Venuvadaka Lambodara

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Lord Ganesh, a divine genius, has been represented in the statue primarily as playing on his flute, but the gesture of his trunk waving towards left, the ecstasy revealing from his eyes and face, the semi-dance mode of his feet and the rhythm that defines his entire anatomy, are more the attributes of a dancer, which this form of Lord Ganesh blends. Dance is not, however, his deliberate mode. It is more like a spontaneous reflex, as the 'Venuvadaka' does not know when his head curved in rapture and feet turned to the notes of his flute. The melody that emits from an ordinary bamboo pipe not only enchants the world beyond but sends the piper also into a similar trance and in the process reels his entire figure – rhythmically float the ends of his sash and stretch to the optimum his ears. He holds in his upper hands a goad and noose, the instruments of war, but in the totality they look more like the instruments of dance vibrating ecstatically with the rise and fall of pitch, something like an object – a flag, standard or the like, which a dancer picks and raises into air when the ecstasy of his dance is on its height.

This form of Lord Ganesh presents an excellent synthesis of two conflicting sects of Brahmanism, the Shaivism and Vaishnavism. Like Harihara icons synthsising Vishnu and Shiva in one form, Lord Ganesh, the son of Shiva, has Shiva's 'tripunda' mark on his forehead and the Shaivite weapons in hands, and at the same time wears Vishnu's crown, or a crown corresponding to that of Lord Vishnu, has a 'tribhang' posture and is playing on flute, the characteristics of Lord Vishnu in his incarnation as Krishna.

The statue has been carved out of a single log of the Vangai wood, a fine timber growing in Kalakorchi region of Tamilnadu and used since centuries for artistic carving in the south and the entire Indian coastal region including Orissa, Andhra, Kerala, Karnataka and a large part of Maharashtra. The Vangai wood as timber usable for carving ranks with teak growing in Central India, birch growing around Kashmir valley, cedar growing almost in entire Himalayan region, and sesem growing in plains, especially Punjab. There still survive wood artefacts of Gupta period estimated to date around the fourth century. The seventh century wood temples of Bharmor and Chhitarari in Himalayan region beyond Chamba valley with finely carved images and designing patterns reveal the strength of Indian timber matching with that of stone.

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.

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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.