Mari-Amma: The South Indian Transform of Goddess Durga

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Like Kali, Durga, in her various manifestations, also slew demons and eradicated evil but unlike Kali’s ferocious and repulsive appearance and violent ways Durga is always conceived with benignity, feminine softness and with a blissful gesture imparting ‘abhaya’ – a posture granting freedom from fear. The Mari-Amma transform of Durga is also conceived with the same benign look and feminine softness as her ante-model Durga. This image of Mari-Amma in ‘lalitasana’, her right leg laid suspending down to her lotus seat, while the left, horizontally over it in semi-yogasana position, a seating posture revealing great aesthetic charm and unparalleled beauty, represents the goddess as the model of absolute beauty, though for symbolising her evil-eliminating role she has been represented carrying instruments of war, as also the flames of fire on one of her palms, and around the base of her pedestal, with a human bust, a form of Shiva himself, or one of Apasmarapurusha – the demon of inertia. ‘Lalitasana’ is considered in Indian classical iconography as the posture revealing beauty and ease.

A sharp nose, lotus petals’ like eyes in meditative posture, rounded prominent cheeks and slightly pointed chin, forehead with a lamp’s flame-like auspicious mark, hair falling on shoulders, well defined lips and ears, all elegantly crafted, characterise the iconography of the goddess. With a subdued belly, broad shoulders, sensuously modeled breasts and a balanced body-structure the figure of the goddess has been brilliantly modeled. The six-armed Mari-Amma carries in her upper right hand a damaru – small two-way drum, held in the coils of a snake, and in the left, a trident. In her middle right hand she is carrying a shûla – a rod with a pointed blade, and on the left hand palm, flames of fire. In her lower right hand she is holding another shûla, and in the left, a shield. Her figure, resplendent with brilliant jewels and ornaments, has been adorned with a seven-tiered towering crown, conceived in South Indian iconographic fashion. She is wearing an ‘antariya’ covering her body below her waist and a stan-pata designed with two large flower motifs for covering her modeled breasts. An ornamented narrow frill, conceived as a beautiful garland – a brilliant component of her iconography, lies over her breast and belly and down to the base of her seat.

The figure of the goddess has been installed on a large double lotus comprising her seat. It has been laid on an elevated hexagonal base comprising variously patterned flower-motifs. This base has been conceived as a mini architectural unit with artistically crafted ornamental half columns on sides giving the whole structure the shape of a sanctum-throne enshrining divine icons. It consecrates in its centre the lotus-seat which the image of Mari-Amma enshrines. On these column rises a circular ‘prabhavali’ which looks more like a large halo. Its three inner rings consist of beads, while the outermost, of blue lotuses framed within rings of vine with buds but without leaves. The ‘prabhavali’ is topped by a ‘kirtimukha’ motif, a characteristic feature of South Indian sculptural art and iconography. The most strange feature of this wood sculpture is the flames-like looking green halo behind the head of the goddess. On one hand it symbolises with its flames-like form her inherent cosmic energy, while with its colour – green, fertility, suggesting that energy is inherently creative and Durga or Mari-Amma is the epitome of the principle.

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.