Puri (Odisha) [India], October 16 (ANI): Popular sand artist and Padma Shri awardee Sudarshan Pattnaik created a sand sculpture of Goddess Durga, intricately carved and adorned with over 5000 lemons on the first day of the Navratri festival on Odisha's Puri beach.

This sculpture was accompanied by prayers for Team India in the ongoing Cricket World Cup.

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Pattnaik used more than 5,000 lemons to craft the sculpture, along with the message 'Prayer for blessings' for Team Bharat in the World Cup 2023.

Earlier, Pattnaik paid tribute to MS Swaminathan, a renowned Agricultural scientist and the driving force behind India's Green Revolution, by creating his sand sculpture at Odisha's Puri beach.

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Pattnaik used 4 tonnes of sand to create the sculpture.

Meanwhile, the team India is all set to lock horns with Bangladesh on October 19.

After registering back-to-back three victories in their World Cup campaign, Men in Blue will face Bangladesh on Thursday at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)