kant, GI expert and Padma Shri awardee, who supervised the project, described the sculpture as a rare blend of three GI-tagged crafts: Banaras Metal Repousse Craft, Meenakari, and Metal Casting.
Standing 18 inches tall and 15 inches wide, it symbolises the region’s artistic heritage.
Speaking to IANS, Dr Kant remarked, “This special gift includes sacred elements like Gangajal, chandan prasad, and the trisul—it’s truly wonderful. I’m proud that PM Modi received this from CM Yogi Adityanath. The craft was created with immense dedication within a week.”
PM Modi expressed appreciation for the cultural depth of the gift and highlighted the importance of promoting India’s traditional crafts globally. He reaffirmed the role of GI tags in preserving heritage and cited examples such as Kashi’s silk and Bhadohi’s carpets as key contributions to the ‘Local to Global’ initiative.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister inaugurated and laid foundation stones for development works worth Rs 2,200 crore in his constituency. He also released the 20th instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme, transferring Rs 21,000 crore directly to more than 9.7 crore farmers.
The event included the distribution of over 7,400 assistive devices to elderly and specially-abled individuals.
Opening his address with the chant ‘Om Namah Parvati Pataye Har Har Mahadev’, PM Modi reflected on recent national tragedies.
“Today, I have come to Kashi for the first time since ‘Operation Sindoor’. On April 22, the brutal Pahalgam terror attack claimed 26 innocent lives. The grief of those children and women touched me deeply,” PM Modi stated.
He further added, “At that moment, I prayed to Baba Vishwanath to give strength to the people to endure this pain. I promised my daughters I would seek justice for their ‘Sindoor.’ Today, with the blessings of Mahadev, that promise has been fulfilled. I dedicate the success of ‘Operation Sindoor’ at the feet of Mahadev.”
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