The Precise Iconography of Lord Brahma

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Brahma is said to have been born from Vishnu's navel through the great lotus. In the beginning, after the Great Deluge, on the inspiration of Mahadevi Vishnu invoked his own creative powers and created earth in the form of lotus rising from his navel. Brahma is said to have emerged from this lotus. The lotus is thus his birth symbol. Brahma suffered from the passion to create. He hence devoted himself to rigorous penance for acquiring power to create. The rosary symbolises his great hundred year penance. The pot, which the Brahma icon carries in its left hand, is the symbol of Earth, which Brahma created. Thus, the four attributes of Brahma iconography represent his birth, penance, creation and the light of knowledge, which he spread.

As has the 'Puranic' tradition, initially Brahma had only one head. In the course of creation he created by the power of his mind a number of sons. Alike, from his own half he created a maid. She was extremely beautiful and was hence named 'Shatarupa', the one who possessed a hundred beauties. Brahma wedded her. The passionate Brahma was so attached to her that he did not remove his eyes from her face even for a moment. One day the sportive Shatarupa, to cajole Brahma, began whirling around him. With his numerous sons scattered all around it was not graceful for him to move round with Shatarupa with his eyes fixed on her. He hence created on his neck four heads in all four directions. Shatarupa wished to tease him more. She flew into sky. Brahma then created a fifth head upon his matted hair. This fifth head was later destroyed by Shiva. On the strength of his five heads Brahma claimed superiority over Shiva. This enraged Shiva and he crushed Brahma's fifth head.

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.