WEB Magazine Sections Interactive Features Regulars Resources RSS TWITTER
 
Monuments & Statues etc
loading
May 07, 2013
TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu and other leaders at the unveiling of a statue of NT Rama Rao at Parliament House in New Delhi.
- PTI Photo/ Atul Yadav

MORE :     Monuments & Statues etc 
TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu and other leaders at the unveiling of a statue of NT Rama Rao at Parliament House in New Delhi. <b>Brass Continuum</b> <p> Does not the end of one act go hand in hand with the opening of another? From providing succour to Aditya after Yash Chopra's passing to mem­orial­is­ing him.... not to jump the (shot)gun, but Rani's ticking all the right boxes. Actress Rani Mukherjee during the unveiling ceremony of the statue of legendry filmmaker Yash Chopra at Yashraj Studios in Mumbai. The iconic statue of Hachiko Mumtaz Mahal's hammam at Shahi Qila The Ahukhana, where Mumtaz Mahal's body lay before being transported to Agra Sanskrit inscriptions in the Jami Masjid Begum Bilqis Jahan's tomb, also referred to as the Kharbuja Mahal The Bua Hassan complex, Jhajjar Life as usual at a baoli near Dujana Elaborate frescoes at Sethani ki Chhatri Chuhimal ki Chhatri The crumbling Safed Masjid in Dujana Sheesh Mahal Ghaus Ali Shah’s baoli Bereft of mirrorwork, Farrukhanagar's Sheesh Mahal is still a cut above average The taalab by Chuhimal ki Chhatri An inner chamber of the Safed Masjid At the dargah of Sheikh Musa Ruins at the Khanzada tomb complex, Taoru People take photos of the giant statue of former president Nelson Mandela, in Mandela Square, Johannesburg, South Africa. South Africans prayed for the health of former President Nelson Mandela and anxiously awaited further word about the anti-apartheid leader after he was admitted to a military hospital. President Jacob Zuma visited Mandela at the hospital in Pretoria and found the frail 94-year-old to be comfortable and in good care, presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said in a statement. Images showcasing Indian and Japanese cultures projected on the historic India Gate during a show to mark the grand finale of the 60th anniversary of Japan - India diplomatic relations in New Delhi on Friday evening. Wax figures of Bollywood stars Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan at Madame Tussauds museum in Washington. <b>In Brass Relief</b> <p> How does one immortalise the forever? A brass statue of debatable likeness is hardly the most dignified way to go about it. Ahhh, to hell with the brass tacks. One year after Dev Anand, Mumbai has Raju and Rosie back together. Cue Kishore and Lata, “<i>Gaata Rahe Mera Dil...</i>” Veteran actress Waheeda Rehman takes a closer look of a life-size statue of legendary actor Dev Anand after its unveiling to mark his first death anniversary in Mumbai. Traffic rolls past an illuminated Cenotaph or the War Memorial in Kolkata. Erected in 1924 by the British, the memorial built of sandstone blocks commemorates those who laid their lives for the King and the country between 1914 and 1918. The statue, foreground, adopts the standard British army funeral vigil stance of heads bowed with bayonetted rifle turned upside-down. Charminar as it was in the 1960s <b>Intruder</b> The Bhagyalakshmi temple A striking outdoor sculpture at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts A shimmering bronze sculpture of a yak stands on a promenade in the shiny glass-panelled quarters of modern Lhasa An artist giving finishing touches to a clay model of Bollywood superstar Rajesh Khanna in Kolkata. <b>Our icon</b> Ambedkar’s death anniversary being observed <b>Extra-curricular</b> Students paying tribute to Ambedkar <b>Beyond his light?</b> Some believe Kanshi Ram and Mayawati have done more for Dalits <b>Vandal rule</b> Mayawati’s beheaded statue in Lucknow A sculpture installed at a park near Esplanade as a part of the beautification process of Kolkata UP Navnirman Sena chief Amit Jaani, main accused in vadalising statue of BSP supremo Mayawati, being taken to the court in Lucknow. People look at the scene after a marble statue of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati was vandalised by unidentified men at the Ambedkar Park in Lucknow. The statue was one among the nine towering statues of the Bahujan Samaj Party leader that has been adorning four lavish public parks in the state capital. <b>The Romanovs</b><br> <b>WHAT</b><br> Nearly a century after the execution of Tsar Nicholas II and his family by the Bolsheviks in 1918 in Sverdlovsk (then Ekaterinburg), a grand exhibition in Moscow reveals to the Russian public evidence of the bloody chapter. It dispels decades of misconceptions, including the supposed survival of the youngest princess, Anastasia.<br> <b>WHY</b><br> The Death of Tsar Nicholas II’s Family: A One-Hundred Year Investigation puts together artefacts like the Tsar’s handwritten letter of abdication, his diary, a Mauser pistol, bullets used in the murders, uniforms of the Tsar and an unfinished piece of embroidery by Tsarina Alexandra. Never exhibited before, the items have sparked a new wave of reassessment of the last Tsar. Union Minister of Tourism Subodh Kant Sahai along with Minister for Culture and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, Kumari Selja, Chairman, ITDC, Shankersinh Vaghela , BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha release of campaign Jackets & Caps during the launch of Clean India Campaign Pilot Project at Qutab Minar in New Delhi. Former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Mayawati, whose party suffered a crushing defeat in the recently held elections, speaks during a press conference, in New Delhi. Authorities in the state are now investigating whether Mayawati’s park projects honoring the contribution of dalits to the nation, including the father of the constitution B.R. Ambedkar, was an elaborate swindle. <b>Pathfinder, pathseeker</b> At the Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal, Noida, Ambedkar finds place next to the Buddha <b>Image making</b> An Ambedkar statue being worked on in Mumbai Nuns of the Missionaries of Charity, the congregation established by Mother Teresa, pose for a photograph in front of a statue of the Mother after it was unveiled in Kolkata.The selfless Roman Catholic nun who dedicated her life to serving the sick and poor in India was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. <b>Truncated!</b> Operation cover-up at the Prerna Sthal in Noida, UP Look, ma, no elephants! Finally, the UP administration managed to get all statues of elephants (BSP's electoral symbol) covered as per the directives of Election Commission of India in Lucknow. It took more than two days for the UP administration to get its act together and organise carefully chosen pink plastic (so that the choice of colour did not reflect any one political party) for the jumbo cover-up ordered by the election commission on January 7. The EC had ordered that the statues of Mayawati and her party symbol elephants were built using public money and their display violated the Model Code of Conduct for the upcoming elections in UP. Meanwhile, a PIL was moved in the Allahabad HC challenging the decision, on the grounds that elephant is a symbol of Hinduism and hence should not be disrespected in this fashion. Call it the Streisand Effect—an attempt to hide something which has the inverse effect of publicising what you are trying to hide some more—but covered up or not, it ain't easy hiding those elephants away. A worker climbs up a ladder to cover elephant statues at Ambedkar Park in Noida. It took more than two days for the UP administration to get its act together and organise carefully chosen pink plastic (so that the choice of colour did not reflect any one political party) for the jumbo cover-up ordered by the election commission on January 7. The EC had ordered that the statues of Mayawati and her party symbol elephants were built using public money and their display violated the Model Code of Conduct for the upcoming elections in UP. Meanwhile, a PIL was moved in the Allahabad HC challenging the decision, on the grounds that elephant is a symbol of Hinduism and hence should not be disrespected in this fashion. Call it the Streisand Effect—an attempt to hide something which has the inverse effect of publicising what you are trying to hide some more—but covered up or not, it ain't easy hiding those elephants away. It took more than two days for the UP administration to get its act together and organise carefully chosen pink plastic (so that the choice of colour did not reflect any one political party) for the jumbo cover-up ordered by the election commission on January 7. The EC had ordered that the statues of Mayawati and her party symbol elephants were built using public money and their display violated the Model Code of Conduct for the upcoming elections in UP. Meanwhile, a PIL was moved in the Allahabad HC challenging the decision, on the grounds that elephant is a symbol of Hinduism and hence should not be disrespected in this fashion. Call it the Streisand Effect—an attempt to hide something which has the inverse effect of publicising what you are trying to hide some more—but covered up or not, it ain't easy hiding those elephants away Workers cover the statues of elephants, the BSP party symbol, at Dalit Prerna Sthal as per the directives of the Election Commission of India, in Noida. Election Commission said the statues were built using public money and their display violated the rules for the upcoming elections in UP. Workers cover elephant statues at Ambedkar Memorial Park in Lucknow. Workmen using truckloads of cloth raced to comply with election officials who ordered the statues of Chief Minister of Utter Pradesh, Mayawati, along with nearly 200 statues of elephants, her party's symbol, be covered. The Election Commission said the statues were built using public money and their display violates rules for the upcoming elections in UP Gigantic statues of elephants at the Ambedkar park in Noida that the flamboyant Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Mayawati, had erected. Election Commission said the statues were built using public money and their display violated the rules for the upcoming elections in UP. A worker walks by a statue of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati, at the Ambedkar park in Noida. Workmen carting truckloads of cloth raced to comply with election regulations and cover up a dozen gigantic statues that the flamboyant chief minister had erected of herself. Election Commission said the massive statues of Mayawati were built using public money and their display violated the rules for next month's election in UP. The Indian flag is cast on the India Gate as a part of a laser light show by India Tourism in New Delhi. The show, which involved 3D animation was intended to promote the Clean India programme aimed at attracting more tourists to India. Buddhist monks who are occupying the defunct Indu Mills pressing for it to be converted into a memorial for Bhimrao Ambedkar, meditate inside the premises on the final day of their agitation in Mumbai. Hungarian sculptor Erno Toth works on a bronze statue of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in his foundry in Budapest, Hungary. The statue will be inaugurated in the Graphisoft Park, Budapest. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati offers prayer before a statue of Mahatma Buddh at UP pavilion at the 31st India International Trade Fair in New Delhi. A statue of Mahatma Gandhi with a spinning wheel at the Gujarat pavilion at the 31st India International Trade Fair at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. <b>Bronze assault</b> Statues of BSP leaders at Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal, Noida President Barack Obama, center, his daughter Malia Obama, left, and Harry Johnson, President and CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Foundation, to his right, look up at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, as King family members and the first family look, on the National Mall in Washington. From right are Marion Robinson, first lady Michelle Obama and Sasha Obama. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati inaugurates Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal, Ambedkar Park in Noida. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati speaks during an inauguration of Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal, Ambedkar Park in Noida. Crowd gather as Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati inaugurates Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal, Ambedkar Park in Noida. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati during the inauguration of the Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal, Ambedkar Park in Noida. Uttar Pradesh state chief minister Mayawati stands near large statues of herself, Indian freedom leader Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar and Bahujan Samaj Party leader Kansi Ram in a hall at a newly inaugurated park in Noida. A row of stone elephants line a newly inaugurated park in Noida, a suburb of New Delhi. The park was inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati. Senior state and district police and administrative officers inspecting the security arrangements at the Ambedkar Park in Noida ahead of UP CM Mayawati's visit for its inauguration. An artist paints masks of demon king Ravana on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011, to be used in Dussehra festivities in Bhubaneshwar An artist paints masks of demon king Ravana on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011, to be used in Dussehra festivities in Bhubaneshwar A view of sand sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti in Porbandar. An artist gives finishing touches to an idol of Goddess Durga ahead of Durga Puja festival at Tezpur, Assam. A girl gives finishing touches to an idol of Goddess Durga ahead of Durga Puja festival in Karad, Maharashtra. Jain community members offering prayers to the idols of Lord Mahavir recovered during an excavation work at the site of an under-construction residential complex, in Ahmedabad. School children look at the idols of gods and goddesses as an artisan prepare them ahead of the Durga Puja festival in Allahabad. The five-day festival, begins Oct. 2. An artisan paints the eye of an idol of Goddess Durga, ahead of Durga Puja festival in New Delhi. The five-day festival begins Oct. 2. The idol of a demon stands under the foot of Goddess Durga, ahead of Durga Puja festival in New Delhi. An artisan prepares an idol of God Ganesha, ahead of Durga Puja festival in New Delhi. A sand idol of Lord Ganesh created by an artist on the theme of saving trees in Navi Mumbai. Photographers take pictures as the new waxwork figure of U.S singer Rihanna is unveiled at Madame Tussauds in Berlin, Germany. Rebel fighters trample on a head of a statue of Muammar Gaddafi inside the main compound in Bab al-Aziziya in Tripoli, LIbya. Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates a sand image of Anna Hazare with Mahatma Gandhi to support the anti-corruption movement at Puri beach. Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates a sand sculpture of social activist Anna Hazare to support him in his crusade against corruption in Puri. It is of little consequence which side of the ‘Who does it belong to?’ debate you prefer. That India still has wealth to be divined is a mite reassuring. A boat passes a sculpture of a giant mermaid designed by German artist Oliver Voss on the river Alster in Hamburg, northern Germany. The sculpture made of styrofoam and steel will be on exhibit for ten days. The curious gather around Seward Johnsons 26-foot-tall sculpture of Marilyn Monroe, in her most famous wind-blown pose, on Michigan Avenue, in Chicago. Prince Charles admiring the bust of Rabindranath Tagore after he unveiled it at Gordon Square, Bloomsbury, London. A woman prepares to lay a flower before a sand sculpture of Sathya Sai Baba, created by artist Sudarshan Pattnaik at Golden Sea beach at Puri, Orissa. Baba, considered a living God by millions of followers worldwide, passed away on the April 24, due to cardio-respiratory failure. He was 85. Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates a sand sculpture on the eve of Cricket World Cup quarterfinal match between India and Australia, at Puri beach. International sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates a sand sculpture resembling a stadium at Marina Beach in Chennai. International sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates sand sculpture in support of the release of IAS officer R. Vineel Krishna, abducted by the Maoists along with junior engineer Pabitra Mohan Majhi, at Puri beach in Orissa. Senior BJP leader L K Advani and Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray (L) pay tribute to a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji during the NDA's Mahasangram rally at Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. JD(U) President Sharad Yadav is also seen. A 32-feet-high statue of Raj Bhoj is being installed with the help of a construction crane at the Upper Lake in Bhopal. A view of Bamiyan Buddha's statue in Kargil A man cleans a statue of Jesus Christ at a church ahead of Christmas celebrations in Jammu. Children throw flower petals on a statue of Jawaharlal Nehru on his birth anniversary in Ahmedabad. The day is also celebrated as Children's Day. Statues of Rama and Sita are covered volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Merapi at Muntilan, Magelang, Indonesia. A man walks with his bike near statues covered with volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Merapi at Muntilan, Magelang, Indonesia. A Buddha statue is covered with volcanic ash spewed from Mount Merapi in Magelang, Indonesia. Armenia: modern sculptures on the Cascades Christ the Redeemer statue is lit up in pink at night for Breast Cancer awareness in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. An artist gives finishing touches to Durga idols in Allahabad. The festival to honor the goddess of valor, Durga begins on October 8. Seen as the mother of the universe, Durga is worshipped for her graciousness as well as her fearsome power. Visitors walk past the fiber glass sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi on the eve of his birth anniversary in Ahmedabad. An artist makes idols with hay ahead of Durga Puja festival in Allahabad. The festival to honor the Hindu goddess of valor, Durga, begins Oct. 14. Seen as the mother of the universe, Durga is worshipped for her graciousness as well as her fearsome power. It is the year's most important festival in the eastern region of Bengal. An idol of Ganesh is immersed in a trash clogged lake during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Hyderabad. Every year millions of devout Hindus immerse idols of god Ganesh into oceans and rivers in the 10-day long festival that celebrates the birth of the Hindu god. An Indian artist and his daughter try to protect idols of Lord Viswakarma from rain water as they await customers in Calcutta. Viswakarma will be worshipped on September 17. A man immerses an idol of Lord Ganesha in the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad. Every year millions of devout immerse idols of Ganesha into oceans and rivers in the 10-day long festival that celebrates the birth of the Hindu god. A Parsi boy stands amidst life-size carvings of ancient priests at a fire temple on Parsi New Year day in Mumbai. Sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik gives finishing touches to a sand sculpture of Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra on the eve of the festival, at Puri beach. <b>Huge enterprise</b> A trailer transporting the Bahubali statue from Bidadi, near Bangalore, to Songadh, in Gujarat <b>Plotted and pieced</b> Gudigar and a scale-marked model of the Bahubali statue Before and after: The six-story King of Kings roadside Jesus statue, made of apparently highly-flammable plastic foam and fiberglass, in Ohio was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. This 62-foot-tall statue was built in 2004 on the grounds of the evangelical Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio, just outside of Cincinnati. A Chinese woman carries a child from the mouth of a sharp sculpture outside an aquarium in Beijing. People gather as a 41 foot tall statue of Jain sage Lord Bahubali carved out of a single block of granite is brought to Songadh, 200 kilometers from Ahmadabad. Greenpeace activist hold a banner in the backdrop of a statue depicting Mahatma Gandhi's Dandi March in New Delhi. Two Greenpeace members Toru Suzuki and Junichi Sato stand trial over theft of whale meat that they claim had been illegally siphoned by whalers from government-backed hunts. In a proposal criticised by environmental groups, the International Whaling Commission has proposed allowing whales to be hunted under strict quotas, bringing the world a step closer to the first legal commercial whaling in nearly 25 years. Pekka Isoraetyae from Finland adjusts a marionette made out of pig skin during the press preview at the Nord Art 2010 (North Art 2010) exhibition in Buedelsdorf, Germany. 245 artists from 55 countries will present their paintings, sculptures, photographs and installations at this art show that opens on June 12 and ends on October 3. An artist works on his sand sculpture featuring the Statue of Liberty and late U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on a beach for the up-coming beach festival in Busan, South Korea. Demonstrators dressed up as the Goddess of Democracy shout slogans outside a downtown shopping mall in Hong Kong. Police have seized a second statue dedicated to victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, in what critics called an attack on freedom of expresion in this semi-autonomous Chinese territory. The Chinese military's suppression of pro-democracy student protests in June 1989, which killed at least hundreds, is off-limits on the mainland, but it is openly mourned and criticized in Hong Kong, a former British colony that is guaranteed Western-style civil liberties. A woman reacts as she poses for photograph in front of the iron sculptures of wolves created by Chinese artist Liu Ruowang entitled Wolf Coming on displayed at an art district in Beijing, China. Police officers on patrol walk past large statues of soldiers at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul, South Korea. Avoiding conflict between the Koreas over the sinking of a warship is an urgent task, China's premier said on Sunday, as Beijing appeared more engaged in the crisis despite withholding support for possible U.N. action against North Korea. Buddhist monks pray near a Buddha statue during the commemoration of Vesak or Buddha's birthday at a temple in Batu, East Java, Indonesia The full moon rises on the Athenian sky behind a statue, which stands at the top of the National Archaeological Museum of Greece. Buddhist monks pray near a Buddha statue during the commemoration of Vesak or Buddha's birthday at a temple in Batu, East Java, Indonesia Buddist monks offering prayers to a Buddha statue are silhouetted against the setting sun on the occasion of Buddha Poornima in Hyderabad A woman walks past cast iron sculptures of wolves by Chinese artiste Liu Ruowang entitled Wolf Coming at a art district in Beijing, China A man works on installation of artist Zhang Huan's sculpture Three Heads Six Arms at Civic Center in San Francisco. The copper sculpture, which stands over 26 feet high and weighs almost 15 tons, is part of a series of works depicting the arms, legs, feet, hands, and heads of Buddhist sculptures. It is being presented in conjunction with the 30th Anniversary of the Shanghai-San Francisco Sister City Celebration. An auto-rickshaw made to look like a large rat carries a statue of Lord Ganesha on top as it is driven during a small parade to mark a festival celebrating the birthday of Ram in New Delhi. Princess Mathilde of Belgium garlanding a statue of Mahatma Gandhi during her visit to Sulabh Campus in New Delhi. International sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik giving finishing touch to sand sculpture on the theme 'Save the Blue'. The painting 'Lise with a Parasol' (1867) of Pierre Auguste Renoir and the sculpture 'The age of Bronze' of Auguste Rodin are presented in the exhibition 'The Most Beautiful Museum in the World' in the Folkwang Museum in Essen, western Germany. The exhibition comprises around 350 art works in total: paintings and sculptures from the modern period. A school official cleans the statue of President Barack Obama as a 10-year-old boy after it was removed from a public park and kept in a class room a nearby elementary school late in Jakarta, Indonesia. The statue was removed from the park overnight due to a public backlash and locked in the classroom at the school that the U.S. president attended as a child. Internationally acclaimed sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates a sand sculpture about the protest against the movie “My Name Is Khan” and the players, at the Puri beach. Mayawati's statue- and memorial building spree that has left the state poorer by nearly Rs 6,000 crore Students of Golden Sand Art Institute of Sudarshan Pattnaik make a sand sculpture of former Chief Minister West Bengal Jyoti Basu, who died in Kolkata, at Puri beach on Sunday. A man sprinkles water on sand sculptures depicting tsunami victims to pay homage, at Marina Beach, in Chennai. 