Bhubaneswar, May 2 (IANS) Internationally-famed sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik was Wednesday conferred an honorary doctorate by a university in his home state Odisha.

Pattnaik said the Berhampur University at Berhampur, about 180 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, conferred him the Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree at its 17th convocation.

'I am very much happy to get this honour. I will always try to achieve more in the field of sand art,' Pattnaik told IANS.

Pattnaik, 35, has participated in more than 50 international sand sculpture championships across the world and won many prizes. He has been doing sand sculptures since the last 20 years and running a sand art school at his hometown of Puri, 56 km from here.