At age 12, Vairavan Achari became a creator of Hindu art, inheriting the profession from his father. Now 52, the artist and sculptor has spent the past two years at the Hindu Temple of Minnesota in Maple Grove. Here, he worked on the deity Lord Ganapathi, also known as Ganesha, the dancing elephant to which Hindus pray for success before taking up special projects. He used no visual aid, but worked from memory to fashion the piece from brick pieces and cement. Achari is proud to be a temple artist. "There are not many people in this modern world who would like to take up this job," he said.
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