3 women pose for photos near a Santa statue in front of a shopping mall in downtown Beijing, China. The statue of Christ the Redeemer is seen during sunset in Rio de Janeiro. Congress MLAs from Andhra and Rayalaseema demostrating in front of Potti Sriramulu's statue demanding United Andhra Pradesh on Sriramula's death anniversary in Hyderabad. A woman stands near the bronze statue of young U.S. President Barack Obama during a ceremony at a park in Jakarta, Indonesia. The statue of President Obama as a 10-year-old wearing shorts and a T-shirt has been erected in the park to inspire children in the country where he lived as a boy. Sculptures are illuminated as they stand in a water feature outside the Bella Centre during the Climate Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar pays tribute to the statue of India's first President Dr Rajendra Prasad on the occasion of his 125th birth anniversary, in Patna. A woman offers prayers near a sand sculpture of the Taj Mahal hotel, one of the sites of last year's terror attacks in Mumbai, dedicated to the victims to mark the first anniversary of the attacks, in Puri. People walk past a sand sculpture of Sachin Tendulkar and 20 bats, made by sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik, at a beach in Puri. The sun sets behind the Statue of Liberty in New York. Former US President Bill Clinton poses with ethnic Albanians during his visit in Pristina, Kosovo. Thousands of ethnic Albanians gathered to welcome the former US President as he attended the unveiling of an 3.5 meter statue of himself on a key boulevard that also bears his name. Following the 1998-99 war authorities in Pristina changed the name of the capital city's thoroughfare from Vladimir Lenin Street to Bill Clinton Boulevard. A police jawan salutes to a statue of Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of his 140th birth anniversary in Amritsar. A nun prepares to change the dress on the famous statue of the infant Jesus prior to the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Prague, Czech Republic. Mayawati's penchant for building statues, at a stupendous cost (of more than Rs 2,000 crore) to the exchequer, led her to considerable legal trouble. The Supreme Court called it a waste of public funds, but the lady was unmoved. Meanwhile, the UPA remained busy naming various public and government schemes after the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty icons. A vendor walks past a sand sculpture of World Trade Center created by sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik on the eve of the eighth anniversary of 9/11 attack, at the golden sea beach in Puri, about 67 kilometers (41 miles) away from Bhubaneswar. A woman artisan walks past sculptures of elephant-headed God Ganesha in Hyderabad, ahead of the festival of Ganesha Chaturthi. A man covers sculptures of elephant-headed God Ganesha with plastic sheets to shield them from the rain in Hyderabad. A statue of Ronald Reagan looms in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington as his widow, former first lady Nancy Reagan, House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev. take part in an unveiling ceremony of the statue. Nine years ago, Congress changed a law that had prevented statue switching. Each state gets two statues of notable historic figures who are deceased. Most are in bronze or marble and stand in National Statuary Hall, south of the rotunda. People wearing masks as a precaution against swine flu walk past a swine flu alert sand sculpture on the beach at Puri, in Orissa. A sand sculpture depicting Mahatma Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose is seen on a beach in Puri ahead of the country’s Independence Day. A bronze statue of Thiruvalluvar, a celebrated Tamil language poet who lived about 2000 years ago, was unveiled by Tamil Nadu state Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in Bangalore. The unveiling ended an 18-year standoff on the issue opposed by pro-Kannada language groups, who also called for dusk to dawn general strike today to protest the unveiling in Bangalore. One of the US President's official planes flies over the Statue of Liberty in New York in this undated photograph. French artist, Jean-Batispte Seckler, puts the final touches to his clay sculpture of U.S. singer Michael Jackson, outside the Beaubourg museum in Paris. Limdokuhle Ndekera, eight, who shares her birthday with Nelson Mandela poses between the legs of a statue of Nelson Mandela on Mandela square in Johannesburg. Saturday is the first Mandela Day, which his charity foundation hopes will be an annual world event, with people around the world taking on altruistic projects like reading to the blind, distributing blankets to the homeless, or refurbishing homes for AIDS orphans. The Supreme Court (SC) refused to restrain the Uttar Pradesh government from carrying out work for installation of statues of Chief Minister Mayawati and other Dalit leaders at a park in Noida. If the cabinet has approved it, then we can't do anything, the Bench said. From left, Maria Margarita Barroso, wife of EU Commission President Jose Barroso, Sarah Brown, wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Chikako Aso, wife of Japan's Prime Minister Taro Aso, Gursharan Kaur, wife of Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh, Laureen Teskey Harper, wife of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Italian Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini, Nompumelelo Mantuli, wife of South African President Jacob Zuma, Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno, his wife Isabella Rauti, Margarita Zavala, wife of Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Michelle Obama, wife of US President Barack Obama, Filippa Reinfeldt, wife of Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, Italian Equal Opportunities Minister Mara Carfagna, Juliana Olabintan Nwanze, wife of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) president Kanayo Nwanze and unidentified, pose for a photo in front of Marcus Aurelius equestrian statue during a visit of the Capitoline Museums in Rome. The wives of leaders attending the G8 (Group of Eight) Summit in L'Aquila visited the Capitoline Museums and on Thursday will travel to the quake-hit areas in Abruzzo. A wax figure of President Barack Obama is transported to the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf after arriving by the USS Potomac in San Francisco. The new figure of President Obama took approximately six months and $15,000 to create. The Statue of Liberty's crown, in New York, is reopening on Independence Day for the first time since terrorists leveled the World Trade Center just across the harbor. After climbing up to the crown, visitors will be rewarded with exhilarating views of New York's skyscrapers, bridges and seaport. Floral garlands cover a statue of BR Ambedkar, on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti. Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution that outlawed discrimination based on caste, renounced Hinduism for Buddhism in 1956 because he believed it treated people equally. <b>May</b><br> Over 133,000 in Burma/Myanmar were estimated killed by Cyclone Nargis on May 3, the deadliest natural disaster since the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004. <b>Rituparna Sengupta</b><br>A lifesize statue of actor Uttam Kumar who stands tall in the hearts of Bengalis <p><b>Monday, September 8, 2008</b><br> The Supreme Court finally came to the rescue of 93-year old noted painted MF Husain who has been forced to live in self-imposed exile in Dubai and London for the past two years, as a series of cases have been filed against him in India for his nude paintings of Hindu goddesses and Bharat Mata. There are so many such subjects, sculptures, photographs and publications. Will you file cases against all of them? Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan wondered. The irony was totally lost on the petitioner who tried to tell the court that it was not a sculpture but a painting and that it should not be viewed leniently just because the painter is renowned and old.  The SC Bench was clear: What about temple structures? It is an art like the sculptures. None gets scandalized looking at the sculptures.  The Bench had very common-sensical advice for the petitioner:  If you don’t want to see it, don’t see it. There are so many such art forms in temple structures. </p> Did our most famous freedom fighter look like this? No, say his family members and admirers. Unveiling of Bhagat Singh's statue in Parliament should have been an occasion for somber reflection, but it only drew flak from family and admirers. The 'pagri' and girth were issues; the man was said to be partial to the universal European hat. A statue of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin is reflected in bullet-ridden window in central Gori, Georgia on Aug 19, 2008 while a small column of Russian tanks and armored vehicles left the strategic Georgian city of Gori, the first sign of a Russian pullback of troops after a cease-fire intended to end fighting that reignited Cold War tensions. <b>Saturday July 6, 2008</b><br> A visitor decapitated this wax figure of Adolf Hitler just minutes after the Berlin branch of Madame Tussauds opened its doors for the first time on Saturday. The 41-year-old Berlin man, the second visitor on the opening day of the museum, jumped over a rope that was meant to prevent viewers from getting close to the sculpture and ripped the head off the likeness of the Nazi leader. An old man walks past the statue of a bronze bull placed in the premises of the Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai. Markets collapsed a day ahead of the release of next inflation data with heavy selling pressure returning with a vengeance to knock down Sensex by a hefty over 570 points, as if to prove the day before's strong rise was only a flash in the pan and stability is still long way. An endangered Fijian Crested Iguana is perched on a statue of a distant reptilian cousin, a Komodo Dragon, at Sydney's Taronga Zoo. The zoo has begun a program to help save the iguana which survive on only a few scattered Pacific islands. An Indian team of artists stood first at the USF (United Sand Festivals) World Double Championship. The photo shows Artist Sudarsan Pattnaik working on the award-winning sculpture named Global warming at the International Sand Sculpture Festival Sandsation in Berlin along with his student Jitendra Kishore Jagadev Pattnaik. <b>Tuesday May 20, 2008</b><br> Buddha statues are seen at a temple damaged by Cyclone Nargis, on the outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar. Myanmar began three days of mourning for some 78,000 cyclone victims after its ruling Junta appeared to relent to foreign pressure to allow more outside help for its storm survivors. <b> Monday April 14, 2008</b><br> Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati showering flowers at the statue of Kanshi Ram after unveiling his statue along with her own on the occasion of 117th birth anniversary of Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar in Lucknow. While justifying the decision to erect her own statue, the Chief Minister invoked the BSP founder, who, she said was not in favour of statues being erected after the demise of leaders. Kanshi Ram preferred that statues of leaders be erected in their lifetime, she said. She added that the BSP founder had willed that alongside his statue, that of his protégé (Ms. Mayawati) should also be built. Well, we have her word for it.<br> </p> <b>Friday March 28, 2008</b><br> Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram poses next to a bronze statue of a bull in the premises of the Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai in a week that saw a spike in wholesale price inflation. The government reacted by scrapping import duties on all crude edible oil forms, while cutting duties on refined palm, sunflower, soyabean, coconut oils and hydrogenated vegetable fats. It also banned the export of non-basmati rice, while basmati rice minimum export price was enhanced to $1,200 per metric tonne, from $1,100 at the moment. The ban on pulses exports, already in place since last year and ending today, has also been extended by one more year, and the Reserve Bank is likely to announce a hike in interest rates yet again.</p> Visitors view Spanish artist Pablo Picasso's world famous painting Guernica at The Reina Sofia museum, in Madrid on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2008. The Reina Sofia Museum brings together around four hundred works including painting, sculpture, ceramic, drawing, prints, notebooks and other documentary material, selected from the holdings of the Musee National Picasso in Paris, to form the most complete overview ever presented in Spain of Picasso's career. The exhibition runs until the 5th of March. Members of the Reina Sofia Museum crew hang up a Picasso painting before a new exhibition in Madrid. Beginning on Feb. 6, Reina Sofia Museum brings together around four hundred works including painting, sculpture, ceramic, drawing, prints, notebooks and other documentary material, selected from the holdings of the Musee National Picasso in Paris, to form the most complete overview ever presented in Spain of Picasso's career. The US sneezed, Indian markets caught a chill, and the small investors, as usual, got their fingers burnt. Never mind our mixed metaphors, but so much was the anger with the stock market that security guards were deployed outside the Bombay Stock Exchange. With the bulls taking a beating, even the statue of the bull was under danger, but the security men apparently had other news to catch up on. A young boy sells statues of Bhim Rao Ambedkar, near his memorial on his 51st death anniversary in Mumbai. Thousands of his followers came to pay homage to Ambedkar, who was the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, outlawing discrimination based on caste. A waxwork representing Australian actress Nicole Kidman is unveiled at Madame Tussaud's in London under a sprinkling of fake snow, back-dropped by white Christmas trees as part of the waxworks' new winter wonderland Blush Zone. People wave flags at the statue of Christ the redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, after Brazil was officially chosen by FIFA as host of the 2014 World Cup. This decision returns the showcase event to the soccer-mad country that held the tournament in 1950 and has captured the title a record five times. The eclipsed moon is seen behind statues of mythical Chinese figures in Surabaya, Indonesia. The moon is eclipsed when the earth is directly between the sun and moon and casts a shadow over it, making it appear red or orange. Tuesday's eclipse was the second total lunar eclipse of 2007. The winged statue of 'Victory' stands in front of smoke from fires in the village of ancient Olympia, in south western Greece. A massive effort by firefighters, assisted by water-dropping aircraft and firetrucks, succeeded in keeping a raging blaze away from the 2,800-year-old site -- the holiest sanctuary in ancient Greece. Four days of forest blazes throughout the country have left at least 60 people dead and anti-terrorist squads are questioning some of the 32 suspected arsonists arrested so far. A state of emergency has been declared in the country and a 1 million Euros reward has been offered to help catch arsonists. Elvis Presley fans light candles at his bronze statue in front of the Las Vegas Hilton on the 30th anniversary of the passing of the legend. Members of Viva Las Vegas, an Elvis Presley Fan Club of Las Vegas organized the memorial. <b>Saturday 7 July</b><br>So the Taj Mahal is one of the seven new wonders of the world? Ah well, so we would like to believe along with tourism minister Ambika Soni, her team of clueless sycophants, the ASI and sundry other politicians, but UNESCO has politely described it as what it was -- little more than the opinion of those who participated in a poll, and not that of the world at large. The hype and hoopla created by a profit-seeking Swiss foundation once again proved how easy it is to hoodwink and excite Indians into participating in any poll -- be it on the internet, via SMSs or telephone. Remember how Amitabh Bachchan was voted the actor of the century-- in a poll on a news website? The much hyped contest was launched in January, allowing voters to choose from 21 sites shortlisted out of 77 and according to its claims, out of nearly 100 million votes, approximately 16.5 million were by Indians, and the sponsoring telephone companies made millions in the bargain -- the DNA Networks Pvt Ltd in India alone earned at least Rs 34.65 crores, while the Indians are estimated to have collectively spent around Rs 150 crores. All of course cheered by the politicos and patriotic Indians.The privately sponsored campaign was the brainchild of a Swiss filmmaker and museum curator Bernard Weber, following the destruction of Afghanistan's giant Buddha statues at Bamiyan by the Taliban in 2001, and part of the money made was said to go towards rebuilding the massive sculptures. But not only was UNESCO not attached with the poll, it took pains to point out that it was not even in favour of rebuilding the Buddhas, pointing out that if you build new statues in these niches you destroy those remains. UNSECO also slammed the poll for sending out a negative message to countries whose sites have not been retained. All of these wonders obviously deserve a place on the list, but what disturbs us is that the list is limited to just seven. Seven were adequate in antiquity because the antique world was much smaller than today, only comprising the area surrounding the Mediterranean. Egypt had categorically refused to be part of the telecom industry publicity blitz and had refused to participate, as a result of which voting for the Pyramids of Giza -- the only survivors from the original seven wonders of the world -- was halted by the sponsors. Shortlisted sites that missed the final cut included Sydney Opera House; the Acropolis in Athens; Paris' Eiffel Tower; the Easter Island statues; Britain's Stonehenge; Cambodia's Angkor Wat temples; New York's Statue of Liberty; and the Alhambra in Spain. In addition to the Taj Mahal, the voters chose the Great Wall of China; the centuries-old pink ruins of Petra in Jordan; the Colosseum in Rome; the statue of Christ overlooking Rio de Janeiro; the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru; and the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza in Mexico.  <b>Friday 11 May</b><br> Bahujan Samaj Party leader <a href=full.asp?fodname=20070511&fname=uttarpradesh&sid=1 target=_blank> Mayawati</a> greets the audience, as statues of herself and Bhim Rao Ambedkar stand in the background, at Lucknow's Ambedkar park. Defying exit poll projections of a hung assembly in Uttar Pradesh by turning the old Congress constituency -- the Brahmin, Muslim, Dalit combine -- on its head, Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party obtained a simple majority in 403 member state assembly to form a single party government in the state after a gap of 14 years. Immediately after taking on the reigns of Uttar Pradesh for the fourth time, Mayawati suspended three officials, including two IAS officers, for neglecting the upkeep of the Ambedkar park and has transferred 173 IPS officers, including twelve IGs, 27 DIGs and almost all district police chiefs and 18 IAS officers, including 13 Divisional Commissioners. Seven Brahmins, six Thakurs and five Muslims have been given cabinet berths in her 50 member jumbo ministry, out of which as many as 17 face criminal charges, including Anand Sen Yadav, who failed to take oath at the swearing in ceremony on Sunday as he is currently lodged in Faizabad jail. Mayawati, an accused in Rs 175 crore Taj Corridor scam case, has also received a reprieve from UP Governor T V Rajeshwar who has turned down giving his sanction to start the prosecution by the CBI. The outgoing Mulayam Singh Yadav government had sent the file giving permission to prosecute Mayawati to the Governor just two days before she became Chief Minister, but it is widely believed that the Congress-led UPA would go soft on Maywati's corruption cases, considering the decisive role her party would play in the Presidential elections due in July. In this photo released by the Sport & News photo service, a plane performs in front of the Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado Hill, in Rio de Janeiro. Some of the world's top racing pilots are in Brazil preparing for the second leg of the Red Bull Air Race World Series on Saturday. Municipal worker Matthew Wills removes black paper stickers which were pasted by an unknown person or group at night on the breasts, genitals and buttocks of the nude statues by Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland in the world famous Vigeland Park in Oslo. A note left behind, purportedly to explain the action, criticized newspapers for showing too much nudity and said this did not have to extend to the park as well. <b>July: Riots Before The Bombs</b> <p>A couple of days before terror hit Mumbai trains, Mumbai and nearby towns had been terrorised by Shiv Sainiks who went on rampage after news spread that a bust of Meenatai Thackeray, the late wife of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, was found smeared with wet mud. Sena cadres spread across the city poured out on the streets, forcing shops to down their shutters and disrupted the flow of traffic. Thane, Panvel, Pune, Nashik and Nagpur were equally severely affected— buses were burnt and stoned, shops were forced to down shutters, and malls and government property damaged. Executive President of the Shiv Sena, and Meenatai's son, Uddhav Thackeray was there to rationalise it all: It’s a question of sentiments, the Prophets cartoons sparked off a reaction in India, then if people react to this incident whom are you going to blame? Sainiks will not keep quiet when policemen are burnt in Bhiwandi and Maasaheb (Meenatai's) statue is desecrated. He was referring to the incident in nearby Bhiwandi where Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi was alleged to have incited a mob to violence against the police. Two policemen and five Muslims had lost their lives in the mob-violence and police retaliation. Muslims were protesting the construction of a police station allegedly on land belonging to a cemetery. And then, within days, the bombs went off in Mumbai...</p> A golden bust of Turkmenistan President Saparmurat Niyazov is seen in capital Ashgabat, in this January 19, 2003 file photo. The authoritarian President, who ruled the Central Asian country for 21 years and named cities and airports after himself in a personality cult, died today at the age 66 of a heart attack without leaving a designated successor. Niyazov became Communist Party chief of what was then a Soviet republic in 1985 and was first elected President of independent Turkmenistan in 1991. In 1999, he was made President-for-life by the country's rubber-stamp Parliament. During his reign, Niyazov renamed months and days in the calendar after himself and his family, and ordered statues of himself to be erected throughout the oil-rich desert nation. <b>Wednesday 6 December</b><br> A portrait of Dr B R. Ambedkar lies on a sand hill constructed to shelter it from the wind near a shrine built at the spot where he was cremated in Mumbai. Thousands of followers of Ambedkar congregated at 'Chaityabhoomi' near Shivaji Park to pay homage to the Dalit icon on his 50th death anniversary. Security was enhanced with deployment of Border Security Force, Rapid Action Force, Control Police and Central Reserve Police Force in the area in view of recent state-wide violence to protest killings of members of a Dalit family at Khairlanji and defacement of an Ambedkar statue in Kanpur. Meanwhile, a statue of Ambedkar was found damaged in the premises of Allahabad University in Uttar Pradesh after which the students staged a road blockade and burnt an effigy of Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav accusing him of being responsible for the insult to Dalits' pride. In Karnataka, police lobbed teargas shells and charged with batons in Mannaekkelli village and Bidar town as Dalits torched buses and hurled stones after a string of footwear was found on the fence around an yet-to-be-unveiled statue of Ambedkar. A portrait of Dr B R. Ambedkar lies on a sand hill constructed to shelter it from the wind near a shrine built at the spot where he was cremated in Mumbai. Thousands of followers of Ambedkar congregated at 'Chaityabhoomi' near Shivaji Park to pay homage to the Dalit icon on his 50th death anniversary. Security was enhanced with deployment of Border Security Force, Rapid Action Force, Control Police and Central Reserve Police Force in the area in view of recent state-wide violence to protest killings of members of a Dalit family at Khairlanji and defacement of an Ambedkar statue in Kanpur. Meanwhile, a statue of Ambedkar was found damaged in the premises of Allahabad University in Uttar Pradesh after which the students staged a road blocade and burnt an effigy of Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav accusing him of being responsible for the insult to Dalits' pride. In Karnataka, police lobbed teargas shells and charged with batons in Mannaekkelli village and Bidar town as Dalits torched buses and hurled stones after a string of footwear was found on the fence around an yet-to-be-unveiled statue of Ambedkar. Surfers walk past the work titled 'Pedestrian Portait' by Australian artist Jennifer Cochrane, as part of the annual 'Sculpture by the Sea' exhibition at Sydney's Tamarama Beach. Staged along Sydney's spectacular Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk, Australia's largest annual outdoor exhibition of contemporary sculpture attracts over 400,000 visitors and exhibits over 100 works by artists from Australia and overseas. <b>Monday 11 September</b><br> An activist performs in a street play to highlight the plight of farmers in the state of Maharashtra and create awareness about HIV-AIDS, in the backdrop of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, in Mumbai. As much of the world marked September 11 commemorating the 2001 attacks on the US, India celebrated it as a day of peace, the 100th anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi's philosophy of peaceful resistance of Satyagraha. <b>Wednesday 30 August </b><br>Well, Sourav Ganguly being ignored by the BCCI selectors for the Malaysia series was perhaps only expected. The Kolkata Police meanwhile had thwarted depictions of coach Greg Chappell as demon Mahisasura at Durga Puja pandals. Sculptor Dilip Pal was commissioned by a North Kolkata puja committee to project Chappell as the demon for his reported role in Sourav Ganguly's exclusion from the Indian cricket team. While Pal claimed that his sculpture showing Goddess Durga in an angry mood directing the Aussie to bring back Ganguly in the Indian team was simply showing the sentiments of the people about Ganguly, the Kolkata Police maintained that since Chappell is the national coach, it will hurt the sentiments of the people. A spokesman of the associations of artistes at Kumartuli, where most of the idols are made for Durga Puja said that the police action was unjustified and the matter would be brought to the notice of Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee. Girls pose