Lord Ganesha, the eliminator of obstacles, the patron of arts and sciences and the lord of intellect and wisdom. Call whatever you may, Lord Ganesha is the most worshipped deity in Hinduism. Not only in India, but Ganesha can be found throughout Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bali, Bangladesh, and Nepal too. Such is the love and faith of devotees all around the world.
While talking about the devotees, let me mention a couple from Udaipur who possess the collection of more than 12,500 paintings and statues of Lord Ganesha. Shocked, aren’t you?
Mr. Ram Kogata and Mrs. Lalita Kogata got married in 1988 and the passion for art, common hobbies and interests between both of them persuaded them to do something different. The idea of Ganesha creations struck their minds when they created a Ganesha idol for their home. This incident inspired them to study on Lord Ganesha even more.
It took both Ram and Lalita, struggle and hard work of about 30 years. And the journey wasn’t easy. Hardcore research, tying up with good artisans who would exactly shape their ideas and dreams, finance, time and most importantly support of the people around you is all part of their journey. But they believe that it is the blessings of Lord Ganesha which brought them to such heights where more than 350 artisans from a small village to award-winning artists came together and made their dreams come true.
Creation of Ganesha artistry
- Statues – The statues of Ganesha in the collection were made of several materials which involved Gold, Silver, Sandalwood, Marble, Granite, Serpentine Stone, Precious / Semi Precious Stones, Bronze, Brass, Copper, Wrought Iron, Glass, Terracotta, Clay, Wax, Soft Toy materials etc.
- Paintings of Ganesha included Miniature Paintings with Goldwork, Modern, Abstract, and GemStone, Scratch, Nail, Calligraphy, Glass Paintings, Marble Tile, Marble Plate, Oil Paintings, Inlay, Hatching, and Traditional/contemporary Paintings etc.
- There is special Ganesha series made by the Kogata couple which consists of 1000 different paintings each depicting one of the thousand names of Lord Ganesha as per Hindu mythology. Along with that, there are some more series like Village life in India, Turbans of India, Music Instruments, Yoga, Childhood, family, Hindu marriage, etc.
Awards and Recognition
The work of Kogata couple has found its way in all the leading record books of the world for their collection of the maximum number of Ganesha statues and paintings.
- Guinness book of world records has acknowledged their work for not once but twice in the year 2014. Limca book of records registered their record in the year 2009. Along with India book of records in 2013, Asia book of records in 2013, and unique world record book in 2013. Besides that, there are several other organizations which recognized their work and honored them for the same.
- In 2012, Mrs. Lalita Kogata was selected for “Bhaskar Woman of the Year” in Art and Culture category.
- At a local level, their work was honored by –
- Maharana of Mewar Shri Arvind Singh Ji Mewar,
- Mayor of Udaipur Ms. Rajani Dangi,
- MLA and past MP Ms. Kiran Maheshwari,
- UCCI
- Udaipur Chartered Accountants’ Branch
It is rightly said ‘Every great dream begins with a dreamer’.
Do you have any such interesting story which you want to share with us, send it to me at juhee@udaipurblog.com.