Coimbatore : Unnal Mudiyum Thambi Raja, generally called UMT Raja and known for his miniature artwork, has come up with two new works as a tribute to Lord Shiva.

With Shivarathiri in few days, Raja felt his artworks were the best way for him to pay his tributes to the Lord. One of the artworks for this Shivarathri is on a chalk piece and the other on muskmelon.

“The one on the chalk piece took me two hours to do. The length of the chalk piece is about 1 inch, and I have carved out Lord Shiva, a Nandhi and a Trishool on it,” said Raja. He used blades and needles to carve these shapes on the chalk piece. This was a form of meditation and through meditation and concentration this could be achieved.

A Shiva lingam has been carved on muskmelon. “I have carved Shiva Lingam on a muskmelon because it is also known as the favourite fruit of the Lord. In the centre, I carved out something like the diamond which represents Earth, I have  tried to convey the  thought  that Shiva embodies the world,“ he said and it took him a day to do it.

Raja is known for timely creative miniature artworks. He came up with a miniature art against the recent bus fare hikes.