There is a village in our own backyard, little far from the hustle and bustle of cities, which has a tradition of making sculptures. Once a renowned place, now unknown to a lot. It is just another typical Indian village. The profession of the people around here is making sculptures. The art of making sculptures has stuck to this place and people. Walking along the unpaved paths of the village, one can see carving of sculptures all along. Listening to the birds chirping and clinking sound of stone cutting reveal a different ambience altogether.
Idols and Statues in Shivarapatna
Shivarapatna is located in Kolar district, Karnataka State. It is 6 KM from Malur taluk on the way to Kolar. While going from Malur, need to take a left deviation (Narasapura-Vemgal road) just before Doddashivara village. After couple of kilometers travel on the deviation road, Shivarapatna village is to the right side of the road. One cannot miss it as we can see sculptures at the entrance of the village making a welcome sight.
Location map of Shivarapatna
The history of the village Shivarapatna goes back to the time of Gangas dynasty, whose capital was Kolar. The village Shivarapatna is named after Shivamara who was a palegaara / caretaker ruler who encouraged the art of stone carving. During his rule, prominence was given to stone carving or sculpting. The same practice has continued till date.
Expert Hands At Work
There were well bred artisans who had splendid hands on carving the stones which were used to build the temples, statues and southern style architectures in and around the place. The fine traditional art of hand sculpting and stone carvings have come down from ages.
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Father and Son
One such family was of Basavalingacharya who was a renowned sculptor, grandson of Shilpi Janakacharya, who handed over the art to the descendants. There were no schools of art or any written rule. The art and the techniques were learnt entirely under the guidance of a guru. The early style was of Cholas and later period saw a mix of all the styles of South India. The art is still kept alive by the delicate hands of the artisans. Few of them are the direct descendants of erstwhile master artisans.
Unfinished Idol ( God Narasimha )
Young hands at work
The art of sculpting has learnt at very young age under the watchful eyes of senior artisans. After gathering certain level of expertise, the young artisans will take over the sculpting independently. Though there was a recorded style of carving sculptures in the old ages, now due to immense commercialization there is no definite style involved. The sculptures are carved to the needs of the people. Few examples of Shivarapatna made sculptures are Ranganatha Swamy temple in Rajajinagar, 4th Block, Bangalore and Sarvagna Statue in Kolar, both of which are carved by Late Shilpi Sridharacharya.
The stones are brought from various places like Vemgal – Kolar District, HD Kote – Mysore district, Chikkajala – Bangalore District. The sculptures are carved out of different varieties of stones some of which are Granites, Soap Stones etc…. and sometimes in very rare cases even cement blocks.
Various stone variety idols
Carving is not a cake walk even for expert hands. One mistake and the entire stone block is wasted, which is a very expensive resource. Various techniques are used to carve stones of various hardness and texture. Although machines were never used before, now they are pretty much in, to beat the competition. Different varieties of stones are used for different gender of gods, statues, lifeless pedestals and pillars.
Home is the first school!
Despite all the expertise at hand and availability of handful of artisans, Shivarapatna does not have a school of art. The artisans feel the need for an art school and yearn for recognition. Lack of encouragement from various institutions, are hindering development in the village. Selling the sculptures is another major problem faced by the artists. The government themselves go to the neighboring states to get the stone work done for the government buildings. The statues installed by our government are got done from the neighboring states. Procuring quality stones from quarries is another hassle. The art and sculpture making is not recognized as an industry and government lack interest in any improvement plans. The art is highly endangered due to negligence and being not recognized and it remains confined only to the small hamlet.
Idols ready for selling
A seasoned Local Artisan
People of the village are hoping that somebody hears and takes care of their plight and improve their lives. It is pathetic and agonizing to see such immense talents and resources going waste.
Is someone listening to their voice?
Preliminary Clay Model
Madhav Panchal with his carved idols
For any specific details at Shivarapatna, Mahadev Panchal can be contacted at +91-8151-230485 or +91-9845847078
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Disclaimer: The article is not a very well researched topic. It is the collective words of people on the history, their plight and details compiled together.
