Payyannur: A newly crafted sculpture of Kuchela, the mythical friend of Lord Sri Krishna, has graced the Guruvayur Temple premises, replacing the weather-worn statue that had long stood there.

 The sculpture of Kuchela, created for installation beneath the Majulal banyan tree in the premises of the Guruvayur Temple, was transported from the workshop of artist Unni Kanayi here.The six-foot-tall sculpture depicts Kuchela carrying a palm-leaf umbrella on his shoulder, a walking stick in his hand, a cloth bundle slung across his shoulder and a packet of beaten rice resting on his lap, with his right arm held close to his chest.

The earlier sculpture of Kuchela, which stood near the Garuda statue at the site, had suffered damage due to age and weathering. That sculpture has now been replaced by the new one. The Garuda sculpture at the site, also crafted by Unni Kanayi, too has similarly been affected by ageing.

The new Kuchela sculpture has been offered to the temple by film producer Venu Kunnappilly. The installation of the sculpture, facing the temple, was carried out at 9 AM on Tuesday, marking Kuchela Day.

Unni Kanayi was assisted in creating the sculpture by Suresh Ammanappara, Vinesh Koyakeel, E P Shyjith, Rajeesh Virakan and Arjun Kanayi.