 Master craftsman in stone carving for
over four decades, Sudarshan Sahoo has acquired traditional skill and mastery in carving
statues of deities and many decorative pieces. He has mastered the art of icon making and
he is knowledgeable in the scriptures and ancient lore.
 His style imbibes the temple heritage of
Orissa. In 1970, he carved the stories of Lord Buddha at the Dhauli peace Pagoda near
Bhubaneshwar. He has been to Japan several times at the invitation of the Japan Buddha
Sangha and carved all the stone statues and murals required for the Buddha temple and
stupas. His long cherished dream came true in 1977 when he started the Sudarshan Crafts
Museum at Puri with the objective of bringing about a renaissance in this art.
In 1991, Sri Sahoo set up the Sudarshan Arts and
Crafts Village in Bhubaneshwar to keep the art alive by imparting training to the younger
generation.
He has
devised a scheme for training poor students free of cost in traditional temple sculpture,
panels and statues using various media such as, stone, wood, fibre-glass and cement
castings. His two sons have joined him and he gives them scope to research and preserve
the art.
He has attended demonstrations and
exhibitions in India and abroad. His solo exhibitions in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and
Pune have received unprecedented appreciation and rave reviews from visitors. He was
conferred the National Award for stone carving in 1981. In 1988 he was honoured with the
Padmashree Award for his outstanding contribution in the field of arts and crafts in
India.
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