India, June 26 -- The artist arrived in our city from his native Odisha early this month. Since then, Gopal Mopalo has been applying a shiny coat of colours to scores of sacred idols, sculptures and illustrations that grace the beautiful Sree Jagannath Mandir in Hauz Khas. This humid afternoon, he is concentrating on the figure of a lion-see photo. The venerable man is extremely polite, not showing irritation on being interrupted from his immersive work. He hails from a "heritage village" in distant Odisha, and was summoned to help prepare the temple for the festival of Rath Yatra, due tomorrow.

Overlooking the Hauz Khas village road, the all-white temple has its sanctum sanctorum enshrined with a black-faced idol of Bhagwan Jagannath, t...