Vijay Ganapati: A Pure Classical Image

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Lustrous, red hued and abounding in great divine aura, Vijay Ganapati is perceived as a four-armed figure carrying in upper two the elephant goad and a noose, while in the normal right, his broken tusk, and in the normal left, a ripe golden mango which is his most loved fruit. In Vijay Ganapati iconography mouse is not a symbolic or formal motif or presence but his true mount he rides on. It is duly saddled. His figure is usually voluminous and pot-bellied believed to contain inexhaustible treasures of riches and oceans of knowledge that Vijay Ganapati greatly requires in accomplishing his objectives. Alike, he is conceived with a curved trunk endowed with strong grip. However, the Puranas do not specify his seating posture, nor whether his trunk shall be leftwards turned, or rightwards, that is, ‘edampuri’ or ‘valampuri’, the terms used in classical terminology for defining respectively the former and the latter.

This wood statue has been rendered in exact adherence to these classical norms of Vijay Ganapati iconography. As holding the voluminous figure of the elephant god on the figure of a tiny mouse is practically difficult, Vijay Ganapati images are rarely rendered as riding a mouse. However, astonishing and delightfully, the artist of this statue has mounted his image of Vijay Ganapati on the figure of the same tiny mouse, and a horse-like saddled mouse holds him perfectly well, normally and quite decently. As prescribed, Vijay Ganapati is carrying in his four hands goad, noose, broken tusk and a ripe golden mango. Rare in lustre and divine aura the figure has been painted in gold blended with red. Magenta, the colour of his ‘antariya’ and used in other parts for shading, attributes to this reddish gold body-colour further brilliance. The figure has been conceived with a large belly and curved valampuri trunk holding in it another mango and as seated on the back of the mouse in ‘utkut akasana’.

The image carved with finest and characteristic details of figure – iconographic features and anatomy, ornaments to include his towering crown and halo, and costume – loincloth, has been installed inside a ‘prabhavali’ – fire-arch. The beautifully carved ‘prabhavali’ around the figure of Lord Ganesha rises from a hexagonal base consisting of dual lotus moulding along a pair of half columns, one on either side, that hold on their tops a circular three-tiered frame, the outer and the principal one, consisting of stylized lotuses. The inner two rings consist of courses of beads and leaf-design. The ‘prabhavali’, otherwise symbolising cosmos that Vijay Ganapati pervades, creates around the figure great divine aura and a beautiful frame. The fire-arch is topped by Shrimukha symbolising utmost good. Absolute ease, celestial calm and composure, a benign face, large ears, a child-like tender limbs and thoughtful eyes define deity's iconography.

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.

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.