Sculptor makes Gandhi statue with 75,000 iron bolts

Sculptor Katuri Venkateswara Rao said he will approach the Guinness Book and Limca Book of Records for international recognition of his work and to make his Tenali town famous.

Guntur: In an attempt to set a world record, a sculptor in Andhra Pradesh has built a statue of Mahatma Gandhi with 75,000 iron bolts. The 10-feet statue in Tenali town in Guntur district is a hit with the people.

Sculptor Katuri Venkateswara Rao said he will approach the Guinness Book and Limca Book of Records for international recognition of his work and to make the town famous. Lawmaker Shivakumar praised Rao for his creation. Rao has been in the news earlier as well for making statues of late Tamil Nadu politician M Karunanidhi, which was installed in the city of Chennai in 2018.

Rao has made more than 500 statues of famous Indian leaders such as NT Rama Rao, BR Ambedkar, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, according to reports. Many generations of Rao's family have been in the business of making statues. The family was honoured with the Shilpa Ratna award from a voluntary organization, reports said.

Rao's ancestors were renowned sculptors hailing from Bitragunta in Prakasam during the 19th century.