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A master piece in soap
stone showing a graceful image of Vishnu with his wife
Goddess Laxmi, seated on his lap. They are in romantic
mood. Done by award winning sculptor from Orissa.
Lord
Vishnu, the Preserver and Protector Of the Hindu gods and goddesses,
Lord Vishnu embodies goodness and mercy. He is represented seated on
the serpent Shesha. Vishnu never sleeps and is the Hindu deity of
Shanti, peace. He has four weapons or attributes: the conch, disc,
club and lotus. In the cosmos, good and evil forces are balanced.
When this balance is disrupted, Vishnu takes a human form to set it
right. There are nine avatars or incarnations of Vishnu. These are
Matsya (fish), Kurma (turtle), Varaha (boar), Narasingha (lion),
Vamana (dwarf), Parasurama, Ram, Krishna, Buddha. Kalki is the future
incarnation which is to come at the end of Kaliyuga.
The stone carving tradition in India is one of the richest in the
world. Stone carving is an ancient activity where pieces of rough
natural stone are shaped by the controlled removal of stone. Art of
Stone Statues and Collectibles is the poetic expression of stone
craft. Sculptures of Hindu deities, modelled on classical prototypes,
continue to be made in many parts of India. In Tamil Nadu such
sculptures are made in granite. In Karnataka, exquisite figures
carved in relief in black stone, with details engraved in fine lines,
come out in greyish- white against the black surface. Softer stones
are used in Orissa, which are easy to carve. The fully carved jali-worked,
in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, are most intricately done. The artisans in
Gujarat are engaged in the art of cutting and polishing semi-precious
stones. One can see the life like images being skill fully sculptured
in different varieties of stone across the state. In Jaipur, white
marble is used for carving out statues of gods and goddesses as well
as animal and human figures.
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