On the occasion of Diwali, renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik created a colourful sand sculpture of Lord Ram holding diya with the message ‘Happy Diwali’ at Puri Beach in Odisha.

People present at the beach were seen taking photographs of the mastepiece. The video from the beach showed Pattnaik giving final touch to the magnificent art.

#HappyDeepavali ?
On the occasion of #Deepavali I have created a sand art on Prabhu #ShriRam at Puri beach in Odisha. pic.twitter.com/wxxzfOJ03v

— Sudarsan Pattnaik (@sudarsansand) November 11, 2023

However, this isn’t the first time that Pattnaik has mesmerised people with his unique talent. On several occasions, he has created a magnificent sand sculpture of various Hindu gods and goddesses.

Diwali is observed on Amavasya (or the new moon), the 15th day of the month of Kartik, every year. This year, Diwali will be celebrated on November 12.

Speaking to ANI, the renowned sand artist shared his best wishes for Diwali to the people of the country.

“On the occasion of Diwali, we created the biggest Diya on the sand with a message of Happy Diwali. We wish the people of the country a happy Diwali. We have also installed Diyas and created the sculpture of Lord Ram here. The Ram temple in Ayodhya is going to be inaugurated after Diwali,” Sudarshan told ANI.

It is pertinent to note that the Supreme Court’s verdict in 2019 on the Ayodhya dispute paved the way for the construction of a grand Ram temple. Following the Supreme court verdict, the Centre set up Shri Ram Janma Bhoomi Tirtha Kshetra’ Trust to take all decisions regarding the construction of a magnificent Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The construction of the temple has been progressing at a steady pace under the supervision of the Trust. The idol of Ram Lalla will be in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Ayodhya and participate in the consecration ceremony on January 22, 2024. The letter was sent by the Trust to PM Modi and he has accepted the invitation.

The consecration ceremony is scheduled for January 22, and it was finalized after a meeting between the Shri Ram Janambhoomi Trust and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

PM Modi will visit Ayodhya on January 22, 2024, to perform Ram Lalla’s pran pratishtha.

The foundation stone for the construction of the Ram Temple was laid by PM Modi on August 5, 2020.

Three young Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Saturday.

One of those killed was from the town of Jenin while the other two were from Arraba, a town to the southwest.

Former US President Donald Trump has filed a legal motion backing media requests for live television coverage of his federal trial on charges he conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

In the late Friday filing, Trump argued that prosecutors want the trial held “in darkness” as part of what he claims is a politically motivated effort by President Joe Biden’s administration to undermine his bid for re-election next year.

Trump is leading the field of Republican candidates seeking the party’s 2024 presidential nomination. Biden is expected to win the Democratic Party’s nomination to a second term.

Trump is facing four criminal proceedings, including the federal court trial set for March in which he faces charges of attempting to defraud the federal government and obstructing Congress by knowingly spreading false claims of election fraud.

His unfounded claims that the 2020 vote was rigged spurred thousands of his supporters to storm the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a failed bid to block congressional certification of his defeat by Biden.

In his latest filing by his lawyers, John Lauro and Todd Blanche, Trump endorsed requests by media organizations that U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan allow live television coverage of the trial.

“Every person in America, and beyond, should have the opportunity to study this case firsthand and watch as, if there is a trial, President Trump exonerates himself of these baseless and politically motivated charges,” said the filing.

It accused Special Prosecutor Jack Smith’s team of violating Trump’s constitutional rights and attacked Chutkan for allowing “these attacks,” thereby “placing the interests of his political opposition” above his legal protections.

“These proceedings should be fully televised so that American public can see first hand that this case…is nothing more than a dreamt-up constitutional charade,” it said.

Smith earlier this month opposed the media requests, citing a decades-old federal court rule barring broadcasts of criminal proceedings.

Television coverage also potentially could intiminate witnesses and jurors, Smith said in a November 3 filing.