Lotus-Seated Ganesha Enshrining Prabhavali

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Triply auspicious and powerful this statue synthesizes three significant aspects of his image, namely, Ekadanta, Vijay Ganapati and Sankatahara Ganapati, Ekadanta, relating to his one-tusked form, Vijay Ganapati, to his all-conquering power, and Sankatahara Ganapati, to his ability to redeem from a crisis.

Apart a number of myths narrating how his one tusk broke, such as one relating to punishing the arrogant moon for its mischief by removing it and missile-like hurling it on it, removing it for taking from the great sage Vyasa uninterrupted dictation of the great epic Mahabharata, or losing it while holding on it the blow of the battle-axe that variously his father Lord Shiva, or the great Brahmin warrior Parasurama inflicted on him, Ekadanta, his one-tusked form highly venerated in devotional tradition, is primarily a manifestation by appearance. A four-armed figure Ekadanta is pot bellied and carries in normal right hand his broken tusk. Whatever the focus on appearance, Ekadanta form has as strong symbolic thrust. Ekadanta stands for optimum sacrifice, singleness of mind and unparalleled resourcefulness. The pot-belly is believed to contain oceans of knowledge and with his large penetrating trunk he is believed to explore womb of the earth, unfathomable depth of oceans, and inaccessible regions of the sky and bring from there hidden treasures for his devotees.

The image of Lord Ganesha that the statue represents abounds in exceptional beauty, great divine aura, gold-like lustre and great energy and vigour, the attributes of all-conquering Vijay Ganapati. The most accomplished Vijay Ganapati is the Lord of victory who bestows success and every kind of bliss. In consideration of his wider role the Vijay Ganapati images often assimilate other forms of Lord Ganesha, mainly, Vakratunda, one with curved trunk, and Lambodara, pot-bellied. Vakratunda is known for a firm hold, and Lambodara, for stores of riches and knowledge, the aspects that Vijay Ganapati most needs. In effect Vijay Ganapati is Vighnesha and is required to redeem his devotees from every crisis and this aspect he inherits from the elephant god’s Sankatahara Ganapati form. The lotus seat is the essence of Sankatahara Ganapati iconography. Seated and thus covering the lotus in full he is seen as pervading the entire cosmos and guarding it against everything untoward. Obviously, the statue assimilates three forms, though it is on his Vijay Ganapati form that the iconography and anatomy of the image centre.

As in this image, all three forms that this image combines, Ekadanta, Vijay Ganapati and Sankatahara Ganapati, are four-armed forms carrying in two of them elephant goad and noose, in the third, some eatable, a golden mango, laddu or a bowl of pudding, and in the fourth, Ekadanta and Vijay Ganapati carry the broken tusk. Besides goad, noose and broken tusk this image carries in the fourth a golden mango, and in his trunk, a laddu. Corresponding to the body-colour of Vijay Ganapati the statue has been painted in gold mixed with red imparting to it extra lustre. Texts and traditions define his seating posture, with right leg laid suspending earth-wards, and the left, horizontally in semi-yogic posture, as ‘lalitasana’, a posture revealing great aesthetic beauty and majesty. The image enshrines a Prabhavali consisting of a stylized upwards rising flowering creeper supported on two parallel columns terminating into a rounded apex. Besides leaves, flower and fruit forms it also assimilates birds – parrots, and monkeys, all conjointly symbolizing the cosmos that Lord Ganapati pervades by his presence.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of ancient Indian literature. Dr Daljeet is the chief curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the National Museum of India, New Delhi. They have both collaborated on numerous books on Indian art and culture.

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.