Mysore: It was clearly an emotional moment for Maharani Pramoda Devi as she unveiled the wax statue of the late Maharaja, Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar at the Melody World wax museum here on Saturday.
Cutting the ribbon, she stood for a quiet few minutes before the life-size statue of her late husband seated on a replica of the golden throne in full royal attire. The life-like statue held others spellbound too as it is a near perfect model of the last scion of the Mysore royal family, who passed away in December last, throwing a huge question mark over the Dasara celebrations of which he was a huge part.
The maharani stood for a few minutes before the statue before she smilingly posed for photographers and appreciated the work of sculptor, Shreeji Bhaskaran. Made from 150 kgs of paraffin wax, the statue has captured even minute details like the mole on the late maharaja’s left cheek and a black patch on his left forearm, which he usually hid holding a flower during the private durbar he presided over during the Dasara celebrations.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Mr. Bhaskaran said he worked for three months on the statue which cost him over Rs 10 lakh to make. Ms. Pramoda Devi spent nearly an hour walking through the wax museum, which has a 100 life-size wax statues and over 350 musical instruments, some of which are over a century-old and sourced from around the globe.
