Lucknow, Dec 22 (IANS): A Buddha statue made of cement and concrete and installed at the main gate of the College of Arts and Crafts in Lucknow University, was found painted in 'saffron' colour, leaving teachers and students shocked.

It was later found that a worker, assigned the task of painting, painted the 60-year-old statue in saffron by mistake.

College principal Ratan Kumar said: "A painter who knew nothing about the statue painted it in saffron. The moment the matter came to my notice I got the mistake rectified and the statue has been painted in white. We have been working hard to beautify the campus. Teachers should appreciate our efforts as well,"

The Buddha statue was made by renowned sculptor Avtar Singh Panwar in the late 1950s.

Renovation work is being carried out on the campus ahead of foundation day celebrations.

Meanwhile, the teachers criticisd the administration for being ignorant about the importance of a historical work and disturbing its original form.

A senior faculty member said: "It is sad that the statue which is not just a piece of art but has a history associated with it, was painted making it lose its true essence."