in front of late Hong Kong actor Bruce Lee's statue during its inauguration ceremony at the Avenue of Stars tourist spot in Hong Kong. The ceremony marked the 33rd anniversary of the death of the film and martial arts legend. An employee of the Strassacker foundry attaches a bronze mould to the foot of Ivan Hurtado, captain of Ecuador's national soccer team, to an work of art in Suessen, south-western Germany. The sculpture Global Feet that will be revealed in Stuttgart on July 8, is made by bronze moulds of the feet of the captains of the participating nations in the FIFA World Cup 2006. Children play by cow sculptures in La Defense district, outside Paris. More than 70 cows gather here until June 26 before being auctioned for a charity Africa Alive. Greenpeace activists protest against the Asian Development Bank in front of a statue of Buddha in Hyderabad. Several NGOs and about 1,000 activists including from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Bangladesh attended a protest meeting at the Public Gardens and raised slogans against the ADB, which is holding its annual general meeting in the city. Damaged statues at a Hindu Temple under construction in Maple Grove, Minnesota. Some members of the Hindu community are calling it a hate crime, but police believe the $200,000 vandalism was a random act. The $9 million temple was scheduled to open in June. An estimated 600 people attended a forum to discuss the issue, with many expressing the need for religious tolerance. A prisoner tries to touch the statue of 'Jesus atado en la columna' (Jesus Tied To A Column) brotherhood during a holy week procession inside the Picasent prison, near Valencia, eastern Spain. This photograph, released by sculptor Daniel Edwards, shows his sculpture of singer Britney Spears giving birth. The life-sized nude scuplture titled Monument to Pro-Life: The Birth of Sean Preston, features Spears crouched on all fours on a bear-skin rug during final stages of labour and will be shown at the Capla Kesting Fine Art gallery in New York from April 7. The gallery is hiring extra security guards for the free exhibit after it recieved some 3,000 emails, mostly from pro-life supporters who thought it was degrading to their movement. Greenpeace activists unfurl a banner from the famous Christ statue dominating Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to call on governments to protect global biodiversity. Representatives from 188 countries are taking part in the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) in Curitiba, Brazil, to discuss the protection of biodiversity. <b>Saturday 18 February</b><br>A child passes by a sand sculpture depicting singer Mick Jagger on Copacabana Beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. More than 1.2 million rock fans in Brazil attended the Rolling Stones concert on Rio's Copacabana Beach - one of the biggest gigs the world has ever seen. The band played some 20 songs including 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' and 'Satisfaction'. The stage, facing Sugar Loaf Mountain, was the height of a seven-storey building and had a walkway linking it to the Stones' hotel. It was the first time the Rolling Stones had performed in Brazil for free. Rio's military police said 'only' 33 robberies had been registered during the show and a shoot-out in the nearby Tabajaras favela went unnoticed by the fans, who stretched more than a mile down the beach. The Rlling Stone's concert was not as big as that at Rod Stewart's 1994 concert, also at Copacabana beach, which drew a crowd of 3.5 million. An artist makes a sand sculpture with the logo of the Rolling Stones band, at the Copacabana Beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. City officials said they expected nearly 2 million people to turn out for the concert on the beach next Saturday, just a week before the city's world-famous carnival celebrations. Eduardo Akamine, of Brazil, waves his red jacket in front of the bronze 'Charging Bull' sculpture in the financial district of New York. Devotees dance during the Mahamastabhisheka of the 58.8-foot monolithic statue of Gomateshwara at Shravanabelagola, about 158 kilometers west of Bangalore. Thousands of Jain devotees attended the Mahamastabhisheka or head anointing ceremony of the 1,800-year-old statue Jain sage Gomateswara (Lord Bahubali), a tradition held every 12 years since AD 981. The statue is bathed with precious stones, milk, ghee, yogurt, saffron, sandalwood paste and gold coins. In this photo released by Czech artist David Cerny in Brussels, his sculpture, called Saddam Hussein Shark, shows the handcuffed ex-Iraqi ruler suspended in a water tank and wearing nothing more than underpants. The sculpture has been banned by the mayor of western Belgian town of Middlekerke because it was deemed too controversial and could shock people, including Muslims. The Saddam piece, which is named shark after British artist Damien Hirst's famous shark suspended in formaldehyde, was first shown in Prague last September and was to be displayed in Middelkerke during the Beaufort 2006 arts festival starting April 1. A policeman watches the illuminated 58.8 foot monolithic statue of Gomateshwara in Shravanabelagola, about 158 kilometers west of Bangalore. Thousands of Jain devotees will attend the head anointing ceremony on February 8 of 1,800-year-old statue Jain sage Gomateswara (Lord Bahubali) at Shravanabelagola, which is held every 12 years, a tradition that began in AD 981. An Iranian woman, walks past a satirized drawing of the Statue of Liberty, painted on the wall of the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran, at the conclusion of a ceremony commemorating the 26th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy's seizure by militant students, in Tehran. Students stormed into the embassy on Nov 4, 1979, and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. British artist Marc Quinn's white, 13-ton statue inspired by artist Alison Lapper, who was born with no arms and shortened legs due to a congenital disorder, is unveiled in central London's Trafalgar Square. Lapper posed naked for Quinn when she was eight months pregnant, in what the artist says was a tribute to motherhood and people with disabilities. The sculpture will remain in place for 18 months. An artist works on a clay statue of Ganesha at a workshop in Kolkata. The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is scheduled from September 7 to 17. <b>Thursday 25 August</b><p>Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf shakes hands with Sunita Narain while giving her the Stockholm Water Prize diploma at the Concert Hall in Stockholm, Sweden. The Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), headed by Narain, was honoured with the 2005 Stockholm Water Prize for its advocacy of a community-based sustainable integrated resource management under gender equity, a courageous stand against undemocratic, top-down bureaucratic resource control, an efficient use of a free press and an independent judiciary to meet these goals. Narain received a cash award of $150,000 and a crystal sculpture in the ceremony that was a part of the ongoing World Water Week in Stockholm. A sculptor puts finishing touches on one of the works in a sand sculpture festival in Blankenberge, Belgium. The theme of this year's festival is the 175th anniversary of Belgium, with many of the sculptures representing famous Belgian landmarks, icons, and known public figures. A Pakistani custom officer looks at confiscated antique at Karachi port after customs foiled an attempt to smuggle out a large number of antique sculptures worth millions of dollars. The antiquities, which included 1,482 pieces of pre-Harappan and Gandhara sculptures and other historic material, had been concealed in a container destined for Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. <b>Friday 3 June</b><p>Marking the 10th anniversary of her becoming the first Dalit Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, BSP leader Mayawati inaugurated bronze statues of herself along with Dr BR Ambedkar and BSP founder Kanshi Ram at the newly inaugurated Bahujan Samaj Prerna Kendra in Lucknow. Statues of other backward caste icons - Jyotiba Phule, Shahuji Maharaj, E V Ramaswamy Naicker and Sreenarayan Guru - also find a place in the memorial, but in corners. Hailed as the temple for dalits, the 105-feet tall pyramid-like structure made of red sandstone with marble lattice work is spread across 2,450 square metres on prime land near the state secretariat. Equating herself to South African leader Nelson Mandela, Mayawati lashed out at manuwadi parties and organisations for neglecting Dalit memorials built during her regimes, snatching political power from the 'Bahujan Samaj', destroyed its glorious history and reducing them to slaves. An ice sculpture of British Prime Minister Tony Blair is unveiled by Britain's Green Party in central London. The Green Party unveiled the bust claiming that Blair's credibility is melting away day by day. Britain goes to the polls on May 5. A woman looks at a sand sculpture of Pope John Paul II at the Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil A young man walks past a statue of Pope John Paul II outside the All Saints Church in Warsaw, Poland after a special prayer for the ailing pontiff. The 84-year old Pope was rushed to Rome's Gemelli hospital with breathing difficulties late Tuesday night after a bout of flu suddenly worsened. The Vatican said today that his condition has stabilised following overnight medical treatment that included respiratory assistance, and would remain in hospital for another few days. It was the maverick Union petroleum minister Mani Shankar Aiyer who struck the first blow. His predecessor Ram Naik had commissioned a sculpture of Veer Savarkar accompanied by plaques inside the infamous cellular jail in the Andaman islands, where Savarkar had done hard labour for 11 years. With NDA ousted, Manu had to do the honours, but he ordered the removal of a plaque carrying quotations from Savarkar and replaced it with the words of Mahatma Gandhi. BJP/Shiv Sena was quick to seize on what they thought was a great political opportunity for the October 13 assembly elections in Maharashtra. The equivocation from Maratha Congressmen had to be heard to be believed. Even the PM had to issue clarifications and employ some deft political diplomatese. The Maharahtra elections were seen as the first opportunity for the BJP to prove that it was not finished politically. But with the tussle for top-leadership among the second-rung ensured an easy victory for the NCP-Congress combine in the end. The real hero: Maratha strong man Sharad Pawar. The loser: self-styled Tiger Thackeray. Artist Shihan Hussaini works on his sculpture titled <i>Curse or Cross</i>, depicting Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi, in Chennai. The Supreme Court today decided to hear the bail petition of the Kanchi seer on Friday in the Sankararaman murder case, in which the seer has tried to drill holes in the claim of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa that prosecution had clinching evidence against him. In his bail petition, he said the object of the Tamil Nadu Police seems to be something else and not the conduct of a fair investigation and trial as they have unleashed mudslinging and vilification campaign against him. The apex court had yesterday dismissed two PIL's that demanded release of the seer and transfer of the investigation to the CBI. <b>Wednesday 8 December</b><p>Wax statues of soccer star David Beckham as Joseph, Victoiria 'Posh Spice' Beckham as Virgin Mary and Autralian pop singer Kylie Minogue as the Angel are displayed at the Madame Tussaud's Celebrity Nativity exhibition in London. While the Beckhams were chosen for the roles of Jesus Christ's parents by some 300 visitors, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, US President George Bush and the Duke of Edinburgh were chosen as the Three Wise Men. The Nativity exhibition at the Museum has invited severe criticism and condemnation from the Anglican, Catholic and Presbyterian Churches, including the Vatican, who have called it a new low in the cult of celebrity worship and potentially blasphemous. The Beckhams have denied any knowledge of their wax statues being depicted in the Nativity exhibition. Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano, Croatian President Stipe Mesicand Serbia-Montenegran President Svetozar Marovic look at a Mother Teresa statue that was unveiled today in downtown Tirana. Leaders from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia-Montenegro and Norway are meeting in Tirana in a joint Albanian-UNESCO effort to promote religious and ethnic tolerance in the Balkans. American artist Doug Fishbone stands in front of his art installation ' 30,000 Bananas', in front of Nelson's Column in London's Trafalgar Square. Unveiled at 8 am, the sculpture was offered to the public to take away and eat the bananas later in the afternoon. <b>Thursday 30 September</b><p>Actress Aishwarya Rai poses with her wax statue at the Bollywood 4 Beginners photocall at Madame Tussauds museum in London. The 31-year beauty queen turned Bollywood actress became the second Indian film star after Amitabh Bachchan to have her wax replica at the world famous museum. <b>Saturday 2 October</b><p>School children wash a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad on the occasion of Gandhi's 135-birth anniversary. <b>Monday 27 September</b><p>Devotees immerse an idol of God Ganesh in the Arabian Sea in Mumbai on the concluding day of the 10-day Ganesh festival. Elaborate security measures were drawn up by police to ensure the smooth immersion of over 8,000 idols of 'Sarvajanik mandals' and 1.39 lakh statues belonging to various households at 71 immersion points in the city. Visitors watch Michelangelo's marble statue of David at the dome of Florence's Accademia Gallery, Italy. The world famous sculpture is celebrating its 500th birthday in Florence, where it was first unveiled on 8 September, 1504. The Italian city will showcase nine months of festivities for the event which will include concerts, fireworks, exhibitions and special memorabilia. David underwent a painstaking clean-up process last year to remove grime and sulphate deposits using distilled water and cellulose. The five meter high statute attracts nearly 1.2 million visitors from around the world every year. <b>Tuesday 3 August</b><p>A Swat Team officer stands guard outside the Statue of Liberty on New York's Liberty Island, on the first day of its reopening for the tourists since September 11, 2001. The reopening came at a time when threats of planned Al Qaeda attacks on major US financial institutions - including the New York Stock Exchange and the Citigroup building - have led authorities to tighten security in New York, Washington and New Jersey. The alert of a possible terrorist attack on major financial institutions in US have been derived from information seized after the arrest of an Al Qaeda leader Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani in Pakistan on 25 July. President George Bush described America as a nation in danger after the timing of the latest warning was criticised by the media as a design to knock John Kerry out of the headlines. Prez Bush has also been in the news recently for yet another display of his verbal skills: Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we. What can one say? Carver Anke Kuipers from the Netherlands gives a final touch to the sand sculpture of former Canadian athlete Ben Johnson in the 'Olympic Stadium Travemuende' at the beach of the Luebeck Bay in Luebeck-Travemuende, northern Germany. 75 international carvers have carved out of sand sculptures featureing the 'Olympic Mythos', which is the theme of the sand sculpture festival 'Sand World'. <b>Friday 9 April</b><p>An American soldier removes posters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr hanging on a statue in Firdos Square, Baghdad where exactly an year ago U.S. soldiers pulled down Saddam Hussein's statue.. The US led coalition forces faced a double rebellion in Iraq this week, fighting Sunni militia in Fallujah where nearly 450 people died in the clashes. In Sadr city, Kut, Ramadi and Najaf, Shiite milita loyal to Muqtada al -Sadr took control of government buildings, forcing the coalition forces to withdraw in some places. Eight South Koreans Christian ministers and three Japanese, including two journalists, were kidnapped by insurgents identifying themselves as the 'Mujahedeen Brigade', who demanded immidiate withdrawl of Japnese forces from Iraq. Seven Chinese citizens are also reported kidnapped in central Iraq. The Air France Concorde is lifted above a sculpture of a Tyrannosaurus Rex to its final position on top of the roof of the 'Technics Museum' in Sinsheim, southern Germany. Devotees pray in front of a Shiva statue during Shiv Ratri celebrations in Delhi. <b>Elizabeth Dalizel</b><p>A new-age exponent of the form, this Mexican has done the entire spectrum: from curating a photo exhibition to covering the ’98 World Cup football and working for a ‘graphic ‘ paper. All that notwithstanding, she slips easily into her civilisational habits of seeing. This image of the Missionaries of Charity at their Calcutta headquarters is shot through with this soft-focus pietism. The nuns walk around a small statue of their patron ‘saint of the gutters’, Mother Teresa, whose beatification was set in motion in 2003. UP police patrol the streets adorned by statues of deities that lead to the disputed site in Ayodhya. There was no restriction on 'Puja' and 'darshan' at the make-shift temple at the disputed site. 'Even today about 2,100 devotees had darshan of the Ram Lala, Faizabad Commissioner J P Sharma said. The bandobast was to prevent the Sankalp Sabha at the disputed site. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee passes a Balinese barong statue following the signing ceremony for the Framework for Comprehensive Economic Cooperation at the ASEAN Summit in Bali, Indonesia. India and ASEAN issued a Joint Declaration on Cooperation for Combating International Terrorism, signed a major Framework Agreement to comprehensively enhance their current trade turnover of 12 billion US dollars and establish a free trade area in ten years. Ramdayal Srivastava, a freedom fighter, dressed as Mahatma Gandhi climbs up to put a garland on Mahatma Gandhi statue on his 134th birth anniversary in Bhopal. A couple sits in front of sculptures titled Red Memories in Wangfujing, Beijing's main commercial street. Beijing will soon open its first biennale with more than 600 art works by over 300 artists from 40 countries. The month-long Beijing Biennale will be held at the National Art Museum and the Millennium Monument Art Museum, but members of Beijing's art community are also holding exhibitions at various sites around the city to coincide with the event. Artists carve the Sphinx of Giza into the sand at Luebeck-Travemuende, northern Germany, on Thursday, July 3, 2003, during preparation for the sand sculpture festival featuring the wonders of the world. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee poses near a buddhist sculpture at Longmen Grottoes, a series of buddhist sculptures cut into stones and caves in Luoyang, Central China, Wednesday, June 25, 2003. External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha today termed the accords reached by India and China as a 'win-win' situation for both of them. Thailand Buddhists carry Buddha's statue during a street march at downtown Seoul to celebrate Buddha's birthday, Monday, May 5, 2003. <b>WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9</b><br>Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers pull down a statue of Saddam Hussein in downtown Baghdad. A statue of Saddam Hussein stands in the middle of an empty square in Baghdad, Tuesday, March 25 2003, as a fierce sandstorm sweeps through the area. A man polishes Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Ahmadabad. Gandhi devoted his life to India's freedom struggle against British rule using non-violent methods. Colourful canine sculptures were hitting the streets of New York as a tribute to the rescue dogs that toiled tirelessly at Ground Zero. Up to 300 life size statues of dogs decorated by leading artists were being placed in street and parks throughout the city to coincide with the Sept. 11, anniversary. They will remain on display until November when they will be auctioned to raise cash for search and rescue teams through The American Kennel Club. A bronze statue of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in front of the Oil Ministry building in Baghdad, Iraq. Iraq and the United Nations started talks in Vienna on the possible return of the U.N. weapons inspectors to Iraq for the first time in 3 ½ years. A Chinese woman looks at bronze statues of Chinese soccer players immortalized by their successful entry into the World Cup in Shenyang, northeastern China. China will play a warm up match against Uruguay today. A statue of a boxer towers over polling booths as people prepare to cast their ballots at a boxing school in Amsterdam, for Dutch elections. After decades of predictable government, Dutch voters seem likely to upset the well-oiled order with a protest vote that could put a leaderless, untested group of political amateurs in key positions in the next coalition. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder gestures as he explains the new Social Democrat's election program in Berlin. At left is a statue of the legendary SPD leader and former Chancellor Willy Brandt. North Korean government officials, including leader Kim Jong Il, (center) sit beneath a statue of the late North Korean leader Kim Il Sung during a session of Parliament in Pyongyang. In a report to the North Korean legislature, Premier Hong Song Nam said his country must readjust its economic foundations this year and open itself up to more international trade and cooperation. Girls, dressed traditionally, cry on seeing their favourite sculptures burn during the annual Fallas festival in Valencia, Spain. Giant sculptures are burnt in bonfires across Valencia during Fallas, a centuries-old tradition thought to have its origins from carpenters burning old unwanted wood to herald in the season of Spring. A Thai artist puts the finishing touches on a sculpture of Osama bin Laden riding on an eagle standing on top a World Trade Center at Klang Bang Kaew temple in Nakhon Pathom, west of Bangkok. The artist told local media that the piece of art would inform future generations about history. Petra Heimann, employee of the Gerhard Marcks museum in Bremen, Germany, looks at a statue made by Adolf Hitler's most favorite sculptor Arno Breker. 15 nude bronze figures will be on display in the museum from Jan. 20 - April 21, 2002. 30. Dec 1, 2001: Part of a sculpture of The Beatles in Liverpool, England. And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make. Okay, that's Paul, but as George himself sang, ...and life flows on within you and without you. Miss Universe 2001, Denise Quinones of Puerto Rico, waves as she poses for a photograph next to a half-bird half-human statue called <I>Kinnari</I> during her visit to the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Miss Quinones is in Thailand as part of her travel the world as a goodwill ambassador in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes addresses before the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, former king of Punjab, on the occasion of coronation ceremony, in Amritsar. Fernandes said, World's third Defense University in India after America and China, will be coming up in the State of Punjab. Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter in the new film <I>Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone</I> stands by a statue, a film prop, before attending a press conference about the film at Knebworth House, London. The <I>Hammering Man</I> sculpture by US artist Jonathan Borofski in front of the headquarters of German Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt. Germany’s biggest bank announced on Thursday, it would cut 4,500 jobs amid falling profits and a sluggish economy. A Gandhian follower garlands the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at a prayer meeting in Ahmedabad, marking 132nd birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma spent his whole life propagating the philosophy of non-violence. A Chinese worker uses pressurised water to clean a statue of Mao Zedong at the military museum in Beijing. The museum is being spruced up in anticipation of a visit by Chinese leaders. Two Chinese men walk past a mural painting of the Statue of Liberty in Beijing. China has put on trial Li Shaomin, an American citizen, and Gao Zhan, an American University researcher and U.S. resident, on charges of spying for Taiwan. Italian architect Renzo Piano's sculpture The Ball, one of the symbols of the G8 summit, is seen in the harbour of Genoa, Italy. Officials are working to keep away anti-globalisation protestors from world leaders participating at the July 20 -22 summit. A Chinese man walks past a mushroom-shaped sculpture in a Beijing park. A large golden statue of Oscar is transported to the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Monday, March 19, 2001, in preparation for Sunday's 73rd annual Academy Awards. Oscar statues wait for placement outside the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Friday morning, March 23, 2001 Television photographer Carla Cardenas shoots Oscar statues in front of the Shrine Auditorium, Friday, March 23, 2001 Oscar statuettes lined up awaiting transport on Monday outside the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, site of Sunday's 73rd Academy Awards. This year was the last year for the Oscars at the Shrine Auditorium. BAMIYAN: On the China-Europe Silk Route, it is famous for the two Buddha statues now under attack. More than 1000 Buddhist caves are found here. HERAT: Has priceless Hindu Statues – marble images of Surya (Sun God) and Shiva-Parvati are most famous. A fort built by Alexander can still be seen in the centre of the city. GHAZNI: Ashoka is said to have built 10 stupas and ‘Deva’ temples. It has a Buddhist complex at Humau Qala and has a Mahisasura Vardini sculpture.
May 07, 2013
TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu and other leaders at the unveiling of a statue of NT Rama Rao at Parliament House in New Delhi.
- PTI Photo/ Atul Yadav
Feb 14, 2013
Brass Continuum

