Sage Dhanvantari: The Physician of Gods

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Unlike a seated image, the statue’s height and breadth mutually balanced, and different members, well-composed, or one sculpted along a support – a relief carved over a plaque or rock, this Lord Vishnu-like modeled imposing four-armed standing image represents sage Dhanavantari, the divine physician of gods and the originator of the Ayurveda, the Indian science of medicine. Though in a standing posture – usually an active mode, there is on the face or rather in the entire being of the image reflection of deep absorption, that is, the image represents two frames of mind, one, deep concern, obviously for mankind, and readiness to guard against pain, ailment and suffering, and the other, meditation – perhaps exploring within the means to fight it out. Sculpted out of a marble block with various body-parts – arms in particular, and sash, stretched beyond the rest of the figure, unsupported and detached, the image reveals not only the rare artistic skill but also as rare artistic boldness.

The statue is a masterpiece by some sculptor from Jaipur in Rajasthan, a centre of marble art since medieval times known for both, purity and fine quality of stone as well as for the distinction of its art. The marble, out of which the image has been sculpted, is rare in purity not revealing a vein, grain or variation in colour and greatly contributes to the divine lustre that it emits. Brilliantly painted – the figure’s form in light blue, obviously the body-colour of Lord Vishnu who is believed to incarnate as Dhanavantari, though not as dark as Vishnu’s which could hide the marble’s lustre, black for hair and parts of eyes, all ornaments in gold, turmeric yellow for ‘antariya’, red for sash, and a blend of gold and black for halo and for designing borders of wears, the image of the celestial physician has been sculpted over a rectangular base which with corners cut takes octagonal form. For giving it a proper seat’s look its top has been painted in gold. A halo on the top – a circle radiating from his face, designed as if the great serpent Shesh extending its multi-hoods over his head, appropriately balances this octagonal base. 

The four-armed image of Dhanavantari carries in upper hands two of Lord Vishnu’s attributes, the disc and conch, while holding in the normal right, the sash-end, and in the normal left, a golden pot believed to contain nectar. In all iconographic traditions in India – Hindu, Buddhist, Jain or even folk, the pot is the common symbol of medicine. The pot-holding image of Buddha is classed as Medicine Buddha, and Hanuman with a pot is the folk deity who cures from every ailment. However, under Hindu mythology it was Dhanavantari who couriered the pot of ambrosia from the ocean’s depths when the ocean was churned for ‘amrita’ – ambrosia, jointly by gods and demons. Hence, pot has a different significance with Dhanavantari. With his right foot inclining to move the gods’ physician has been represented as standing. His figure has been modeled as of one in perpetual youth with a round face angularly curving towards the chin, large open eyes with arched eyebrows, a well aligned nose and moderately sized lips, broad forehead and a well-defined neck. He is in Vishnu-like ‘pitambara’ – yellow, ‘antariya’ – lower wear, and a red sash carried over his left shoulder, left arm and around waist. Both garments have golden border. He is putting on a few but elaborate ornaments and rich crown with a large ruby in the centre.        

As the mythical tradition has it, long long ago gods and demons joined hands for churning ocean and obtaining ‘amrita’ that it contained in its bottom. The ocean yielded fourteen jewels Dhanavantari being one of them. In these jewels Dhanavantari had greater significance for it was him who couriered the pot containing ‘amrita’ for which the ocean was churned. Being the protector against all maladies and thus the protector of life, Dhanavantari commanded greater respect from gods than any of the other jewels, even Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, their commander for gods were beyond death but not beyond maladies. Though only another strain of the ocean-churning myth, Dhanavantari was the son of Lord Vishnu. It is said that soon after he emerged from the ocean and saw Lord Vishnu Dhanavantari prayed him to take him as his son. Unable to grant his prayer then Vishnu promised him to grant it in next birth and allocate him a seat and part of offering made to him at the yajna. Accordingly, in next birth Dhanavantari was Vishnu’s son born by his blessings. Hence his images have a four-armed form and some of his attributes.

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.

Marble Mastery Unveiled: The Artisan's Symphony in Sculpting Timeless Beauty

Marble is a soft and delicate metamorphic rock derived from limestone. It is composed mainly of recrystallized carbonate minerals. The appealing appearance of marble gives rise to the making of beautiful sculptures and statues. Jaipur city of Rajasthan, India, is considered the capital of marble carving where various marble idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses are made. These magnificent statues are carved by skilled sculptors out of the purest white marble. The slight softness of white marble makes it easier to be carved and chiseled into any desirable form or shape. Another impressive feature of marble is that the calcite has a low refractive index that allows light to penetrate the stone before getting scattered out. This results in bringing a translucent appearance and luster to the marble sculpture. This is the reason why most sculptors prefer to work with marble for sculpting life-size statues that require intricate details, evoking a certain realism to the work.

There is a detailed or step-by-step process of developing the desired structure of a sculpture from marble stone. These steps are:

1. Clay mould

Most sculptors prefer to sculpt a preliminary model out of clay or wax to translate its complex and intricate details into the final stone sculpture with the use of calipers or a pointing machine. The plasticity of the clay mould helps sculptors capture the success of the final sculpture before carving the stone. The clay is moulded into the desired shape or form and this acts as a rough

2. Roughing out

The second step of carving or sculpting is to remove large portions of unwanted marble stone. This task is done by using a special tool known as a point chisel. The pointed end of this tool is useful for splitting the large stone and removing big chunks that are not wanted. Usually, a mallet (a tool similar to a hammer) is used to transfer energy through the chisel to shatter the stone evenly and accurately.

3. Refining the figure

Once the sculptors have determined the general shape of the sculpture, a toothed chisel or claw chisel is used to refine the stone. These tools create parallel lines in the stone to add texture to the figure. During this stage, the rough block of stone has now changed into the general shape of the sculpture.

4. Adding the details

The sculptor is now ready to carry out detailed work to develop a more refined form of the sculpture. Tools such as rasps and rifflers are then used to enhance the shape into its final form. These tools finely create details such as frills or folds of clothing or locks of hair.

5. Polishing

This is the last step in marble sculpting in which the sculptor uses materials such as sandpaper to bring out a natural sheen to the sculpture. The sandpaper is rubbed against the surface to make it smoother and flawless. Sometimes, tin oxide is also used to make the sculpture appear glossy and more translucent.

Marble sculptures are highly durable and can last for many decades if maintained and taken care of properly. They are also extremely weather-resistant and therefore, can be kept outdoors or indoors. The exquisite beauty of marble statues elevates the aura of the space and emanates positivity all around.