Tri-Mukha Ganesha

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The statue represents Lord Ganesha in his three-faced manifestation, one in the centre while other two, carved in perfect symmetry and with identical demeanour, on either side flanking the face in the centre. His trunks on the sides are upwards raised while that in the centre is laid downwards suggesting that he pervades all spaces, above him and below. All three trunks are beautifully twisted dispelling on one hand the monotony of a dull straightened length by their rhythmic curves, and symbolising, on the other, his complete hold over ‘ganas’ – discordant cosmic elements, and his command of entire knowledge and riches. When consecrated facing, the great Lord bestows his bliss from all sides, and when, with his back, he provides a security cover against all dangers and commands every calamity from whichever direction it comes.

A simple multiplication of his three faces, Lord Ganesha has in this statue six arms carrying in two of them, the upper-most on two sides, nooses, and in the two in the middle, battle-axes. In the right one of the lower-most, he carries his broken tusk, and in that on the left, a laddu. In adherence to the principle of symmetry – the unique distinction of the image, the artist has conceived on both sides not only the identically shaped and gesticulated hands but has also repeated at least in two sets of them the same attributes : noose and battle-axe. This cult of carrying two numbers of the same weapon is in stark contrast to his usual images that have a different attribute/weapon for every hand. Except different attributes in two normal hands, different positions of the two legs and different icons carved at the Prabhavali’s foot, the figure of his mount mouse on the right and a basket of laddus on the left, the statue’s right and left halves : anatomy of the image, structure of the Prabhavali, pedestal and even Kirtti-mukha, have been conceived identically and in perfect symmetry.

The image of the elephant god has been installed in a Prabhavali, which imparts to the divine image a magnificent frame, and to the whole statue, rare beauty. The Prabhavali consists of three parts, an architectural base-part composed of two half pillars and lotus-brackets, a middle part comprising two half circles made of conventionalised lotus motifs, and a Kirtti-mukha with well moulded whiskers, on the top. The figure of Lord Ganesha has a well defined anatomy, sharp elegant features, tender face, fine fingers and as much fine nails. He wears on his three heads tall crowns but not so spiral as the South Indian icons usually have. His elegantly pleated antariya and sash and ornaments, a few but gorgeous, impart to his figure further beauty. A snake tied on the belly to support it, besides a belly-band, is quite interesting.

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.