Does not the end of one act go hand in hand with the opening of another? From providing succour to Aditya after Yash Chopra's passing to mem­orial­is­ing him.... not to jump the (shot)gun, but Rani's ticking all the right boxes.
- AFP (From Outlook 25 February 2013)

Feb 11, 2013
Actress Rani Mukherjee during the unveiling ceremony of the statue of legendry filmmaker Yash Chopra at Yashraj Studios in Mumbai.
- PTI Photo/ Mitesh Bhuvad
Feb 05, 2013
The iconic statue of Hachiko
- Vandana Mohindra
Jan 15, 2013
Mumtaz Mahal's hammam at Shahi Qila
- Krishna Angira
Jan 15, 2013
The Ahukhana, where Mumtaz Mahal's body lay before being transported to Agra
- Krishna Angira
Jan 15, 2013
Sanskrit inscriptions in the Jami Masjid
- Krishna Angira
Jan 15, 2013
Begum Bilqis Jahan's tomb, also referred to as the Kharbuja Mahal
- Krishna Angira
Jan 15, 2013
The Bua Hassan complex, Jhajjar
- Sankar Sridhar
Jan 15, 2013
Life as usual at a baoli near Dujana
- Sankar Sridhar
Jan 15, 2013
Elaborate frescoes at Sethani ki Chhatri
- Sankar Sridhar
Jan 15, 2013
Chuhimal ki Chhatri
- Sankar Sridhar
Jan 15, 2013
The crumbling Safed Masjid in Dujana
- Sankar Sridhar
Jan 15, 2013
Sheesh Mahal
- Sankar Sridhar
Jan 15, 2013
Ghaus Ali Shah’s baoli
- Sankar Sridhar
Jan 15, 2013
Bereft of mirrorwork, Farrukhanagar's Sheesh Mahal is still a cut above average
- Sankar Sridhar
Jan 15, 2013
The taalab by Chuhimal ki Chhatri
- Sankar Sridhar
Jan 15, 2013
An inner chamber of the Safed Masjid
- Sankar Sridhar
Jan 15, 2013
At the dargah of Sheikh Musa
- Sankar Sridhar
Jan 15, 2013
Ruins at the Khanzada tomb complex, Taoru
- Sankar Sridhar
Dec 09, 2012
People take photos of the giant statue of former president Nelson Mandela, in Mandela Square, Johannesburg, South Africa. South Africans prayed for the health of former President Nelson Mandela and anxiously awaited further word about the anti-apartheid leader after he was admitted to a military hospital. President Jacob Zuma visited Mandela at the hospital in Pretoria and found the frail 94-year-old to be "comfortable and in good care," presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said in a statement.
- AP/PTI
Dec 08, 2012
Images showcasing Indian and Japanese cultures projected on the historic India Gate during a show to mark the grand finale of the 60th anniversary of Japan - India diplomatic relations in New Delhi on Friday evening.
- PTI Photo/ Manvender Vashist
Dec 05, 2012
Wax figures of Bollywood stars Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan at Madame Tussauds museum in Washington.
- PTI Photo
Dec 05, 2012
In Brass Relief

How does one immortalise the forever? A brass statue of debatable likeness is hardly the most dignified way to go about it. Ahhh, to hell with the brass tacks. One year after Dev Anand, Mumbai has Raju and Rosie back together. Cue Kishore and Lata, “Gaata Rahe Mera Dil...”
- Fotocorp (From Outlook 17 December 2012)

Dec 04, 2012
Veteran actress Waheeda Rehman takes a closer look of a life-size statue of legendary actor Dev Anand after its unveiling to mark his first death anniversary in Mumbai.
- PTI Photo/ Shirish Shete
Nov 26, 2012
Traffic rolls past an illuminated Cenotaph or the War Memorial in Kolkata. Erected in 1924 by the British, the memorial built of sandstone blocks commemorates those who laid their lives for the King and the country between 1914 and 1918. The statue, foreground, adopts the standard British army funeral vigil stance of heads bowed with bayonetted rifle turned upside-down.
- AP Photo/Bikas Das
Nov 22, 2012
Charminar as it was in the 1960s
- Courtesy: Anuradha Reddy
Nov 22, 2012
Intruder The Bhagyalakshmi temple
- Madhavi Tata
Oct 30, 2012
A striking outdoor sculpture at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts
- Payal Dhar
Oct 30, 2012
A shimmering bronze sculpture of a yak stands on a promenade in the shiny glass-panelled quarters of modern Lhasa
- Anirban Mahapatra
Aug 24, 2012
An artist giving finishing touches to a clay model of Bollywood superstar Rajesh Khanna in Kolkata.
- PTI Photo/ Swapan Mahapatra
Aug 10, 2012
Our icon Ambedkar’s death anniversary being observed
- Amit Haralkar
Aug 10, 2012
Extra-curricular Students paying tribute to Ambedkar
- Nilotpal Baruah
Aug 08, 2012
Beyond his light? Some believe Kanshi Ram and Mayawati have done more for Dalits
- Sanjay Rawat
Aug 02, 2012
Vandal rule Mayawati’s beheaded statue in Lucknow
- AP
Jul 29, 2012
A sculpture installed at a park near Esplanade as a part of the beautification process of Kolkata
- PTI Photo
Jul 28, 2012
UP Navnirman Sena chief Amit Jaani, main accused in vadalising statue of BSP supremo Mayawati, being taken to the court in Lucknow.
- PTI Photo/ Nand Kumar
Jul 26, 2012
People look at the scene after a marble statue of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati was vandalised by unidentified men at the Ambedkar Park in Lucknow. The statue was one among the nine towering statues of the Bahujan Samaj Party leader that has been adorning four lavish public parks in the state capital.
- AP Photo
Jul 20, 2012
The Romanovs
WHAT
Nearly a century after the execution of Tsar Nicholas II and his family by the Bolsheviks in 1918 in Sverdlovsk (then Ekaterinburg), a grand exhibition in Moscow reveals to the Russian public evidence of the bloody chapter. It dispels decades of misconceptions, including the supposed survival of the youngest princess, Anastasia.
WHY
The Death of Tsar Nicholas II’s Family: A One-Hundred Year Investigation puts together artefacts like the Tsar’s handwritten letter of abdication, his diary, a Mauser pistol, bullets used in the murders, uniforms of the Tsar and an unfinished piece of embroidery by Tsarina Alexandra. Never exhibited before, the items have sparked a new wave of reassessment of the last Tsar.
-
Jun 19, 2012
Union Minister of Tourism Subodh Kant Sahai along with Minister for Culture and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, Kumari Selja, Chairman, ITDC, Shankersinh Vaghela , BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha release of campaign Jackets & Caps during the launch of Clean India Campaign Pilot Project at Qutab Minar in New Delhi.
- PTI Photo/Kamal Singh
May 19, 2012
Former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Mayawati, whose party suffered a crushing defeat in the recently held elections, speaks during a press conference, in New Delhi. Authorities in the state are now investigating whether Mayawati’s park projects honoring the contribution of dalits to the nation, including the father of the constitution B.R. Ambedkar, was an elaborate swindle.
- AP Photo/ Manish Swarup
May 17, 2012
Pathfinder, pathseeker At the Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal, Noida, Ambedkar finds place next to the Buddha
- Sanjay Rawat
May 17, 2012
Image making An Ambedkar statue being worked on in Mumbai
- Amit Haralkar
Feb 16, 2012
Nuns of the Missionaries of Charity, the congregation established by Mother Teresa, pose for a photograph in front of a statue of the Mother after it was unveiled in Kolkata.The selfless Roman Catholic nun who dedicated her life to serving the sick and poor in India was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
- AP Photo/Bikas Das
Jan 12, 2012

