Stones and marble carvings of gods, goddesses and other statues are
by no means a rare sight for us. In fact, being a cultural city, Mysore
has quite many of them all over. You see them in temples, parks,
junctions and the question is ‘where not?’
But have you ever wondered as to where and how these finely carved stones reach you?
Take
a trip to these unexplored avenues in Mysore where mere stones are
carved into finest sculptures, and you are in for lots of pleasant
surprises. With hundreds of unfinished statues of different sizes and
shapes, all minutely crafted, the whole place reminds you of the Ajanta
– Ellora caves. Even if you never had a taste for art and architecture,
you would have turned at least an admirer of both by the time you leave
these places.
The Brahmarshi Kashyapa Shilpa Kala Shala
near the Gun House is a standing example of Mysore’s great
architectural heredity. However Mr. Yogiraj Shilpi, the proprietor,
sounds very unassuming as he takes us around. “People need statues and
hence we make,” he says. The artistic perfection of the unfinished
statues seen there are the touchstone for his skills and abilities.
Aptitude,
skill, experience and above all dedication. That makes Yogiraj, a
preferred sculptor of the customers. With a standing experience of 37
years and the heredity of five generations, this man is very much in
the field, carving the culture of the State. Kannada Cheluvaliya Sangha
and Prajanudi have honoured him on different occasions. “My father is
my Guru. He taught me this art,” are his humble words. He is the proud
son of Basavanna Shilpi, who has been honoured by the State as well as
Central government for his contributions to the art of sculpture.
Unlike
other sculptors of the city, Yogiraj distinguishes himself by carving
statues of renowned personalities and people along with that of gods.
He claims that the statue of Chamraja Wodeyar is his masterpiece.
Placed at the Mysore Zoo in relation with its centenary ceremonies,
this statue stands five feet high catching the tourist eyes at the zoo.
The statues carved by Yogiraj have even been taken beyond
the seas, to Norvey and Switzerland. The Navagrahas at the Ganapathy
Temple in Vijayanagar, Devi statue at Yellamma temple, Cheppudira
Ponnappa statue in Ponnampet, Kuvempu in Srirangapatna, Abdul Nazir
Saheb at the Mysore Zilla Panchayat office, Gandhi, Basavanna,
Vishwesharaiah, Raagi breeder Lakshmanaiah… These are just samples from
the vast ocean of works churned out at the Brahmarshi Kashyapa Shilpa
Kala Shala.
Walk further, to the Ramanuja road near
Agrahara circle and you will find the Shilpa Kala Kendra, another icon
of Mysore’s architectural inheritance. “These Krishnashilas
(soapstones) are brought from H. D. Kote. These are the best stones to
work on,” says Shilpi Shivanand, the proprietor. However, he adds that
of late soapstones are being exported to Germany and the costs have
gone up considerably.
How did Shivanand develop his love
for architecture? The proprietor of Shilpakala Kendra has a smile of
pride on his face as he says that he belongs to the Vishwakarma family
who are born artists. “Our family is from Kollegal. It was the then
Maharaja of Mysore Sri Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, a great promoter of
art and architecture, who invited my grandfather to come and settle
down in Mysore. From then on we have faithfully stuck to our
profession. And today we have an annual sale of three to five lakhs
Rupees.” However he adds that what is of paramount importance for him
is not so much of business success as creative satisfaction and
artistic expression.
The Kamakameshwari temple beside the
Shilpakala Kendra is a standing testimony of the skill and craft of the
architects here. The statues at the Krishna temple in Gokulam,
Navagrahas at the temple in Hebbal, are samples of Shivanand’s artistic
skills.
Half a dozen architects were seen at the Shilpakala
Kendra immersed in their job of liberating the art work imprisoned in
the stones. Chipping, chiseling, grinding, painting, polishing… they
all looked immersed in the job. “We supply statues all over Karnataka,
including places as far as Davangare and Raichur. Besides we give
training to architects according to their capacity and caliber,” says
Shivanand. “Right now we have nine to twelve inches statues of
different gods as there is a lot of demand for such statues among
families.” The Kendra provides service in letter carving as well.
The
Shilpakala Shala beside the Shilpakala Kendra is another of this kind.
Established in 1988, the Nilaya focuses on carving small idols which
have an increasing demand among the families. Though Mr. Shivaprakash,
the proprietor, reveals his enthusiasm for this art, is more eloquent
on the question of its survival. “The growing commercial attitude is a
major threat for this art and occupation,” he opines. “And apart from
that, the hikes in the costs and transportation charges have made it
impossible for us to compromise on price.” Mr. Shivprakash has five
workers including two of his sons.
Mr. Yogiraj has nine
workers with him at present. “The younger generation seems to have lost
an aptitude for this art,” feels Yogiraj. “I have been accommodating
and training people having sincere interest.” And he remembers an
interesting instance of training an Italian lady named Christine. “The
interest to know this art is being confined to researchers,” he says.
When
asked about the sculptures in most demand, Yogiraj opines that there is
always a demand for Ganesha idols. Shivprakash and Shivanand confirm
this statement. Though the majority needs the idols of gods, there are
even people requiring statues of their late parents and grandparents.
The demand for the statues of the leaders of small regions is also on
the rise.
And about the biggest statues that they have
carved. The tallest in the record of Shivaprakash is the five feet
statue at the Veerabhadreswara temple in Hassan. Whereas, Mr. Yogiraj
has carved Vrishabhanath Theerthankara that measures as high as 8.5
feet. Now he is working on a 20 feet statue of Bahubali, which he hopes
to complete in a year. An eight feet statue of Lord Venkateshwara made
for a temple in Chamaraja Nagar is the biggest statue made by Shivanand
so far.
Apart from stone carving, these sculptors work on
marble as well. A casual visitor would be astounded by the beautiful
marble works with which they have decorated their houses. “Marble is
hard to work on, but a finished piece would worth that effort,” they
say.
Is the status of this tradition being noticed and
appreciated by the government? There is unison of opinion in this
regard. “As long as there is a demand for sculptures, we will survive.
We don’t get any aid from authorities,” they say. “It would be helpful
if the Government could at least provide the mines to sculptors instead
of giving it to businessmen,” feels Yogiraj.
If Mysore can
still be called a cultural city, the sculptors here can certainly take
a part of the credit. For generations now, they have been contributing
to the cause of Mysore’s cultural identity. And sure enough they are
only likely to consolidate on their contributions in the years to come.
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