KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 — A 65-year-old retired civil servant in India has a stream of visitors to his Kolkata home after he made a silicone replica of his wife following her death from Covid-19.

Tapas Sandilya spent Rs 25 lakh (RM132,871) to make the 30kg replica of his wife Indrani seated on her favourite spot on the sofa at their VIP Road home in Kaikhali, Times of India reported.

The replica, which took six-months to sculpt, is adorned with gold jewellery that she liked and a silk sari from Assam, which she wore during her son's wedding reception.

According to Tapas, the statue was inspired by the lifelike statue of Isckon temple's founder, AC Bhaktivedanta Swami, which the couple spotted in Mayapur during a visit.

“We visited the Iskcon temple in Mayapur a decade ago and could not stop admiring the lifelike statue of the order's founder, AC Bhaktivedanta Swami.”

“It was then Indrani had told me of her desire for a similar statue (of hers) if she happened to pass away before me,” he said.

Tapas said his family had initially objected to the idea of installing the sculpture but relented later.

“If we can keep framed photographs at home after someone's death, why not a statue?” he asked, adding that with the statue, it gave him the feeling she is always there with him.

The couple had been married for 39 years prior to Indrani's demise on May 4, 2021.

It was previously reported that a bride in India received a wax statue of her late father from her brother as her wedding gift.

In the southwestern state of Karnataka, owning lifelike wax statues of deceased loved ones is not an uncommon practice for grieving family members.