‘Groundbreaking’: Chef Vikas Khanna thrilled as millions view replica of Konark Temple wheel at Times Square

The specially made stone replica of the Konark Sun Temple wheel will later be installed at Chef Vikas Khanna’s upcoming restaurant in New York.

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On the occasion of India’s 77th Independence Day, celebrity chef Vikas Khanna unveiled a replica of the Konark Sun Temple wheel at Times Square in New York. The replica, made by Odisha artist Amaresh Chandra Bindhani and his team, is set to be displayed at the prime location till August 22, after which it will be installed at Khanna’s upcoming flagship restaurant in New York City which is scheduled to open next year.

Khanna’s initiative earned him praise from Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who praised the 51-year-old Michelin-starred chef for “showcasing #Odisha’s timeless sculpture before the world” and appreciated the artists for the “splendid craftsmanship”.

On Monday, Khanna took to X – formerly Twitter – to share a clip that showed a man dressed as Bumblebee, a character from the Transformers film series, walking past the Konark Temple wheel.

We have roughly 2 Million+ Visitors in Times Square since Aug 15th. (Including Transformer’s Bumblebee)
Most of them got a glimpse of Stone Art inspired by Konark Sun Temple, Odisha.

This is groundbreaking. Wowwwww.
I’m so happy & thankful for the support of so many to bring… pic.twitter.com/y2zXqRInpB

— Vikas Khanna (@TheVikasKhanna) August 21, 2023

Sharing this clip, Khanna wrote, “We have roughly 2 Million+ Visitors in Times Square since Aug 15th. (Including Transformer’s Bumblebee). Most of them got a glimpse of Stone Art inspired by Konark Sun Temple, Odisha. This is groundbreaking. Wowwwww. I’m so happy & thankful for the support of so many to bring this dream of my sister to life. 2 Million…….#JaiHind ”.

Commenting on this post, an X user wrote, “Empowering India’s #softpower on global platforms will further empower India. Thanks @TheVikasKhanna for conceptualizing and executing it so beautifully ”. Another person remarked, “Transformer Bumblebee meeting Konark Wheel = Stone Art and Historic Culture meeting Science Fiction ”.