- Illustration by Sorit
Jan 12, 2012

- Sorit
Jan 12, 2012
Truncated! Operation cover-up at the Prerna Sthal in Noida, UP
- Sanjay Rawat
Jan 11, 2012
Look, ma, no elephants! Finally, the UP administration managed to get all statues of elephants (BSP's electoral symbol) covered as per the directives of Election Commission of India in Lucknow.
- PTI Photo/ Nand Kumar
Jan 11, 2012
It took more than two days for the UP administration to get its act together and organise carefully chosen pink plastic (so that the choice of colour did not reflect any one political party) for the jumbo cover-up ordered by the election commission on January 7. The EC had ordered that the statues of Mayawati and her party symbol elephants were built using public money and their display violated the Model Code of Conduct for the upcoming elections in UP. Meanwhile, a PIL was moved in the Allahabad HC challenging the decision, on the grounds that elephant is a symbol of Hinduism and hence should not be disrespected in this fashion. Call it the Streisand Effect—an attempt to hide something which has the inverse effect of publicising what you are trying to hide some more—but covered up or not, it ain't easy hiding those elephants away.
- AP Photo/ Saurabh Das
Jan 11, 2012
A worker climbs up a ladder to cover elephant statues at Ambedkar Park in Noida. It took more than two days for the UP administration to get its act together and organise carefully chosen pink plastic (so that the choice of colour did not reflect any one political party) for the jumbo cover-up ordered by the election commission on January 7. The EC had ordered that the statues of Mayawati and her party symbol elephants were built using public money and their display violated the Model Code of Conduct for the upcoming elections in UP. Meanwhile, a PIL was moved in the Allahabad HC challenging the decision, on the grounds that elephant is a symbol of Hinduism and hence should not be disrespected in this fashion. Call it the Streisand Effect—an attempt to hide something which has the inverse effect of publicising what you are trying to hide some more—but covered up or not, it ain't easy hiding those elephants away.
- AP Photo/ Saurabh Das
Jan 10, 2012
It took more than two days for the UP administration to get its act together and organise carefully chosen pink plastic (so that the choice of colour did not reflect any one political party) for the jumbo cover-up ordered by the election commission on January 7. The EC had ordered that the statues of Mayawati and her party symbol elephants were built using public money and their display violated the Model Code of Conduct for the upcoming elections in UP. Meanwhile, a PIL was moved in the Allahabad HC challenging the decision, on the grounds that elephant is a symbol of Hinduism and hence should not be disrespected in this fashion. Call it the Streisand Effect—an attempt to hide something which has the inverse effect of publicising what you are trying to hide some more—but covered up or not, it ain't easy hiding those elephants away
- AP Photo/ Tsering Topgyal
Jan 10, 2012
Workers cover the statues of elephants, the BSP party symbol, at Dalit Prerna Sthal as per the directives of the Election Commission of India, in Noida. Election Commission said the statues were built using public money and their display violated the rules for the upcoming elections in UP.
- PTI Photo
Jan 10, 2012
Workers cover elephant statues at Ambedkar Memorial Park in Lucknow. Workmen using truckloads of cloth raced to comply with election officials who ordered the statues of Chief Minister of Utter Pradesh, Mayawati, along with nearly 200 statues of elephants, her party's symbol, be covered. The Election Commission said the statues were built using public money and their display violates rules for the upcoming elections in UP
- AP Photo/ Tsering Topgyal
Jan 09, 2012
Gigantic statues of elephants at the Ambedkar park in Noida that the flamboyant Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Mayawati, had erected. Election Commission said the statues were built using public money and their display violated the rules for the upcoming elections in UP.
- AP Photo/ Saurabh Das
Jan 09, 2012
A worker walks by a statue of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati, at the Ambedkar park in Noida. Workmen carting truckloads of cloth raced to comply with election regulations and cover up a dozen gigantic statues that the flamboyant chief minister had erected of herself. Election Commission said the massive statues of Mayawati were built using public money and their display violated the rules for next month's election in UP.
- AP Photo/ Saurabh Das
Jan 09, 2012
The Indian flag is cast on the India Gate as a part of a laser light show by India Tourism in New Delhi. The show, which involved 3D animation was intended to promote the Clean India programme aimed at attracting more tourists to India.
- AP Photo/Kevin Frayer
Dec 29, 2011
Buddhist monks who are occupying the defunct Indu Mills pressing for it to be converted into a memorial for Bhimrao Ambedkar, meditate inside the premises on the final day of their agitation in Mumbai.
- PTI Photo/Mitesh Bhuvad
Dec 08, 2011
Hungarian sculptor Erno Toth works on a bronze statue of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in his foundry in Budapest, Hungary. The statue will be inaugurated in the Graphisoft Park, Budapest.
- AP Photo/ MTI,Zsolt Szigetvary
Nov 16, 2011
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati offers prayer before a statue of Mahatma Buddh at UP pavilion at the 31st India International Trade Fair in New Delhi.
- PTI Photo/ Kamal Kishore
Nov 16, 2011
A statue of Mahatma Gandhi with a spinning wheel at the Gujarat pavilion at the 31st India International Trade Fair at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
- PTI Photo/ Kamal Kishore
Nov 03, 2011
Bronze assault Statues of BSP leaders at Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal, Noida
- Sanjay Rawat
Oct 17, 2011
President Barack Obama, center, his daughter Malia Obama, left, and Harry Johnson, President and CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Foundation, to his right, look up at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, as King family members and the first family look, on the National Mall in Washington. From right are Marion Robinson, first lady Michelle Obama and Sasha Obama.
- AP Photo/ Carolyn Kaster
Oct 14, 2011
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati inaugurates Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal, Ambedkar Park in Noida.
- PTI Photo
Oct 14, 2011
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati speaks during an inauguration of Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal, Ambedkar Park in Noida.
- PTI Photo
Oct 14, 2011
Crowd gather as Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati inaugurates Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal, Ambedkar Park in Noida.
- PTI Photo
Oct 14, 2011
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati during the inauguration of the Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal, Ambedkar Park in Noida.
- PTI Photo
Oct 14, 2011
Uttar Pradesh state chief minister Mayawati stands near large statues of herself, Indian freedom leader Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar and Bahujan Samaj Party leader Kansi Ram in a hall at a newly inaugurated park in Noida.
- AP Photo/Pankaj Nangia
Oct 14, 2011
A row of stone elephants line a newly inaugurated park in Noida, a suburb of New Delhi. The park was inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati.
- AP Photo/Pankaj Nangia
Oct 10, 2011
Senior state and district police and administrative officers inspecting the security arrangements at the Ambedkar Park in Noida ahead of UP CM Mayawati's visit for its inauguration.
- PTI Photo
Oct 06, 2011
An artist paints masks of demon king Ravana on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011, to be used in Dussehra festivities in Bhubaneshwar
- AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout
Oct 06, 2011
An artist paints masks of demon king Ravana on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011, to be used in Dussehra festivities in Bhubaneshwar
- AP Photo
Oct 01, 2011
A view of sand sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti in Porbandar.
- PTI Photo
Sep 26, 2011
An artist gives finishing touches to an idol of Goddess Durga ahead of Durga Puja festival at Tezpur, Assam.
- PTI Photo
Sep 24, 2011
A girl gives finishing touches to an idol of Goddess Durga ahead of Durga Puja festival in Karad, Maharashtra.
- PTI Photo
Sep 22, 2011
Jain community members offering prayers to the idols of Lord Mahavir recovered during an excavation work at the site of an under-construction residential complex, in Ahmedabad.
- PTI Photo
Sep 21, 2011
School children look at the idols of gods and goddesses as an artisan prepare them ahead of the Durga Puja festival in Allahabad. The five-day festival, begins Oct. 2.
- AP Photo/ Rajesh Kumar Singh
Sep 15, 2011
An artisan paints the eye of an idol of Goddess Durga, ahead of Durga Puja festival in New Delhi. The five-day festival begins Oct. 2.
- AP Photo/ Manish Swarup
Sep 15, 2011
The idol of a demon stands under the foot of Goddess Durga, ahead of Durga Puja festival in New Delhi.
- AP Photo/ Manish Swarup
Sep 15, 2011
An artisan prepares an idol of God Ganesha, ahead of Durga Puja festival in New Delhi.
- AP Photo/ Manish Swarup
Sep 02, 2011
A sand idol of Lord Ganesh created by an artist on the theme of saving trees in Navi Mumbai.
- PTI Photo
Aug 29, 2011
Photographers take pictures as the new waxwork figure of U.S singer Rihanna is unveiled at Madame Tussauds in Berlin, Germany.
- AP Photo/ Gero Breloer
Aug 24, 2011
Rebel fighters trample on a head of a statue of Muammar Gaddafi inside the main compound in Bab al-Aziziya in Tripoli, LIbya.
- AP Photo/ Sergey Ponomarev
Aug 19, 2011
Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates a sand image of Anna Hazare with Mahatma Gandhi to support the anti-corruption movement at Puri beach.
- PTI Photo
Aug 13, 2011
Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates a sand sculpture of social activist Anna Hazare to support him in his crusade against corruption in Puri.
- PTI Photo
Aug 11, 2011
It is of little consequence which side of the ‘Who does it belong to?’ debate you prefer. That India still has wealth to be divined is a mite reassuring.
-
Aug 03, 2011
A boat passes a sculpture of a giant mermaid designed by German artist Oliver Voss on the river Alster in Hamburg, northern Germany. The sculpture made of styrofoam and steel will be on exhibit for ten days.
- AP Photo/ dapd, Axel Heimken
Jul 16, 2011
The curious gather around Seward Johnsons 26-foot-tall sculpture of Marilyn Monroe, in her most famous wind-blown pose, on Michigan Avenue, in Chicago.
- AP/PTI
Jul 08, 2011
Prince Charles admiring the bust of Rabindranath Tagore after he unveiled it at Gordon Square, Bloomsbury, London.
- PTI Photo
Apr 25, 2011
A woman prepares to lay a flower before a sand sculpture of Sathya Sai Baba, created by artist Sudarshan Pattnaik at Golden Sea beach at Puri, Orissa. Baba, considered a living God by millions of followers worldwide, passed away on the April 24, due to cardio-respiratory failure. He was 85.
- AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout
Mar 23, 2011
Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates a sand sculpture on the eve of Cricket World Cup quarterfinal match between India and Australia, at Puri beach.
- PTI Photo
Mar 11, 2011
International sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates a sand sculpture resembling a stadium at Marina Beach in Chennai.
- PTI Photo/R Senthil kumar
Feb 18, 2011
International sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates sand sculpture in support of the release of IAS officer R. Vineel Krishna, abducted by the Maoists along with junior engineer Pabitra Mohan Majhi, at Puri beach in Orissa.
- PTI Photo
Jan 16, 2011
Senior BJP leader L K Advani and Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray (L) pay tribute to a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji during the NDA's Mahasangram rally at Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. JD(U) President Sharad Yadav is also seen.
- PTI Photo
Jan 16, 2011
A 32-feet-high statue of Raj Bhoj is being installed with the help of a construction crane at the Upper Lake in Bhopal.
- PTI Photo
Jan 13, 2011
A view of Bamiyan Buddha's statue in Kargil
- PTI Photo
Dec 22, 2010
A man cleans a statue of Jesus Christ at a church ahead of Christmas celebrations in Jammu.
- AP Photo/Channi Anand
Nov 14, 2010
Children throw flower petals on a statue of Jawaharlal Nehru on his birth anniversary in Ahmedabad. The day is also celebrated as Children's Day.
- AP Photo/Ajit Solanki
Nov 12, 2010
Statues of Rama and Sita are covered volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Merapi at Muntilan, Magelang, Indonesia.
- AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim
Nov 12, 2010
A man walks with his bike near statues covered with volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Merapi at Muntilan, Magelang, Indonesia.
- AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim
Nov 10, 2010
A Buddha statue is covered with volcanic ash spewed from Mount Merapi in Magelang, Indonesia.
- AP Photo/Gembong Nusantara
Nov 09, 2010
Armenia: modern sculptures on the Cascades
- PHOTOGRAPHS BY APOORVA PRASAD
Oct 06, 2010
Christ the Redeemer statue is lit up in pink at night for Breast Cancer awareness in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- AP Photo/Felipe Dana
Oct 05, 2010
An artist gives finishing touches to Durga idols in Allahabad. The festival to honor the goddess of valor, Durga begins on October 8. Seen as the mother of the universe, Durga is worshipped for her graciousness as well as her fearsome power.
- AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh
Oct 01, 2010
Visitors walk past the fiber glass sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi on the eve of his birth anniversary in Ahmedabad.
- AP Photo/Ajit Solanki
Sep 19, 2010
An artist makes idols with hay ahead of Durga Puja festival in Allahabad. The festival to honor the Hindu goddess of valor, Durga, begins Oct. 14. Seen as the mother of the universe, Durga is worshipped for her graciousness as well as her fearsome power. It is the year's most important festival in the eastern region of Bengal.
- AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh
Sep 19, 2010
An idol of Ganesh is immersed in a trash clogged lake during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Hyderabad. Every year millions of devout Hindus immerse idols of god Ganesh into oceans and rivers in the 10-day long festival that celebrates the birth of the Hindu god.
- AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.
Sep 16, 2010
An Indian artist and his daughter try to protect idols of Lord Viswakarma from rain water as they await customers in Calcutta. Viswakarma will be worshipped on September 17.
- AP Photo/Bikas Das
Sep 16, 2010
A man immerses an idol of Lord Ganesha in the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad. Every year millions of devout immerse idols of Ganesha into oceans and rivers in the 10-day long festival that celebrates the birth of the Hindu god.
- AP Photo/Ajit Solanki
Aug 19, 2010
A Parsi boy stands amidst life-size carvings of ancient priests at a fire temple on Parsi New Year day in Mumbai.
- AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade
Jul 13, 2010
Sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik gives finishing touches to a sand sculpture of Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra on the eve of the festival, at Puri beach.
- PTI Photo
Jun 16, 2010
Huge enterprise A trailer transporting the Bahubali statue from Bidadi, near Bangalore, to Songadh, in Gujarat
- Reuters (From Outlook, June 28)
Jun 16, 2010
Plotted and pieced Gudigar and a scale-marked model of the Bahubali statue
- Nilotpal Baruah
Jun 15, 2010
Before and after: The six-story "King of Kings" roadside Jesus statue, made of apparently highly-flammable plastic foam and fiberglass, in Ohio was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. This 62-foot-tall statue was built in 2004 on the grounds of the evangelical Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio, just outside of Cincinnati.
- AP
Jun 15, 2010
A Chinese woman carries a child from the mouth of a sharp sculpture outside an aquarium in Beijing.
- AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
Jun 10, 2010
People gather as a 41 foot tall statue of Jain sage Lord Bahubali carved out of a single block of granite is brought to Songadh, 200 kilometers from Ahmadabad.
- AP Photo/Ajit Solanki
Jun 08, 2010
Greenpeace activist hold a banner in the backdrop of a statue depicting Mahatma Gandhi's Dandi March in New Delhi. Two Greenpeace members Toru Suzuki and Junichi Sato stand trial over theft of whale meat that they claim had been illegally siphoned by whalers from government-backed hunts. In a proposal criticised by environmental groups, the International Whaling Commission has proposed allowing whales to be hunted under strict quotas, bringing the world a step closer to the first legal commercial whaling in nearly 25 years.
- AP Photo/Gurinder Osan
Jun 08, 2010
Pekka Isoraetyae from Finland adjusts a marionette made out of pig skin during the press preview at the Nord Art 2010 (North Art 2010) exhibition in Buedelsdorf, Germany. 245 artists from 55 countries will present their paintings, sculptures, photographs and installations at this art show that opens on June 12 and ends on October 3.
- AP Photo/Heribert Proepper
Jun 02, 2010
An artist works on his sand sculpture featuring the Statue of Liberty and late U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on a beach for the up-coming beach festival in Busan, South Korea.
- AP Photo/Andy Wong
Jun 01, 2010
Demonstrators dressed up as the Goddess of Democracy shout slogans outside a downtown shopping mall in Hong Kong. Police have seized a second statue dedicated to victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, in what critics called an attack on freedom of expresion in this semi-autonomous Chinese territory. The Chinese military's suppression of pro-democracy student protests in June 1989, which killed at least hundreds, is off-limits on the mainland, but it is openly mourned and criticized in Hong Kong, a former British colony that is guaranteed Western-style civil liberties.
- AP Photo/Vincent Yu
May 31, 2010
A woman reacts as she poses for photograph in front of the iron sculptures of wolves created by Chinese artist Liu Ruowang entitled "Wolf Coming" on displayed at an art district in Beijing, China.
- AP Photo/Andy Won
May 30, 2010
Police officers on patrol walk past large statues of soldiers at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul, South Korea. Avoiding conflict between the Koreas over the sinking of a warship is an urgent task, China's premier said on Sunday, as Beijing appeared more engaged in the crisis despite withholding support for possible U.N. action against North Korea.
- AP Photo/Wally Santana
May 28, 2010
Buddhist monks pray near a Buddha statue during the commemoration of Vesak or Buddha's birthday at a temple in Batu, East Java, Indonesia
- AP Photo/Trisnadi
May 28, 2010
The full moon rises on the Athenian sky behind a statue, which stands at the top of the National Archaeological Museum of Greece.
- AP Photo/ Petros Giannakouris
May 28, 2010
Buddhist monks pray near a Buddha statue during the commemoration of Vesak or Buddha's birthday at a temple in Batu, East Java, Indonesia
- AP Photo/Trisnadi
May 27, 2010
Buddist monks offering prayers to a Buddha statue are silhouetted against the setting sun on the occasion of Buddha Poornima in Hyderabad
- AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A
May 25, 2010
A woman walks past cast iron sculptures of wolves by Chinese artiste Liu Ruowang entitled "Wolf Coming" at a art district in Beijing, China
- AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
May 05, 2010
A man works on installation of artist Zhang Huan's sculpture Three Heads Six Arms at Civic Center in San Francisco. The copper sculpture, which stands over 26 feet high and weighs almost 15 tons, is part of a series of works depicting the arms, legs, feet, hands, and heads of Buddhist sculptures. It is being presented in conjunction with the 30th Anniversary of the Shanghai-San Francisco Sister City Celebration.
- AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
Mar 24, 2010
An auto-rickshaw made to look like a large rat carries a statue of Lord Ganesha on top as it is driven during a small parade to mark a festival celebrating the birthday of Ram in New Delhi.
- AP Photo/Kevin Frayer
Mar 23, 2010
Princess Mathilde of Belgium garlanding a statue of Mahatma Gandhi during her visit to Sulabh Campus in New Delhi.
- PTI Photo
Mar 20, 2010
International sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik giving finishing touch to sand sculpture on the theme 'Save the Blue'.
- PTI Photo
Mar 18, 2010
The painting 'Lise with a Parasol' (1867) of Pierre Auguste Renoir and the sculpture 'The age of Bronze' of Auguste Rodin are presented in the exhibition 'The Most Beautiful Museum in the World' in the Folkwang Museum in Essen, western Germany. The exhibition comprises around 350 art works in total: paintings and sculptures from the modern period.
- apn Photo/Hermann J. Knippertz
Feb 15, 2010
A school official cleans the statue of President Barack Obama as a 10-year-old boy after it was removed from a public park and kept in a class room a nearby elementary school late in Jakarta, Indonesia. The statue was removed from the park overnight due to a public backlash and locked in the classroom at the school that the U.S. president attended as a child.
- AP Photo/Dita Alangkara
Feb 10, 2010
Internationally acclaimed sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates a sand sculpture about the protest against the movie “My Name Is Khan” and the players, at the Puri beach.
- PTI Photo
Jan 27, 2010
Mayawati's statue- and memorial building spree that has left the state poorer by nearly Rs 6,000 crore
-
Jan 18, 2010
Students of Golden Sand Art Institute of Sudarshan Pattnaik make a sand sculpture of former Chief Minister West Bengal Jyoti Basu, who died in Kolkata, at Puri beach on Sunday.
- PTI Photo
Dec 26, 2009
A man sprinkles water on sand sculptures depicting tsunami victims to pay homage, at Marina Beach, in Chennai.
- AP Photo
Dec 24, 2009
3 women pose for photos near a Santa statue in front of a shopping mall in downtown Beijing, China.
- AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan
Dec 16, 2009
The statue of Christ the Redeemer is seen during sunset in Rio de Janeiro.
- AP Photo/Felipe Dana
Dec 15, 2009
Congress MLAs from Andhra and Rayalaseema demostrating in front of Potti Sriramulu's statue demanding United Andhra Pradesh on Sriramula's death anniversary in Hyderabad.
- PTI Photo
Dec 10, 2009
A woman stands near the bronze statue of young U.S. President Barack Obama during a ceremony at a park in Jakarta, Indonesia. The statue of President Obama as a 10-year-old wearing shorts and a T-shirt has been erected in the park to inspire children in the country where he lived as a boy.
- AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim
Dec 08, 2009
Sculptures are illuminated as they stand in a water feature outside the Bella Centre during the Climate Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus
Dec 03, 2009
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar pays tribute to the statue of India's first President Dr Rajendra Prasad on the occasion of his 125th birth anniversary, in Patna.
- PTI Photo
Nov 26, 2009
A woman offers prayers near a sand sculpture of the Taj Mahal hotel, one of the sites of last year's terror attacks in Mumbai, dedicated to the victims to mark the first anniversary of the attacks, in Puri.
- AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout
Nov 14, 2009
People walk past a sand sculpture of Sachin Tendulkar and 20 bats, made by sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik, at a beach in Puri.
- AP Photo/Biswaranjan Raut
Nov 09, 2009
The sun sets behind the Statue of Liberty in New York.
- AP Photo/Benny Snyder
Nov 01, 2009
Former US President Bill Clinton poses with ethnic Albanians during his visit in Pristina, Kosovo. Thousands of ethnic Albanians gathered to welcome the former US President as he attended the unveiling of an 3.5 meter statue of himself on a key boulevard that also bears his name. Following the 1998-99 war authorities in Pristina changed the name of the capital city's thoroughfare from Vladimir Lenin Street to Bill Clinton Boulevard.
- AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu
Oct 02, 2009
A police jawan salutes to a statue of Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of his 140th birth anniversary in Amritsar.
- PTI Photo
Sep 25, 2009
A nun prepares to change the dress on the famous statue of the infant Jesus prior to the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Prague, Czech Republic.
- AP Photo/Petr David Josek
Sep 18, 2009
Mayawati's penchant for building statues, at a stupendous cost (of more than Rs 2,000 crore) to the exchequer, led her to considerable legal trouble. The Supreme Court called it a waste of public funds, but the lady was unmoved. Meanwhile, the UPA remained busy naming various public and government schemes after the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty icons.
- Nirala Tripathi
Sep 11, 2009
A vendor walks past a sand sculpture of World Trade Center created by sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik on the eve of the eighth anniversary of 9/11 attack, at the golden sea beach in Puri, about 67 kilometers (41 miles) away from Bhubaneswar.
- AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout
Aug 20, 2009
A woman artisan walks past sculptures of elephant-headed God Ganesha in Hyderabad, ahead of the festival of Ganesha Chaturthi.
- AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.
Aug 20, 2009
A man covers sculptures of elephant-headed God Ganesha with plastic sheets to shield them from the rain in Hyderabad.
- AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.
Aug 14, 2009
A statue of Ronald Reagan looms in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington as his widow, former first lady Nancy Reagan, House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev. take part in an unveiling ceremony of the statue. Nine years ago, Congress changed a law that had prevented statue switching. Each state gets two statues of notable historic figures who are deceased. Most are in bronze or marble and stand in National Statuary Hall, south of the rotunda.
- AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File
Aug 13, 2009
People wearing masks as a precaution against swine flu walk past a swine flu alert sand sculpture on the beach at Puri, in Orissa.
- AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout
Aug 11, 2009
A sand sculpture depicting Mahatma Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose is seen on a beach in Puri ahead of the country’s Independence Day.
- AP Photo
Aug 09, 2009
A bronze statue of Thiruvalluvar, a celebrated Tamil language poet who lived about 2000 years ago, was unveiled by Tamil Nadu state Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in Bangalore. The unveiling ended an 18-year standoff on the issue opposed by pro-Kannada language groups, who also called for dusk to dawn general strike today to protest the unveiling in Bangalore.
- AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi
Aug 09, 2009
One of the US President's official planes flies over the Statue of Liberty in New York in this undated photograph.
- AP Photo/The White House
Jul 30, 2009
French artist, Jean-Batispte Seckler, puts the final touches to his clay sculpture of U.S. singer Michael Jackson, outside the Beaubourg museum in Paris.
- AP Photo/Jacques Brinon
Jul 18, 2009
Limdokuhle Ndekera, eight, who shares her birthday with Nelson Mandela poses between the legs of a statue of Nelson Mandela on Mandela square in Johannesburg. Saturday is the first Mandela Day, which his charity foundation hopes will be an annual world event, with people around the world taking on altruistic projects like reading to the blind, distributing blankets to the homeless, or refurbishing homes for AIDS orphans.
- AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo
Jul 10, 2009
The Supreme Court (SC) refused to restrain the Uttar Pradesh government from carrying out work for installation of statues of Chief Minister Mayawati and other Dalit leaders at a park in Noida. "If the cabinet has approved it, then we can't do anything," the Bench said.
-
Jul 08, 2009
From left, Maria Margarita Barroso, wife of EU Commission President Jose Barroso, Sarah Brown, wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Chikako Aso, wife of Japan's Prime Minister Taro Aso, Gursharan Kaur, wife of Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh, Laureen Teskey Harper, wife of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Italian Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini, Nompumelelo Mantuli, wife of South African President Jacob Zuma, Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno, his wife Isabella Rauti, Margarita Zavala, wife of Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Michelle Obama, wife of US President Barack Obama, Filippa Reinfeldt, wife of Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, Italian Equal Opportunities Minister Mara Carfagna, Juliana Olabintan Nwanze, wife of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) president Kanayo Nwanze and unidentified, pose for a photo in front of Marcus Aurelius equestrian statue during a visit of the Capitoline Museums in Rome. The wives of leaders attending the G8 (Group of Eight) Summit in L'Aquila visited the Capitoline Museums and on Thursday will travel to the quake-hit areas in Abruzzo.
- AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis
May 22, 2009
A wax figure of President Barack Obama is transported to the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf after arriving by the USS Potomac in San Francisco. The new figure of President Obama took approximately six months and $15,000 to create.
- AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
May 21, 2009
The Statue of Liberty's crown, in New York, is reopening on Independence Day for the first time since terrorists leveled the World Trade Center just across the harbor. After climbing up to the crown, visitors will be rewarded with exhilarating views of New York's skyscrapers, bridges and seaport.
- AP Photo/Richard Drew
Apr 14, 2009
Floral garlands cover a statue of BR Ambedkar, on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti. Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution that outlawed discrimination based on caste, renounced Hinduism for Buddhism in 1956 because he believed it treated people equally.
- AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A
Dec 26, 2008
May
Over 133,000 in Burma/Myanmar were estimated killed by Cyclone Nargis on May 3, the deadliest natural disaster since the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004.
-
Oct 08, 2008
Rituparna Sengupta
A lifesize statue of actor Uttam Kumar who stands tall in the hearts of Bengalis
-
Sep 09, 2008

