Auspicious Ganesha-Patta with Three Ganesha Forms

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Commemoration of Lord Vishnu by his ‘Sahastra-nama’ – a thousand names, or conceiving Buddha’s form as the ‘Thousand Buddha’, are religious practices prevalent in India since early days. Bringing to mind the image by commemorating ‘Nama’ and thus seeking its multiplication, or constant presence in mind, is a bit difficult, while meditating on the image when it reels before the meditating eye, or multiplies formally, is easier, and hence, a more widely practiced mode of commemoration. Even the routine ‘darshana’ – seeing the deity image with faith in mind, enables it to retain the image for some time. But, if the eye has reeling before it multiple forms of the image, it shall more deeply root into the mind and remain in it for longer time or even constantly. A Ganapati-Patta with multiple Ganapati images multiplies auspiciousness and assures freedom from inauspicious and detriments.

Carved in deep relief with fine details as on an ivory piece, this gold like lustrous Ganapati-Patta enshrines in its three ‘vedikas’ – sections, three forms of Lord Ganesha. In some aspects all three figures are alike, while in others, they are not. All three images are four-armed carrying in them the same set of attributes : goad, noose, broken tusk and a fruit or a piece of sweet, have a trunk with length shorter than usual and with identical curve containing in it a ‘laddu’, similar style and size of ears, a moderately swelled belly, alike costumes and ornaments to include his towering crown, equally small eyes and similar facial features. However, the numbers of the faces that these images have are not uniform, and as varying are their seats, seating postures and body-gestures.

The image enshrining the ‘vedika’ on the top has three faces, an iconographic form known as ‘Trimukha-Ganapati, while the other two – in the middle and bottom ‘vedikas’, are single faced. The Ganapati figure enshrining the bottom ‘vedika’ has one of his consorts – Riddhi or Siddhi, seated on the left thigh and Ganapati has his lower left arm put around her waist in an effort to support her figure. Except a little of it, his upper arm is almost fully concealed behind her figure. The Ganapati figures in the central and top ‘vedikas’ are single and with all four arms explicitly delineated. The Ganapati image in the central ‘vedika’ rides the Ganapati’s mount mouse while those on the bottom and top are lotus-seated. Not a ‘prabhavali’ in the proper sense, the statue rises to it height along two parallel columns rising from a lotus base and topped by an elaborate Kirtti-mukha. Two similar Kirtti-mukhas have been used for joining the breadth between the two columns and creating thus independent ‘vedikas’ for three Ganapati icons.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.

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Sculpting Serenity: Unveiling the Art of Crafting Wood Statues

Wood has been a preferred material for sculptures and statues since ancient times. It is easy to work with than most metals and stones and therefore requires less effort to shape it into any desired shape or form. The texture of the wood gives an element of realism to the sculpture. The selection of an appropriate wood type is necessary for carving. Woods that are too resinous or coniferous are not considered good for carving as their fiber is very soft and thus lacks strength. On the other hand, wood such as Mahogany, Oakwood, Walnut wood, Weet cherry wood, etc., are preferred by sculptors because their fiber is harder. A wood sculptor uses various tools such as a pointed chisel in one hand and a mallet in another to bring the wood to the desired measurement and to make intricate details on it. A carving knife is used to cut and smooth the wood. Other tools such as the gouge, V-tool, and coping saw also serve as important tools in wood carving. Although the wood carving technique is not as complex and tough as stone carving or metal sculpting, nonetheless, a wood carver requires a high level of skills and expertise to create a stunning sculpture.

1. Selecting the right wood

The process of wood carving begins with selecting a chunk of wood that is required according to the type and shape of the statue to be created by the sculptor. Both hardwoods and softwoods are used for making artistic pieces, however, hardwoods are preferred more than softer woods because of their durability and longevity. But if heavy detailing is to be done on the statue, wood with fine grain would be needed as it would be difficult to work with hardwood.

2. Shaping the wood

Once the wood type is selected, the wood carver begins the general shaping process using gouges of various sizes. A gouge is a tool having a curved cutting edge which is useful in removing large unwanted portions of wood easily without splitting the wood. The sculptor always carves the wood across the grain of the wood and not against it.

3. Adding detailing

When a refined shape of the statue is obtained, it is time for making details on the statue using different tools. This is achieved by using tools such as a veiner to make and a V-tool to create decorative and sharp cuts.

4. Surface finishing

Once finer details have been added, the sculptor is ready to smoothen the surface and give it a perfect finish. Tools such as rasps and rifflers are used to get a smooth surface. The finer polishing is obtained by rubbing the surface with sandpaper. If a textured surface is required, this step is skipped. Finally, to protect the statue from excessive dirt accumulation, the sculptor applies natural oils such as walnut or linseed oil all over it. This also brings a natural sheen to the statue.