Kamalasana Ekadanta

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Another legend has it differently. One day his parents – Shiva and Parvati, were resting in their chamber leaving Ganesh outside with instructions not to allow anyone to enter in. Meanwhile, there came Parasurama, the Brahmin warrior known for his short temper and wrathful nature. He wished to immediately see Lord Shiva but Ganesh did not allow him to enter his chamber. The exchange of words turned into an exchange of weapons. Parasurama tried all weapons, one after the other, and when all failed, he picked up his 'parasu', a celestial battle-axe, which Lord Shiva had himself given him. Lord Ganesh recognised his father's weapon and in reverence to it, allowed it to hit him. He bore it on his right tusk, which it broke.

A third, and perhaps the most popular one, is far more interesting. Ganesh had a weakness for 'modakas' – ball-shaped sweet. On one of his birth-days he consumed more 'modakas' than his belly had space for. This over-eating made him uneasy. To relieve himself of it, he thought of strolling around for a while. Riding his mouse when he reached forest, there appeared serpent Vasuki. Seeing the serpent his mouse, throwing away his master, ran away into the forest. When thrown, his belly burst and 'modakas' contained therein rolled away all around. Lord Ganesh greedily collected each one and put it back into his belly and to avoid any further risk picked up the serpent Vasuki and tied around his belly. The Moon god with his wife was seeing this curious drama and could not conrol his laughter. With fury in eyes, Lord Ganesh looked at the Moon god and, as he had no weapon in hands, broke one of his tusks and hurled it at the Moon.

The Ekadanta Lord is in a posture that reveals unique ease. In sculptural tradition this posture is known as 'lalitasana' – a sitting posture that reveals beauty of form. This thirty-six inches tall and fifteen inches wide wood-piece has, as its base, a lotus 'pitha' and as its apex a 'prabhavali' comprising conventionalised floral creeper. The elephant headed god is seated on a large sized fully blooming lotus. Except a leaf motif on the left side, the lower half of the 'prabhavali' is plain but beyond shoulder-height it consists of beautifully designed floral creeper with colourful parrots perching on it. It emerges from the right side, has elaborate leafy apex, and terminates on the left with a couple of beautiful banana buds. The deity has a banana bud also in his lower left hand. In his upper hands, he is carrying a goad and a noose. Elaborately bejewelled and partially costumed image of Ekadanta is a magnificent piece of art.

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.