Ganapati, The Lord of Auspices

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The single-tusked Ganesh is invoked by the mantra : ‘Aum ekadantay namah’, that is, we devote ourselves to the one-tusked Lord. This form of Ganesh also has a number of legends associated with it, the most popular being one related to the Moon god. It is said that once Lord Ganesh consumed more ‘laddus’ than his stomach could contain. He hence thought of taking a round in the forest for releasing his tension. Accordingly, mounted on his vehicle mouse he set out but when in mid-forest serpent Vasuki passed across and seeing the serpent his mouse, throwing away Lord Ganesh, fled for life. Lord Ganesh fell and with this his over-loaded stomach burst. He quickly stood up and collected all ‘laddus’ back into his stomach and catching hold of serpent Vasuki tied his stomach with it. The Moon-god relaxing with his wives saw it and could not help laughing. Already irritated Ganesh lost his temper and breaking one of his tusks hurled it on the Moon-god. It was thus that he was left with one tusk. However, more significant are the symbolic dimensions of this form. The one-tusked form of Lord Ganesh is believed to accomplish his devotee's prayer even by sacrificing one of his body parts. Aum ekadantaya namah is the mantra that ends the duality, leads to one-pointed mind and singleness of object.

Not only large-bellied, in his Lambodara manifestation Lord Ganesh has a belly modeled like a pot that in Indian tradition symbolises the universe and the accomplishment of the ‘desired’. Created out of clay – the earth, and the earth-based, containing water and having vertical form extending into space, pot – the ‘ghata’, is believed to synthesize into his being all three cosmic regions, and contain the cosmos and all its treasures. ‘Aum Lambodaray namah’ is the ‘mantra’ by which the devotee invokes the Lambodara Ganapati, the container of the universe. Hence, whoever commemorates the ‘mantra’ has a feeling that he is the universe or that all the universes are within him – as is the tree within the seed. The moment he commemorates ‘Aum’ – the sound of creation that manifests as the visible universe, the universe begins descending into him and he feels that he is the universe. This pot-bellied form of Ganesh stands for oneness of the creation as does his Ekadanta form, and hence the two forms more appropriately blend than do any other forms of the great Lord.

The compassionate Ganesh is sprawling on his lotus seat with his left leg laid flat along the seat’s top, and the right, vertically raised with upwards turned knee, a posture known in the iconographic tradition as ‘utkut akasana’, a form revealing great ease and carefree demeanour : the essential attributes of Lambodara Ganesh who does not believe in destroying, not even for penalising or chastizing a wicked or wrong-doer. For further emphasis on this aspect the artist has conceived this image of the elephant god on human anatomical lines with normal two arms and without an instrument of destruction, or any war-like attribute, not even a helmet. The legs seem to hold the pot-belly – symbolic of his upholding the universe, all riches and the oceans of knowledge, and hands, all that is blissful and benign – the gesture of protection and ‘laddu’, the symbol of positive energy, prosperity and success.

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.

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.