From Wed Apr 14 04:15:27 1999
Delivered-To: listsaver-of-agathiyar@egroups.com
Mailing-List: contact agathiyar-owner@egroups.com
X-Mailing-List: agathiyar@egroups.com
X-URL: http://www.egroups.com/list/agathiyar/
Reply-To: agathiyar@egroups.com
Delivered-To: listsaver-egroups-agathiyar@egroups.com
Received: (qmail 22713 invoked by uid 7770); 14 Apr 1999 11:15:24 -0000
Received: from tracker-rwcmta.excite.com (HELO tracker.excite.com) (198.3.99.217) by vault.egroups.com with SMTP; 14 Apr 1999 11:15:24 -0000
Received: from scorch.excite.com ([199.172.152.240]) by tracker.excite.com (InterMail v4.00.03.11 201-229-104-111) with ESMTP id <19990414111509.GFCS22687.tracker@...> for ; Wed, 14 Apr 1999 04:15:09 -0700
From: "Subramanian"
To: agathiyar@egroups.com
Message-Id: <924088509.11258.514@...>
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 04:15:09 PDT
X-Mailer: Excite Mail
X-Sender-Ip: 164.164.90.8
MIME-Version: 1.0
Subject: [agathiyar] Craft : Statues (long)
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Yahoo-Message-Num: 263

Dear Agathiyam netters,

I read this article few weeks back in print edition
This was in supplement book.
This got updated into WEB now only.

I have cut, pasted only some part.
Read the full article(with images) at
http://www.the-hindu.com/folio/fo9903/99030340.htm

CRAFT: March 21, 1999

Unbroken tradition - Kausalya Santhanam
----------------------------------------

In their chiselled splendour and symmetrical form, the bronzes of Tamil
Nadu testify to the grandeur of an art form that reached the peak of
perfection a thousand years ago. Acclaimed as amongst the finest
achievement of metal sculpture in the world, the Chola and Pallava
bronzes embody grace and precision that bring together in one composite
whole the artist's imagination, the poet's sensibility and the craftsman's
skill. Through the finely proportioned torsos, the slim waists and the
exquisitely moulded limbs, the craftsmen (the stapathis) imbued the
images with beauty so perfect that the human form was transcended to
the divine and a sense of wonder enveloped the devotee.

Though the art of making bronze images dates back to antiquity and was
known in many centres in the sub-continent, Tamil Nadu holds pride of
place.

Even in a country where continuity is a distinctive feature of life, the
icon makers of Swamimalai (10 km from Kumbakonam, principal town in
Thanjavur district) are an outstanding example of an unbroken tradition.
For even today in this village on the banks of the Cauvery, a hereditary
craft is pursued by the descendants of those stapathis whose creative
spirit and religious fervour saw idols of surpassing beauty adorn
hundreds of temples, big and small.

The stapathis belong to the Viswakarma
community and claim descent from this
celestial architect who is said to be the
builder of the palaces of the gods. Since
they performed such an exalted function in
society, these craftsmen were greatly
respected in the past.

The processes and guidelines for practising the art, the rules on
iconometry, and iconography, have been carefully set down in the Silpa
sastras and the Agamas. An entire corpus of literature - the Vedas, the
Upanishads and the Sutras - guides the stapathi on the making of the
icons. A chapter on this can be found in the Manasara and the
Abhilashitartha Chintamini authored by Someswara, a western Chalukyan
king deals with it. The ancient texts codified between the fourth and
sixth centuries AD are generally followed to this day in varying degree.
Each step of the work in the past was approached with great devotion.
Homams had to be performed and rituals observed from the moment of
obtaining the wax for the model till the grand culmination where the
eyes of the idol would be incised proclaiming the readiness for puja.

The art of metal sculpture can be traced to ancient times in the country.
The earliest find is the bronze figure of the dancing girl of Mohen-jodaro
with a great cluster of bangles on her arms. The Gupta Age and the Pala
period saw an efflorescence of the art when serene-faced elegant
Buddhas were sculpted with devotion, lending them a timeless charm.



The Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation (Poompuhar) was
set up in Swamimalai in the Fifties to train artisans and to foster the
art. It had just seven families as members then. Now there are 200
stapathis in the town belonging to 50 families. Though most of them are
from the Viswakarma community, agricultural workers, masons and
carpenters with a yen for the art are fresh entrants to the field.



The village is an unusual one, the long narrow lanes opening into small
houses and cluttered, slushy courtyards resounding to the rhythmic tap
of chisel on metal. Stepping into the training centre is like stepping back
in time. Huge framed photographs of classic Chola and Pallava bronzes -
Vrishabhavahanavar, Kalyana Sundara, Ardhanareeswara - line the
walls. The restrained expressions and sharp features are sought to be
captured with varying degrees of success by the artisans. Idols in
unfinished states - Paavai vilakkus and Devis - casting aureoles of
golden radiance stand in a corner.

The measurements confirm with scriptural canons where each little
detail is specified. The tala is the unit of measurement used. The Dhyana
slokas, the contemplative hymns define the spiritual quality of each deity
and the Lakshanas describe the form. The flexions - slight, triple, or
extreme bends - are specified as are the weapons, the number of arms
and faces that provide a super-human quality to the delineation of
basically human forms. Whether the image should be dynamic or static,
seated or standing, as also the hand gestures and poses, are set down as
well.

The ancient cire perdue or lost wax process is followed in its original
form by the artisans. The fashioning of a wax model of the image to be
made is the first step. It is done carefully as the final outcome of the
icon will depend on how this is executed. Under stapathi Kamaraj's deft
hands, a dancing Saraswathi in the Hoysale style takes shape. A twirl of
his fingers and slender wax hands flower in delicate beauty.

Coated with a thick layer of river sand and clay, (the sand of the
Cauvery river bed is especially suited for this purpose) the model is dried
thoroughly and then heated to melt the wax. Molten metal is poured
through an aperture at the base of the model. The five metals
symbolising the five elements - copper, brass, lead and small quantities of
gold and silver were said to make up the composition of Panchaloha in
the past. Now copper is mainly used along with brass and lead. When the
metal is poured into the mould, it displaces the wax and this gives the
process its name. The model is cooled and the clay broken open to reveal
the formed figure. The excess metal is filed and using a variety of
chisels,
the figure is embellished and ornamented. It is here that the craftsman's
skill is made evident. Since only one mould can be used for one idol, each
icon is unique and distinct giving the bronzes their special quality.

In every Pattarai (workshop) in this unusual village, the process is
replicated with bronzes ranging from one foot in height to towering eight
feet ones being crafted. Apart from the training centre, artisans work on
their own with a stapathi employing three or four workers on daily
wages. They sell their products, which differ in quality according to their
expertise, to the Icon Manufacturers' cooperative society here or else
have their own direct clientele. Temples, offices and hotels are the main
buyers. Although the bronzes have their connoisseurs in other countries
too, Malaysia and Singapore are the main export markets. However
compared to the handicrafts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu
handicrafts, including the bronzes, enjoy a minimal export market and
ways are being explored to enlarge it.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++




_______________________________________________________
Get your free, private email at http://mail.excite.com/

------------------------------------------------------------------------
eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/list/agathiyar
Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com