Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik created a 8-feet high and 15-feet long sand sculpture of Lord Jagannath at Puri beach in Odisha to welcome New Year 2023.

Pattnaik created the deities of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra using 10 tons of sand. He decorated the sculpture with flowers and wrote the message "Jai Jagannath".

"We welcome the new year through our sand art and pray to Lord Jagannath for peace and prosperity," said Pattnaik.

Greeting all people on the occasion, Pattnaik took to twitter and said, “Jai Jagannath… A very Happy New Year! May Mahaprabhu Jagannath bless all of us.”

In another tweet, he said, “We wish you all a Happy, Prosperous, and Peaceful New Year! My Sand Art with flowers installation at Puri beach in Odisha.”

Every year, from Christmas to New Year Pattnaik tries to do something different in sand art. Sudarsan Pattnaik, a Padma awardee participated in more than 60 international sand art competitions and festivals around the world so far.