Guwahati, January 18: 61-year-old Muslim artisan Nuruddin Ahmed has been honoured with an entry into the Limca Book of Records 2019 for the tallest idol of Hindu diety Durga he had erected during the Durga Puja in September 2017. The idol, made using bamboo, was put at the Bishnupur pandal in Assam.

Ahmed, who incidentally turned 61-year-old on Thursday -- the day he was accorded with the honours -- said he is proud to have constructed an idol of a Hindu deity despite being a Muslim. An artist "does not have a religion", he said while speaking to reporters. Swami Vivekananda's Tallest Statue Inaugurated in Ranchi by Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das.

The statue stood 98-feet tall, and was made using bamboo and cotton by Ahmed, along with a team of 40 other artisans which included members of both Hindu and Muslim communities.

In the Limca Book of Records 2019, the Durga idol finds a mention under the section "Statues and Idols". Along with it, the record-book also honours largest Nandi, Shivalinga, Hanuman statue, Buddha statue etc.

The recognition for Ahmed came a day before Assam celebrates the 'Xilpi Diwas' - also referred to as "artiste's day" in the state.

For constructing the idol, Ahmed said, he had deliberately used only bamboo, colloquially referred to as "baah", as it is intrinsic to the Assamese culture. The statue was erected twice, he added, as the first one was washed away in a storm days before the Durga Puja in September 2017.

The second idol, of an equal height, was made in a short period before the pandal was put up. As per the tradition of the Bishnupur Durga pandal, all idols are destroyed when the event concludes. Ahmed's artwork, however, was granted a week-long extension as lakhs of people from across Assam were thronging to Bishnupur to view the idol.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 18, 2019 09:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).