Monday, September 8, 2008
The Supreme Court finally came to the rescue of 93-year old noted painted MF Husain who has been forced to live in self-imposed exile in Dubai and London for the past two years, as a series of cases have been filed against him in India for his nude paintings of Hindu goddesses and Bharat Mata. "There are so many such subjects, sculptures, photographs and publications. Will you file cases against all of them?" Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan wondered. The irony was totally lost on the petitioner who tried to tell the court that it was not a sculpture but a painting and that it should not be viewed leniently just because the painter is renowned and old.  The SC Bench was clear: "What about temple structures? It is an art like the sculptures. None gets scandalized looking at the sculptures."  The Bench had very common-sensical advice for the petitioner:  "If you don’t want to see it, don’t see it. There are so many such art forms in temple structures."


-
Sep 02, 2008
Did our most famous freedom fighter look like this? No, say his family members and admirers. Unveiling of Bhagat Singh's statue in Parliament should have been an occasion for somber reflection, but it only drew flak from family and admirers. The 'pagri' and girth were issues; the man was said to be partial to the "universal" European hat.
-
Aug 20, 2008
A statue of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin is reflected in bullet-ridden window in central Gori, Georgia on Aug 19, 2008 while a small column of Russian tanks and armored vehicles left the strategic Georgian city of Gori, the first sign of a Russian pullback of troops after a cease-fire intended to end fighting that reignited Cold War tensions.
- AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel
Jul 08, 2008
Saturday July 6, 2008
A visitor decapitated this wax figure of Adolf Hitler just minutes after the Berlin branch of Madame Tussauds opened its doors for the first time on Saturday. The 41-year-old Berlin man, the second visitor on the opening day of the museum, jumped over a rope that was meant to prevent viewers from getting close to the sculpture and ripped the head off the likeness of the Nazi leader.
- AP Photo/Miguel Villagran
Jul 03, 2008
An old man walks past the statue of a bronze bull placed in the premises of the Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai. Markets collapsed a day ahead of the release of next inflation data with heavy selling pressure returning with a vengeance to knock down Sensex by a hefty over 570 points, as if to prove the day before's strong rise was only a flash in the pan and stability is still long way.
- AP Photo/Gautam Singh
Jun 19, 2008
An endangered Fijian Crested Iguana is perched on a statue of a distant reptilian cousin, a Komodo Dragon, at Sydney's Taronga Zoo. The zoo has begun a program to help save the iguana which survive on only a few scattered Pacific islands.
- AP Photo/Rick Rycroft
Jun 13, 2008
An Indian team of artists stood first at the USF (United Sand Festivals) World Double Championship. The photo shows Artist Sudarsan Pattnaik working on the award-winning sculpture named "Global warming" at the International Sand Sculpture Festival Sandsation in Berlin along with his student Jitendra Kishore Jagadev Pattnaik.
- AP Photo/Miguel Villagran
May 20, 2008
Tuesday May 20, 2008
Buddha statues are seen at a temple damaged by Cyclone Nargis, on the outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar. Myanmar began three days of mourning for some 78,000 cyclone victims after its ruling Junta appeared to relent to foreign pressure to allow more outside help for its storm survivors.
- AP Photo
Apr 15, 2008
Monday April 14, 2008
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati showering flowers at the statue of Kanshi Ram after unveiling his statue along with her own on the occasion of 117th birth anniversary of Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar in Lucknow. While justifying the decision to erect her own statue, the Chief Minister invoked the BSP founder, who, she said was not in favour of statues being erected after the demise of leaders. Kanshi Ram preferred that statues of leaders be erected in their lifetime, she said. She added that the BSP founder had willed that alongside his statue, that of his protégé (Ms. Mayawati) should also be built. Well, we have her word for it.


- PTI Photo/Nand Kumar
Apr 02, 2008
Friday March 28, 2008
Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram poses next to a bronze statue of a bull in the premises of the Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai in a week that saw a spike in wholesale price inflation. The government reacted by scrapping import duties on all crude edible oil forms, while cutting duties on refined palm, sunflower, soyabean, coconut oils and hydrogenated vegetable fats. It also banned the export of non-basmati rice, while basmati rice minimum export price was enhanced to $1,200 per metric tonne, from $1,100 at the moment. The ban on pulses exports, already in place since last year and ending today, has also been extended by one more year, and the Reserve Bank is likely to announce a hike in interest rates yet again.


