Sand artists on Odisha’s Puri beach turned India’s Asian Games triumph into art, sculpting tributes to the country’s four gold medals. Sudarsan Pattnaik created a large sand sculpture celebrating India’s golden haul: golds in men’s and women’s hockey and men’s and women’s cricket. India’s women beat China in the hockey final, while the men defeated Malaysia.

In cricket, the women’s team beat Sri Lanka by 147 runs and the men overcame Pakistan. Separately, sand animator Manas Kumar Sahu crafted a 44-minute sand animation honouring the women’s hockey gold, India’s first in 44 years, which also sealed qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Pattnaik, a Padma Shri awardee, is known for using his beach sculptures to mark national milestones.

His latest work drew crowds of morning walkers and tourists, who photographed the intricate detailing. The artworks capture a golden fortnight for Indian sport. Puri beach is famous for Pattnaik’s large-scale sand works marking national milestones.