A bronze statue of Maharishi Sushruta - revered as the Father of Surgery - crafted by a ‘sthapathi’ and his team at Swamimalai near Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district has been unveiled at the prestigious Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom.

The installation of the statue of Sushruta at the world’s oldest Surgical College was considered a befitting tribute to the ancient Maharishi whose ancient Sanskrit text - the ‘Sushruta Samhita’, is the earliest known surgical treatise. 

The initiative for installing the statue of Sushruta was taken by Chandra Cheruvu - an eminent surgeon based in the United Kingdom and originally from Andhra Pradesh.  With the guidance of K. Govindaraj, national president, Indian Association of Gastrointestinal EndoSurgeons based at Tiruchi, the task of making the bronze statue was entrusted to Raghavanantham Sthapathi of Swamimalai, - a highly respected sculptor and a master craftsman.

The statue emerged in its full glory in a span of a little over two months under the craftsmanship of Mr. Ragavanantham and five of his highly trained assistants who used the traditional lost-wax method followed by the single bronze casting technique preserving the ancient craftsmanship of Swamimalai.

The complete statue of the legendary surgeon and pedestal weighing about 90 kilograms travelled from Swamimalai to Edinburgh after completion of necessary customs formalities in India and the United Kingdom.  Parallely Dr. Chandra and his colleagues from across the world worked on a publication titled “Compendium of Sushruta” featuring contributions from 40 authors with 36 chapters explaining the timeless contributions of Sushruta to surgery and medical science. 

The statue was unveiled during a ceremony by Siddharth Malik, Counsel General of India, Edinburgh on June 19 at the Royal College of Surgeons in the presence of Clare McNaught, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, immediate past president Rowan Parks, council members of the College, eminent surgeons and medical professionals from around the world.

“The unveiling of the statue is a matter of immense pride for Indians worldwide,” said Dr. Govindaraj who was present at the ceremony explainnig the significance and craftsmanship behind the statue. A few other medical professionals from India were also present on the occasion.

 The statue is to be permanently installed near the well of the staircase leading to the Playfair Hall where Fellows receiving their degrees will walk past the statue of Maharishi Sushruta creating a symbolic connection between ancient Indian surgical tradition and modern surgical excellence.