- AP Photo
Feb 06, 2008
Visitors view Spanish artist Pablo Picasso's world famous painting "Guernica" at The Reina Sofia museum, in Madrid on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2008. The Reina Sofia Museum brings together around four hundred works including painting, sculpture, ceramic, drawing, prints, notebooks and other documentary material, selected from the holdings of the Musee National Picasso in Paris, to form the most complete overview ever presented in Spain of Picasso's career. The exhibition runs until the 5th of March.
- AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza
Jan 31, 2008
Members of the Reina Sofia Museum crew hang up a Picasso painting before a new exhibition in Madrid. Beginning on Feb. 6, Reina Sofia Museum brings together around four hundred works including painting, sculpture, ceramic, drawing, prints, notebooks and other documentary material, selected from the holdings of the Musee National Picasso in Paris, to form the most complete overview ever presented in Spain of Picasso's career.
- AP Photo / Daniel Ochoa de Olza
Jan 29, 2008
The US sneezed, Indian markets caught a chill, and the small investors, as usual, got their fingers burnt. Never mind our mixed metaphors, but so much was the anger with the stock market that security guards were deployed outside the Bombay Stock Exchange. With the bulls taking a beating, even the statue of the bull was under danger, but the security men apparently had other news to catch up on.
- PTI Photo
Dec 06, 2007
A young boy sells statues of Bhim Rao Ambedkar, near his memorial on his 51st death anniversary in Mumbai. Thousands of his followers came to pay homage to Ambedkar, who was the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, outlawing discrimination based on caste.
- AP Photo/ Rajesh Nirgude
Dec 05, 2007
A waxwork representing Australian actress Nicole Kidman is unveiled at Madame Tussaud's in London under a sprinkling of fake snow, back-dropped by white Christmas trees as part of the waxworks' new winter wonderland Blush Zone.
- AP Photo/Matt Dunham
Oct 31, 2007
People wave flags at the statue of Christ the redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, after Brazil was officially chosen by FIFA as host of the 2014 World Cup. This decision returns the showcase event to the soccer-mad country that held the tournament in 1950 and has captured the title a record five times.
- AP Photo/Andre Penner
Aug 28, 2007
The eclipsed moon is seen behind statues of mythical Chinese figures in Surabaya, Indonesia. The moon is eclipsed when the earth is directly between the sun and moon and casts a shadow over it, making it appear red or orange. Tuesday's eclipse was the second total lunar eclipse of 2007.
- AP Photo/Trisnadi
Aug 27, 2007
The winged statue of 'Victory' stands in front of smoke from fires in the village of ancient Olympia, in south western Greece. A massive effort by firefighters, assisted by water-dropping aircraft and firetrucks, succeeded in keeping a raging blaze away from the 2,800-year-old site -- the holiest sanctuary in ancient Greece. Four days of forest blazes throughout the country have left at least 60 people dead and anti-terrorist squads are questioning some of the 32 suspected arsonists arrested so far. A state of emergency has been declared in the country and a 1 million Euros reward has been offered to help catch arsonists.
- AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris
Aug 16, 2007
Elvis Presley fans light candles at his bronze statue in front of the Las Vegas Hilton on the 30th anniversary of the passing of the legend. Members of Viva Las Vegas, an Elvis Presley Fan Club of Las Vegas organized the memorial.
- AP Photo/The Review-Journal¤ K.M. Cannon
Jul 09, 2007
Saturday 7 July
So the Taj Mahal is one of the seven "new" wonders of the world? Ah well, so we would like to believe along with tourism minister Ambika Soni, her team of clueless sycophants, the ASI and sundry other politicians, but UNESCO has politely described it as what it was -- little more than the opinion of those who participated in a poll, and not that of the world at large. The hype and hoopla created by a profit-seeking Swiss foundation once again proved how easy it is to hoodwink and excite Indians into participating in any poll -- be it on the internet, via SMSs or telephone. Remember how Amitabh Bachchan was voted the actor of the century-- in a poll on a news website? The much hyped contest was launched in January, allowing voters to choose from 21 sites shortlisted out of 77 and according to its claims, out of nearly 100 million votes, approximately 16.5 million were by Indians, and the sponsoring telephone companies made millions in the bargain -- the DNA Networks Pvt Ltd in India alone earned at least Rs 34.65 crores, while the Indians are estimated to have collectively spent around Rs 150 crores. All of course cheered by the politicos and "patriotic Indians".The privately sponsored campaign was the brainchild of a Swiss filmmaker and museum curator Bernard Weber, following the destruction of Afghanistan's giant Buddha statues at Bamiyan by the Taliban in 2001, and part of the money made was said to go towards rebuilding the massive sculptures. But not only was UNESCO not attached with the poll, it took pains to point out that it was not even in favour of rebuilding the Buddhas, pointing out that "if you build new statues in these niches you destroy those remains". UNSECO also slammed the poll for sending out a "negative message to countries whose sites have not been retained. All of these wonders obviously deserve a place on the list, but what disturbs us is that the list is limited to just seven. Seven were adequate in antiquity because the antique world was much smaller than today", only comprising the area surrounding the Mediterranean. Egypt had categorically refused to be part of the telecom industry publicity blitz and had refused to participate, as a result of which voting for the Pyramids of Giza -- the only survivors from the original seven wonders of the world -- was halted by the sponsors. Shortlisted sites that missed the final cut included Sydney Opera House; the Acropolis in Athens; Paris' Eiffel Tower; the Easter Island statues; Britain's Stonehenge; Cambodia's Angkor Wat temples; New York's Statue of Liberty; and the Alhambra in Spain. In addition to the Taj Mahal, the voters chose the Great Wall of China; the centuries-old pink ruins of Petra in Jordan; the Colosseum in Rome; the statue of Christ overlooking Rio de Janeiro; the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru; and the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza in Mexico. 
-
May 15, 2007
Friday 11 May
Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati greets the audience, as statues of herself and Bhim Rao Ambedkar stand in the background, at Lucknow's Ambedkar park. Defying exit poll projections of a hung assembly in Uttar Pradesh by turning the old Congress constituency -- the Brahmin, Muslim, Dalit combine -- on its head, Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party obtained a simple majority in 403 member state assembly to form a single party government in the state after a gap of 14 years. Immediately after taking on the reigns of Uttar Pradesh for the fourth time, Mayawati suspended three officials, including two IAS officers, for neglecting the upkeep of the Ambedkar park and has transferred 173 IPS officers, including twelve IGs, 27 DIGs and almost all district police chiefs and 18 IAS officers, including 13 Divisional Commissioners. Seven Brahmins, six Thakurs and five Muslims have been given cabinet berths in her 50 member jumbo ministry, out of which as many as 17 face criminal charges, including Anand Sen Yadav, who failed to take oath at the swearing in ceremony on Sunday as he is currently lodged in Faizabad jail. Mayawati, an accused in Rs 175 crore Taj Corridor scam case, has also received a reprieve from UP Governor T V Rajeshwar who has turned down giving his sanction to start the prosecution by the CBI. The outgoing Mulayam Singh Yadav government had sent the file giving permission to prosecute Mayawati to the Governor just two days before she became Chief Minister, but it is widely believed that the Congress-led UPA would go soft on Maywati's corruption cases, considering the decisive role her party would play in the Presidential elections due in July.
- AP Photo/Ajay Kumar Singh
Apr 19, 2007
In this photo released by the Sport & News photo service, a plane performs in front of the Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado Hill, in Rio de Janeiro. Some of the world's top racing pilots are in Brazil preparing for the second leg of the Red Bull Air Race World Series on Saturday.
- AP Photo/Gregg Newton¤ Sports & News
Mar 15, 2007
Municipal worker Matthew Wills removes black paper stickers which were pasted by an unknown person or group at night on the breasts, genitals and buttocks of the nude statues by Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland in the world famous Vigeland Park in Oslo. A note left behind, purportedly to explain the action, criticized newspapers for showing too much nudity and said this did not have to extend to the park as well.
- AP Photo/ Haakon Mosvold Larsen / SCANPIX
Jan 03, 2007
July: Riots Before The Bombs

A couple of days before terror hit Mumbai trains, Mumbai and nearby towns had been terrorised by Shiv Sainiks who went on rampage after news spread that a bust of Meenatai Thackeray, the late wife of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, was found smeared with wet mud. Sena cadres spread across the city poured out on the streets, forcing shops to down their shutters and disrupted the flow of traffic. Thane, Panvel, Pune, Nashik and Nagpur were equally severely affected— buses were burnt and stoned, shops were forced to down shutters, and malls and government property damaged. Executive President of the Shiv Sena, and Meenatai's son, Uddhav Thackeray was there to rationalise it all: "It’s a question of sentiments, the Prophets cartoons sparked off a reaction in India, then if people react to this incident whom are you going to blame? Sainiks will not keep quiet when policemen are burnt in Bhiwandi and Maasaheb (Meenatai's) statue is desecrated." He was referring to the incident in nearby Bhiwandi where Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi was alleged to have incited a mob to violence against the police. Two policemen and five Muslims had lost their lives in the mob-violence and police retaliation. Muslims were protesting the construction of a police station allegedly on land belonging to a cemetery. And then, within days, the bombs went off in Mumbai...


-
Dec 21, 2006
A golden bust of Turkmenistan President Saparmurat Niyazov is seen in capital Ashgabat, in this January 19, 2003 file photo. The authoritarian President, who ruled the Central Asian country for 21 years and named cities and airports after himself in a personality cult, died today at the age 66 of a heart attack without leaving a designated successor. Niyazov became Communist Party chief of what was then a Soviet republic in 1985 and was first elected President of independent Turkmenistan in 1991. In 1999, he was made President-for-life by the country's rubber-stamp Parliament. During his reign, Niyazov renamed months and days in the calendar after himself and his family, and ordered statues of himself to be erected throughout the oil-rich desert nation.
- AP Photo/ Burt Herman¤ File
Dec 11, 2006
Wednesday 6 December
A portrait of Dr B R. Ambedkar lies on a sand hill constructed to shelter it from the wind near a shrine built at the spot where he was cremated in Mumbai. Thousands of followers of Ambedkar congregated at 'Chaityabhoomi' near Shivaji Park to pay homage to the Dalit icon on his 50th death anniversary. Security was enhanced with deployment of Border Security Force, Rapid Action Force, Control Police and Central Reserve Police Force in the area in view of recent state-wide violence to protest killings of members of a Dalit family at Khairlanji and defacement of an Ambedkar statue in Kanpur. Meanwhile, a statue of Ambedkar was found damaged in the premises of Allahabad University in Uttar Pradesh after which the students staged a road blockade and burnt an effigy of Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav accusing him of being responsible for the "insult to Dalits' pride". In Karnataka, police lobbed teargas shells and charged with batons in Mannaekkelli village and Bidar town as Dalits torched buses and hurled stones after a string of footwear was found on the fence around an yet-to-be-unveiled statue of Ambedkar.
- AP Photo/Gautam Singh
Dec 06, 2006
A portrait of Dr B R. Ambedkar lies on a sand hill constructed to shelter it from the wind near a shrine built at the spot where he was cremated in Mumbai. Thousands of followers of Ambedkar congregated at 'Chaityabhoomi' near Shivaji Park to pay homage to the Dalit icon on his 50th death anniversary. Security was enhanced with deployment of Border Security Force, Rapid Action Force, Control Police and Central Reserve Police Force in the area in view of recent state-wide violence to protest killings of members of a Dalit family at Khairlanji and defacement of an Ambedkar statue in Kanpur. Meanwhile, a statue of Ambedkar was found damaged in the premises of Allahabad University in Uttar Pradesh after which the students staged a road blocade and burnt an effigy of Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav accusing him of being responsible for the "insult to Dalits' pride". In Karnataka, police lobbed teargas shells and charged with batons in Mannaekkelli village and Bidar town as Dalits torched buses and hurled stones after a string of footwear was found on the fence around an yet-to-be-unveiled statue of Ambedkar.
- AP Photo/Gautam Singh
Nov 01, 2006
Surfers walk past the work titled 'Pedestrian Portait' by Australian artist Jennifer Cochrane, as part of the annual 'Sculpture by the Sea' exhibition at Sydney's Tamarama Beach. Staged along Sydney's spectacular Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk, Australia's largest annual outdoor exhibition of contemporary sculpture attracts over 400,000 visitors and exhibits over 100 works by artists from Australia and overseas.
- AP Photo/Mark Baker
Sep 11, 2006
Monday 11 September
An activist performs in a street play to highlight the plight of farmers in the state of Maharashtra and create awareness about HIV-AIDS, in the backdrop of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, in Mumbai. As much of the world marked September 11 commemorating the 2001 attacks on the US, India celebrated it as a day of peace, the 100th anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi's philosophy of peaceful resistance of "Satyagraha".
- AP Photo/Rajesh Nirgude
Sep 04, 2006
Wednesday 30 August
Well, Sourav Ganguly being ignored by the BCCI selectors for the Malaysia series was perhaps only expected. The Kolkata Police meanwhile had thwarted depictions of coach Greg Chappell as demon Mahisasura at Durga Puja pandals. Sculptor Dilip Pal was commissioned by a North Kolkata puja committee to project Chappell as the demon for his reported role in Sourav Ganguly's exclusion from the Indian cricket team. While Pal claimed that his sculpture showing Goddess Durga in an angry mood directing the Aussie to bring back Ganguly in the Indian team was simply showing "the sentiments of the people about Ganguly", the Kolkata Police maintained that "since Chappell is the national coach, it will hurt the sentiments of the people". A spokesman of the associations of artistes at Kumartuli, where most of the idols are made for Durga Puja said that the police action was unjustified and the matter would be brought to the notice of Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee.
- Indian Express
Jul 20, 2006
Girls pose in front of late Hong Kong actor Bruce Lee's statue during its inauguration ceremony at the Avenue of Stars tourist spot in Hong Kong. The ceremony marked the 33rd anniversary of the death of the film and martial arts legend.
- AP Photo/Kin Cheung
Jul 04, 2006
An employee of the Strassacker foundry attaches a bronze mould to the foot of Ivan Hurtado, captain of Ecuador's national soccer team, to an work of art in Suessen, south-western Germany. The sculpture "Global Feet" that will be revealed in Stuttgart on July 8, is made by bronze moulds of the feet of the captains of the participating nations in the FIFA World Cup 2006.
- AP Photo/Daniel Maurer
Jun 20, 2006
Children play by cow sculptures in La Defense district, outside Paris. More than 70 cows gather here until June 26 before being auctioned for a charity "Africa Alive."
- AP Photo/Michel Euler
May 04, 2006
Greenpeace activists protest against the Asian Development Bank in front of a statue of Buddha in Hyderabad. Several NGOs and about 1,000 activists including from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Bangladesh attended a protest meeting at the Public Gardens and raised slogans against the ADB, which is holding its annual general meeting in the city.
- AP Photo/A. Mahesh Kumar
Apr 14, 2006
Damaged statues at a Hindu Temple under construction in Maple Grove, Minnesota. Some members of the Hindu community are calling it a hate crime, but police believe the $200,000 vandalism was a random act. The $9 million temple was scheduled to open in June. An estimated 600 people attended a forum to discuss the issue, with many expressing the need for religious tolerance.
- AP Photo/Minneapolis Star Tribune¤ Tom Sweeney
Apr 13, 2006
A prisoner tries to touch the statue of 'Jesus atado en la columna' (Jesus Tied To A Column) brotherhood during a holy week procession inside the Picasent prison, near Valencia, eastern Spain.
- AP Photo/ Fernando Bustamante
Mar 29, 2006
This photograph, released by sculptor Daniel Edwards, shows his sculpture of singer Britney Spears giving birth. The life-sized nude scuplture titled "Monument to Pro-Life: The Birth of Sean Preston," features Spears crouched on all fours on a bear-skin rug during final stages of labour and will be shown at the Capla Kesting Fine Art gallery in New York from April 7. The gallery is hiring extra security guards for the free exhibit after it recieved some 3,000 emails, mostly from "pro-life" supporters who thought it was degrading to their movement.
- AP Photo/Daniel Edwards
Mar 16, 2006
Greenpeace activists unfurl a banner from the famous Christ statue dominating Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to call on governments to protect global biodiversity. Representatives from 188 countries are taking part in the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) in Curitiba, Brazil, to discuss the protection of biodiversity.
- AP Photo/Daniel Beltra¤ Greenpeace
Feb 21, 2006
Saturday 18 February
A child passes by a sand sculpture depicting singer Mick Jagger on Copacabana Beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. More than 1.2 million rock fans in Brazil attended the Rolling Stones concert on Rio's Copacabana Beach - one of the biggest gigs the world has ever seen. The band played some 20 songs including 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' and 'Satisfaction'. The stage, facing Sugar Loaf Mountain, was the height of a seven-storey building and had a walkway linking it to the Stones' hotel. It was the first time the Rolling Stones had performed in Brazil for free. Rio's military police said 'only' 33 robberies had been registered during the show and a shoot-out in the nearby Tabajaras favela went unnoticed by the fans, who stretched more than a mile down the beach. The Rlling Stone's concert was not as big as that at Rod Stewart's 1994 concert, also at Copacabana beach, which drew a crowd of 3.5 million.
- AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo
Feb 16, 2006
An artist makes a sand sculpture with the logo of the Rolling Stones band, at the Copacabana Beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. City officials said they expected nearly 2 million people to turn out for the concert on the beach next Saturday, just a week before the city's world-famous carnival celebrations.
- AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo
Feb 15, 2006
Eduardo Akamine, of Brazil, waves his red jacket in front of the bronze 'Charging Bull' sculpture in the financial district of New York.
- AP Photo/Diane Bondareff
Feb 08, 2006
Devotees dance during the Mahamastabhisheka of the 58.8-foot monolithic statue of Gomateshwara at Shravanabelagola, about 158 kilometers west of Bangalore. Thousands of Jain devotees attended the Mahamastabhisheka or head anointing ceremony of the 1,800-year-old statue Jain sage Gomateswara (Lord Bahubali), a tradition held every 12 years since AD 981. The statue is bathed with precious stones, milk, ghee, yogurt, saffron, sandalwood paste and gold coins.
- AP Photo/Gautam Singh
Feb 07, 2006
In this photo released by Czech artist David Cerny in Brussels, his sculpture, called "Saddam Hussein Shark", shows the handcuffed ex-Iraqi ruler suspended in a water tank and wearing nothing more than underpants. The sculpture has been banned by the mayor of western Belgian town of Middlekerke because it was deemed too controversial and could "shock people", including Muslims. The Saddam piece, which is named "shark" after British artist Damien Hirst's famous shark suspended in formaldehyde, was first shown in Prague last September and was to be displayed in Middelkerke during the Beaufort 2006 arts festival starting April 1.
- AP Photo/David Cerny¤ ho
Feb 07, 2006
A policeman watches the illuminated 58.8 foot monolithic statue of Gomateshwara in Shravanabelagola, about 158 kilometers west of Bangalore. Thousands of Jain devotees will attend the head anointing ceremony on February 8 of 1,800-year-old statue Jain sage Gomateswara (Lord Bahubali) at Shravanabelagola, which is held every 12 years, a tradition that began in AD 981.
- AP Photo/Gautam Singh
Nov 02, 2005
An Iranian woman, walks past a satirized drawing of the Statue of Liberty, painted on the wall of the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran, at the conclusion of a ceremony commemorating the 26th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy's seizure by militant students, in Tehran. Students stormed into the embassy on Nov 4, 1979, and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.
- AP Photo/Vahid Salemi
Sep 15, 2005
British artist Marc Quinn's white, 13-ton statue inspired by artist Alison Lapper, who was born with no arms and shortened legs due to a congenital disorder, is unveiled in central London's Trafalgar Square. Lapper posed naked for Quinn when she was eight months pregnant, in what the artist says was a tribute to motherhood and people with disabilities. The sculpture will remain in place for 18 months.
- AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis
Sep 01, 2005
An artist works on a clay statue of Ganesha at a workshop in Kolkata. The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is scheduled from September 7 to 17.
- AP Photo/Bikas Das
Aug 29, 2005
Thursday 25 August

Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf shakes hands with Sunita Narain while giving her the Stockholm Water Prize diploma at the Concert Hall in Stockholm, Sweden. The Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), headed by Narain, was honoured with the 2005 Stockholm Water Prize for its "advocacy of a community-based sustainable integrated resource management under gender equity, a courageous stand against undemocratic, top-down bureaucratic resource control, an efficient use of a free press and an independent judiciary to meet these goals". Narain received a cash award of $150,000 and a crystal sculpture in the ceremony that was a part of the ongoing World Water Week in Stockholm.
- AP photo/Pressens Bild/Jack Mikrut

Jun 30, 2005
A sculptor puts finishing touches on one of the works in a sand sculpture festival in Blankenberge, Belgium. The theme of this year's festival is the 175th anniversary of Belgium, with many of the sculptures representing famous Belgian landmarks, icons, and known public figures.
- AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert
Jun 23, 2005
A Pakistani custom officer looks at confiscated antique at Karachi port after customs foiled an attempt to smuggle out a large number of antique sculptures worth millions of dollars. The antiquities, which included 1,482 pieces of pre-Harappan and Gandhara sculptures and other historic material, had been concealed in a container destined for Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
- AP Photo/Shakil Adil
Jun 06, 2005
Friday 3 June

Marking the 10th anniversary of her becoming the first Dalit Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, BSP leader Mayawati inaugurated bronze statues of herself along with Dr BR Ambedkar and BSP founder Kanshi Ram at the newly inaugurated Bahujan Samaj Prerna Kendra in Lucknow. Statues of other backward caste icons - Jyotiba Phule, Shahuji Maharaj, E V Ramaswamy Naicker and Sreenarayan Guru - also find a place in the memorial, but in corners. Hailed as the "temple for dalits", the 105-feet tall pyramid-like structure made of red sandstone with marble lattice work is spread across 2,450 square metres on prime land near the state secretariat. Equating herself to South African leader Nelson Mandela, Mayawati lashed out at "manuwadi" parties and organisations for neglecting Dalit memorials built during her regimes, snatching political power from the 'Bahujan Samaj', destroyed its glorious history and reducing them to slaves.
- Photo/ Ajay Kumar Singh

