As Visually-Impaired Odisha Youth Crafts Replica Of Puri Jagannath Temple, Divinity Unfolds
Shubham Sundar Das, 25, from Odisha who has only 40 percent vision, has paper-crafted a marvel - an accurate miniature replica of the Jagannath Temple.
Published : July 2, 2025 at 5:26 PM IST
By Bikash Kumar Das
Bhubaneswar: Devotion and deity are personal. But when that devotion takes the shape of the universal, it carries along a mass appeal and floods the heart with emotions. Shubham Sundar Das has done exactly that. He had never been able to see Lord Jagannath in totality, neither had he gauged the beauty of the Srimandir in its entirety. But he created the Lord and His temple with so much meticulousness, that it became a matter of disbelief for many that the 25-year-old Shubham is actually visually-challenged.
"I have never seen the Lord of the Universe clearly. Even during visits to the Jagannath Temple in Puri, I couldn’t make out the divine figure of Mahaprabhu Jagannath due to a limited vision," says the 25-year-old Shubham for whom, the 60% visual impairment, has never come between his devotion and his deity. Instead, he decided to bring his deity and make a home for Him - a near-perfect replica of the Jagannath Temple using paper.
Shubham, born to Satyanarayan and Shrabani Das from Baripada, is the only child who lives with his parents in Bhubaneswar. Struggling with low vision, all of 40 percent, Shubham since childhood, has not been able to see objects clearly. But the architectural details in his creation of the Srimandir defies it.
Drawn to art and craft since long, he created the 2.5-foot tall replica of the Srimandir, which took him almost eight months to complete. For the purpose, he has used cardboard, glue, ice-cream sticks, soaked paper pulp mixed with flour and fenugreek, and not to forget - his imagination. The model is minutely detailed and features the main sanctum (Garbha Griha), the Aruna Stambha, Jagamohan, Natamandap, Bhoga Mandap, the four cardinal gates (Singhadwar, and doors on the north, south, east, and west), the Kalpabata tree, Maa Lakshmi and Bimala temples, and even some other smaller temples in the Srimandir premises.
“During the making of the temple, I dealt so deeply with the design and intricacies that I get a feeling that the actual Srimandir is as much in my home as in Puri,” says Shubham. He has even installed lights inside the paper temple to enhance its beauty.
The materials used are inexpensive, but the craftsmanship is exceptional. Shubham says he has spent around Rs 11,000 on the project, saving and collecting bits over time. The craft he began in August last year got over some days ahead of Rath Yatra this year.
He is one of those few craftsmen or artists, who memorizes the structures or historical sites he visits so that he can recreate them from memory. “Though I can’t see clearly, I touch some portions and feel some. If the spirit of a place touches me, I memorise it,” he says.
Shubham surprisingly, has undergone no formal training in art or sculpture. A science graduate, he is currently pursuing a computer training course at NCSDA, an institute for persons with disabilities.
His creations have earned him recognition and admiration from people cutting across various strata of the society and art lovers. Shubham’s parents said they are always with him and will support him emotionally and practically throughout his creative journey.
What does Shubham plan next? He dreams of giving Odisha a unique identity through his artwork. Disability cannot be a roadblock, says the artist. "It rather channelizes the better things in myriad forms. I may not see the world like others, but I have faith and trust that I can build things that others cannot," says he.
Shubham has proved that to see God, you don’t need eyes. Just heart, hands, and belief. "So what if I lack eyesight, I have the creative ability to make wonders that open the eyes of many," Shubham smiles.
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