While some of the men were painted in silver, one of them essayed the role of Hindu god Lord Krishna.

Led by their 26-year-old dance teacher Krishna Mohan Reddy, who also never had any formal training in dance, the group got the reward of a staggering Rs.50 lakh (Rs.5 million) in cash and a swish, newly-launched Maruti Suzuki Ritz car.

'We are proud of the team. They have created history,' noted sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik told IANS.

Relatives, friends, corporate houses, social activists and Pattnaik were among those who had launched campaigns in the past few days and appealed to people to vote for the group.

Hours before the final result, RSB Group, India's leading engineering and automotive component production company, said it will reward Rs.10 lakh to the dance group.

The reward money would be presented by the chief minister after the return of the dance group to the home state, the company said in a release.