Apr 29, 2005
An ice sculpture of British Prime Minister Tony Blair is unveiled by Britain's Green Party in central London. The Green Party unveiled the bust claiming that Blair's credibility is melting away day by day. Britain goes to the polls on May 5.
- AP Photo/Matt Dunham
Apr 19, 2005
A woman looks at a sand sculpture of Pope John Paul II at the Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo
Feb 02, 2005
A young man walks past a statue of Pope John Paul II outside the All Saints Church in Warsaw, Poland after a special prayer for the ailing pontiff. The 84-year old Pope was rushed to Rome's Gemelli hospital with breathing difficulties late Tuesday night after a bout of flu suddenly worsened. The Vatican said today that his condition has stabilised following overnight medical treatment that included respiratory assistance, and would remain in hospital "for another few days".
- AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski
Dec 24, 2004
It was the maverick Union petroleum minister Mani Shankar Aiyer who struck the first blow. His predecessor Ram Naik had commissioned a sculpture of Veer Savarkar accompanied by plaques inside the infamous cellular jail in the Andaman islands, where Savarkar had done hard labour for 11 years. With NDA ousted, Manu had to do the honours, but he ordered the removal of a plaque carrying quotations from Savarkar and replaced it with the words of Mahatma Gandhi. BJP/Shiv Sena was quick to seize on what they thought was a great political opportunity for the October 13 assembly elections in Maharashtra. The equivocation from Maratha Congressmen had to be heard to be believed. Even the PM had to issue clarifications and employ some deft political diplomatese. The Maharahtra elections were seen as the first opportunity for the BJP to prove that it was not finished politically. But with the tussle for top-leadership among the second-rung ensured an easy victory for the NCP-Congress combine in the end. The real hero: Maratha strong man Sharad Pawar. The loser: self-styled Tiger Thackeray.
-
Dec 15, 2004
Artist Shihan Hussaini works on his sculpture titled Curse or Cross, depicting Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi, in Chennai. The Supreme Court today decided to hear the bail petition of the Kanchi seer on Friday in the Sankararaman murder case, in which the seer has tried to drill holes in the claim of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa that prosecution had "clinching evidence" against him. In his bail petition, he said the object of the Tamil Nadu Police "seems to be something else and not the conduct of a fair investigation and trial" as they have unleashed "mudslinging and vilification campaign" against him. The apex court had yesterday dismissed two PIL's that demanded release of the seer and transfer of the investigation to the CBI.
- AP Photo/M.Lakshman
Dec 13, 2004
Wednesday 8 December

Wax statues of soccer star David Beckham as Joseph, Victoiria 'Posh Spice' Beckham as Virgin Mary and Autralian pop singer Kylie Minogue as the Angel are displayed at the Madame Tussaud's Celebrity Nativity exhibition in London. While the Beckhams were chosen for the roles of Jesus Christ's parents by some 300 visitors, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, US President George Bush and the Duke of Edinburgh were chosen as the Three Wise Men. The Nativity exhibition at the Museum has invited severe criticism and condemnation from the Anglican, Catholic and Presbyterian Churches, including the Vatican, who have called it "a new low in the cult of celebrity worship" and "potentially blasphemous". The Beckhams have denied any knowledge of their wax statues being depicted in the Nativity exhibition.
- AP Photo/PA¤ Ian West

Dec 09, 2004
Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano, Croatian President Stipe Mesicand Serbia-Montenegran President Svetozar Marovic look at a Mother Teresa statue that was unveiled today in downtown Tirana. Leaders from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia-Montenegro and Norway are meeting in Tirana in a joint Albanian-UNESCO effort to promote religious and ethnic tolerance in the Balkans.
- AP Photo/Hektor Pustina
Oct 05, 2004
American artist Doug Fishbone stands in front of his art installation ' 30,000 Bananas', in front of Nelson's Column in London's Trafalgar Square. Unveiled at 8 am, the sculpture was offered to the public to take away and eat the bananas later in the afternoon.
- AP Photo/John D McHugh
Oct 04, 2004
Thursday 30 September

Actress Aishwarya Rai poses with her wax statue at the "Bollywood 4 Beginners" photocall at Madame Tussauds museum in London. The 31-year beauty queen turned Bollywood actress became the second Indian film star after Amitabh Bachchan to have her wax replica at the world famous museum.
-

Oct 04, 2004
Saturday 2 October

School children wash a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad on the occasion of Gandhi's 135-birth anniversary.
- AP Photo/Pankaj Nangia

Sep 27, 2004
Monday 27 September

Devotees immerse an idol of God Ganesh in the Arabian Sea in Mumbai on the concluding day of the 10-day Ganesh festival. Elaborate security measures were drawn up by police to ensure the smooth immersion of over 8,000 idols of 'Sarvajanik mandals' and 1.39 lakh statues belonging to various households at 71 immersion points in the city.
- AP Photo/Rajesh Nirgude

Sep 08, 2004
Visitors watch Michelangelo's marble statue of "David" at the dome of Florence's Accademia Gallery, Italy. The world famous sculpture is celebrating its 500th birthday in Florence, where it was first unveiled on 8 September, 1504. The Italian city will showcase nine months of festivities for the event which will include concerts, fireworks, exhibitions and special memorabilia. David underwent a painstaking clean-up process last year to remove grime and sulphate deposits using distilled water and cellulose. The five meter high statute attracts nearly 1.2 million visitors from around the world every year.
- AP Photo/Fabrizio Giovannozzi
Aug 09, 2004
Tuesday 3 August

A Swat Team officer stands guard outside the Statue of Liberty on New York's Liberty Island, on the first day of its reopening for the tourists since September 11, 2001. The reopening came at a time when threats of planned Al Qaeda attacks on major US financial institutions - including the New York Stock Exchange and the Citigroup building - have led authorities to tighten security in New York, Washington and New Jersey. The alert of a possible terrorist attack on major financial institutions in US have been derived from information seized after the arrest of an Al Qaeda leader Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani in Pakistan on 25 July. President George Bush described America as a "nation in danger" after the timing of the latest warning was criticised by the media as a "design to knock John Kerry out of the headlines". Prez Bush has also been in the news recently for yet another display of his verbal skills: "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." What can one say?
- AP Photo

Jul 06, 2004
Carver Anke Kuipers from the Netherlands gives a final touch to the sand sculpture of former Canadian athlete Ben Johnson in the 'Olympic Stadium Travemuende' at the beach of the Luebeck Bay in Luebeck-Travemuende, northern Germany. 75 international carvers have carved out of sand sculptures featureing the 'Olympic Mythos', which is the theme of the sand sculpture festival 'Sand World'.
- AP Photo/Heribert Proepper
Apr 12, 2004
Friday 9 April

An American soldier removes posters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr hanging on a statue in Firdos Square, Baghdad where exactly an year ago U.S. soldiers pulled down Saddam Hussein's statue.. The US led coalition forces faced a double rebellion in Iraq this week, fighting Sunni militia in Fallujah where nearly 450 people died in the clashes. In Sadr city, Kut, Ramadi and Najaf, Shiite milita loyal to Muqtada al -Sadr took control of government buildings, forcing the coalition forces to withdraw in some places. Eight South Koreans Christian ministers and three Japanese, including two journalists, were kidnapped by insurgents identifying themselves as the 'Mujahedeen Brigade', who demanded immidiate withdrawl of Japnese forces from Iraq. Seven Chinese citizens are also reported kidnapped in central Iraq.
- AP Photo/Jerome Delay

Mar 17, 2004
The Air France Concorde is lifted above a sculpture of a Tyrannosaurus Rex to its final position on top of the roof of the 'Technics Museum' in Sinsheim, southern Germany.
- AP Photo/Daniel Maurer
Feb 19, 2004
Devotees pray in front of a Shiva statue during Shiv Ratri celebrations in Delhi.
- AP Photo / Gurinder Osan
Dec 24, 2003
Elizabeth Dalizel

A new-age exponent of the form, this Mexican has done the entire spectrum: from curating a photo exhibition to covering the ’98 World Cup football and working for a ‘graphic ‘ paper. All that notwithstanding, she slips easily into her civilisational habits of seeing. This image of the Missionaries of Charity at their Calcutta headquarters is shot through with this soft-focus pietism. The nuns walk around a small statue of their patron ‘saint of the gutters’, Mother Teresa, whose beatification was set in motion in 2003.
- Elizabeth Dalizel

Oct 17, 2003
UP police patrol the streets adorned by statues of deities that lead to the disputed site in Ayodhya. There was no restriction on 'Puja' and 'darshan' at the make-shift temple at the disputed site. 'Even today about 2,100 devotees had darshan of the Ram Lala," Faizabad Commissioner J P Sharma said. The bandobast was to prevent the Sankalp Sabha at the disputed site.
- AP Photo / Elizabeth Dalziel
Oct 08, 2003
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee passes a Balinese barong statue following the signing ceremony for the Framework for Comprehensive Economic Cooperation at the ASEAN Summit in Bali, Indonesia. India and ASEAN issued a Joint Declaration on Cooperation for Combating International Terrorism, signed a major Framework Agreement to comprehensively enhance their current trade turnover of 12 billion US dollars and establish a free trade area in ten years.
- AP Photo / Suzanne Plunkett
Oct 03, 2003
Ramdayal Srivastava, a freedom fighter, dressed as Mahatma Gandhi climbs up to put a garland on Mahatma Gandhi statue on his 134th birth anniversary in Bhopal.
- Prakash Hatvalne / AP
Sep 19, 2003
A couple sits in front of sculptures titled "Red Memories" in Wangfujing, Beijing's main commercial street. Beijing will soon open its first biennale with more than 600 art works by over 300 artists from 40 countries. The month-long Beijing Biennale will be held at the National Art Museum and the Millennium Monument Art Museum, but members of Beijing's art community are also holding exhibitions at various sites around the city to coincide with the event.
- Str /A P
Jul 03, 2003
Artists carve the Sphinx of Giza into the sand at Luebeck-Travemuende, northern Germany, on Thursday, July 3, 2003, during preparation for the sand sculpture festival featuring the wonders of the world.
- Heribert Proepper / AP
Jun 25, 2003
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee poses near a buddhist sculpture at Longmen Grottoes, a series of buddhist sculptures cut into stones and caves in Luoyang, Central China, Wednesday, June 25, 2003. External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha today termed the accords reached by India and China as a 'win-win' situation for both of them.
- Ng Han Guan / AP
May 06, 2003
Thailand Buddhists carry Buddha's statue during a street march at downtown Seoul to celebrate Buddha's birthday, Monday, May 5, 2003.
- Lee Jin-man / AP
Apr 12, 2003
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9
Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers pull down a statue of Saddam Hussein in downtown Baghdad.
- Jerome Delay / AP
Mar 26, 2003
A statue of Saddam Hussein stands in the middle of an empty square in Baghdad, Tuesday, March 25 2003, as a fierce sandstorm sweeps through the area.
- Jerome Delay / AP
Oct 02, 2002
A man polishes Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Ahmadabad. Gandhi devoted his life to India's freedom struggle against British rule using non-violent methods.
- Siddharth Darshan Kumar/ AP
Aug 21, 2002
Colourful canine sculptures were hitting the streets of New York as a tribute to the rescue dogs that toiled tirelessly at Ground Zero. Up to 300 life size statues of dogs decorated by leading artists were being placed in street and parks throughout the city to coincide with the Sept. 11, anniversary. They will remain on display until November when they will be auctioned to raise cash for search and rescue teams through The American Kennel Club.
- AP
Jul 04, 2002
A bronze statue of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in front of the Oil Ministry building in Baghdad, Iraq. Iraq and the United Nations started talks in Vienna on the possible return of the U.N. weapons inspectors to Iraq for the first time in 3 ½ years.
- Jassim Mohammed/ AP
May 16, 2002
A Chinese woman looks at bronze statues of Chinese soccer players immortalized by their successful entry into the World Cup in Shenyang, northeastern China. China will play a warm up match against Uruguay today.
- Ng Han Guan/ AP
May 15, 2002
A statue of a boxer towers over polling booths as people prepare to cast their ballots at a boxing school in Amsterdam, for Dutch elections. After decades of predictable government, Dutch voters seem likely to upset the well-oiled order with a protest vote that could put a leaderless, untested group of political amateurs in key positions in the next coalition.
- Peter Dejong/ AP
Apr 24, 2002
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder gestures as he explains the new Social Democrat's election program in Berlin. At left is a statue of the legendary SPD leader and former Chancellor Willy Brandt.
- Jan Bauer/ AP
Mar 28, 2002
North Korean government officials, including leader Kim Jong Il, (center) sit beneath a statue of the late North Korean leader Kim Il Sung during a session of Parliament in Pyongyang. In a report to the North Korean legislature, Premier Hong Song Nam said his country must "readjust its economic foundations" this year and open itself up to more international trade and cooperation.
- Korea News Service/ AP
Mar 20, 2002
Girls, dressed traditionally, cry on seeing their favourite sculptures burn during the annual Fallas festival in Valencia, Spain. Giant sculptures are burnt in bonfires across Valencia during Fallas, a centuries-old tradition thought to have its origins from carpenters burning old unwanted wood to herald in the season of Spring.
- Alberto Estevez/ AP
Feb 07, 2002
A Thai artist puts the finishing touches on a sculpture of Osama bin Laden riding on an eagle standing on top a World Trade Center at Klang Bang Kaew temple in Nakhon Pathom, west of Bangkok. The artist told local media that the piece of art would inform future generations about history.
- Sakchai Lalit/ AP
Jan 16, 2002
Petra Heimann, employee of the Gerhard Marcks museum in Bremen, Germany, looks at a statue made by Adolf Hitler's most favorite sculptor Arno Breker. 15 nude bronze figures will be on display in the museum from Jan. 20 - April 21, 2002.
- Joerg Sarbach/ AP
Dec 03, 2001
30. Dec 1, 2001: Part of a sculpture of The Beatles in Liverpool, England. "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." Okay, that's Paul, but as George himself sang, "...and life flows on within you and without you."
- AP
Nov 15, 2001
Miss Universe 2001, Denise Quinones of Puerto Rico, waves as she poses for a photograph next to a half-bird half-human statue called Kinnari during her visit to the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Miss Quinones is in Thailand as part of her travel the world as a goodwill ambassador in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
- Sakchai Lalit/ AP
Nov 13, 2001
Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes addresses before the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, former king of Punjab, on the occasion of coronation ceremony, in Amritsar. Fernandes said, "World's third Defense University in India after America and China, will be coming up in the State of Punjab."
- Aman Sharma/ AP
Nov 06, 2001
Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter in the new film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone stands by a statue, a film prop, before attending a press conference about the film at Knebworth House, London.
- Adam Butler/ AP
Nov 01, 2001
The Hammering Man sculpture by US artist Jonathan Borofski in front of the headquarters of German Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt. Germany’s biggest bank announced on Thursday, it would cut 4,500 jobs amid falling profits and a sluggish economy.
- Bernd Kammerer/ AP
Oct 06, 2001
A Gandhian follower garlands the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at a prayer meeting in Ahmedabad, marking 132nd birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma spent his whole life propagating the philosophy of non-violence.
- Siddharth Darshan Kumar/ AP
Jul 09, 2001
A Chinese worker uses pressurised water to clean a statue of Mao Zedong at the military museum in Beijing. The museum is being spruced up in anticipation of a visit by Chinese leaders.
- AP
Jul 06, 2001
Two Chinese men walk past a mural painting of the Statue of Liberty in Beijing. China has put on trial Li Shaomin, an American citizen, and Gao Zhan, an American University researcher and U.S. resident, on charges of spying for Taiwan.
- Greg Baker/ AP
Jun 29, 2001
Italian architect Renzo Piano's sculpture "The Ball", one of the symbols of the G8 summit, is seen in the harbour of Genoa, Italy. Officials are working to keep away anti-globalisation protestors from world leaders participating at the July 20 -22 summit.
- Luca Bruno/ AP
Jun 26, 2001
A Chinese man walks past a mushroom-shaped sculpture in a Beijing park.
- Ng Han Guan/ AP
Mar 27, 2001
A large golden statue of Oscar is transported to the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Monday, March 19, 2001, in preparation for Sunday's 73rd annual Academy Awards.
- AP Photo/Stephanie Diani
Mar 27, 2001
Oscar statues wait for placement outside the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Friday morning, March 23, 2001
- AP Photo/Richard Drew
Mar 27, 2001
Television photographer Carla Cardenas shoots Oscar statues in front of the Shrine Auditorium, Friday, March 23, 2001
- AP Photo/Tom Stathis
Mar 27, 2001
Oscar statuettes lined up awaiting transport on Monday outside the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, site of Sunday's 73rd Academy Awards. This year was the last year for the Oscars at the Shrine Auditorium.
- AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes
Mar 12, 2001
BAMIYAN: On the China-Europe Silk Route, it is famous for the two Buddha statues now under attack. More than 1000 Buddhist caves are found here.
-
Mar 12, 2001
HERAT: Has priceless Hindu Statues – marble images of Surya (Sun God) and Shiva-Parvati are most famous. A fort built by Alexander can still be seen in the centre of the city.
-
Mar 12, 2001
GHAZNI: Ashoka is said to have built 10 stupas and ‘Deva’ temples. It has a Buddhist complex at Humau Qala and has a Mahisasura Vardini sculpture.
-
View All Thumbs | Click here to see Old Format
  
   
 
 
  
Follow us on Twitter for all updates, like us on Facebook for important and fun stuff

  
  
ARCHIVES
SMTWTFS
1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031
 
THE YEAR IN PICTURES 2012
FEATURED
THE YEAR IN PICTURES 2011
ABOUT US | CONTACT US | SUBSCRIBE | ADVERTISING RATES | COPYRIGHT & DISCLAIMER | COMMENTS POLICY