A panchaloha ‘Victory Pillar’ being made by a team of craftsmen near Swamimalai in Thanjavur district to commemorate the valour of the tri-Services during Operation Sindoor is all set to be ready in two or three months.

The Victory Pillar is a tribute of the Cuddalore-based Shine Indian Soldiers Welfare Foundation to the Indian armed forces.

The task of making the seven-and-half-foot tall pillar was entrusted to sthapathi Kumar of Puliyancheri, near Swamimalai, about four months ago. A wax model of the pillar was first made by a team of craftsmen, led by Mr. Kumar, who runs the Kumar Panchaloha Sculpture Art Gallery.

The casting ceremony of the pillar to be made with a combination of five metals of gold, silver, zinc, copper, and tin was held on the gallery premises at Puliyanchery on Sunday. Lieutenant General (retired) A. Arun, Shine Indian Soldiers Social Welfare Foundation managing trustee ‘Military’ S. Babu, Kumbakonam All Traders Merchants Association Federation Chozha S. Mahendran, secretary V. Sathiyanarayanan, and foundation organiser M. Aravind were present.

“The panchaloha pillar, which will weigh about 600 kg, will be ready in two to three months,” said Mr. Kumar, who heads a team of 10 craftsmen. The pillar with artistic finesse will feature the logos of the tri-services on its three sides with ‘Kunguma Simizh’ on top, Mr. Kumar said. “It will serve as a reminder of the bravery, valour, and sacrifices of our tri-services and inspire future generations to uphold the values of patriotism,” said Mr. Babu, who retired from the Indian Army as a Naik.

Operation Sindoor was launched by India in May last year to destroy the terror infrastructure in Pakistan and punish the perpetrators of terror as a sequel to the killings of 26 people at Pahalgam in Kashmir by Pakistan-based terror outfits in April 2025.

Mr. Babu said the plan was to transport the Victory Pillar by road passing through various States before reaching New Delhi where it would be installed at the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff Building. The Foundation has received a letter from a senior military officer in this connection, he said.