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Between the soulless anonymity of mass-produced
goods and the dizzying price levels of antiques,
some artifacts can still be loosely categorized
as folk art. Woodwork of Paharis is one
such example, an effort at continuing our
artistic and cultural traditions.
Himachal Pradesh is an inexhaustible source
of marvel and fascination. Its wonder and
mystery are deepened by the large number
of artifacts produced by rural artisans
over the centuries. The artifacts have helped
preserve the ancient artistic and cultural
traditions in the villages.
Wooden Statues
All over Himachal Pradesh, one finds innumerable
wooden sculptures in rural style, each carved
respectively in the local style of the area.
Freestanding, three-dimensional sculptures
in this style are very few in number, while
those carved in relief on the wooden planks
are numerous. Both the varieties are marked
by an expressive quality that results from
direct carving. The rural folk satisfy their
religious responsibilities through these
images.
Very often, one finds them enshrined
in a shack-like structure near a big temple.
Around Shimla, one can come across plenty
of such sculptures in the compounds of Naga
Temple in Naldehra and the Launkara Bir
Shrine outside the old Jubbal Palace. The
significance of these religious sculptures
for the Paharis is that they have implicit
faith in them.
The Pahari wooden sculptures are not symbolic
but representational. