Sudarsan Patnaik of Orissa thought of a novel way to greet fellow artists and spread the message of Christmas.

On Thursday, Patnaik crafted a image of Jesus Christ in sand.

"The image, build on the sands of Puri beach, is about 15-foot-high and it took us 20 hours to complete," Patnaik, who hails from Puri in Orissa, told rediff.com.

The sculpture will remain till the New Year.

"The world is facing tumultous times and we want peace. Under such circumstances, we must remember Jesus' messages," he said.

Patnaik, who has already represented India in 23 international sand sculpture festivals, recently won public appreciation prize at Berlin for his sculpture Hanuman.

Text and picture: Giridhar Gopal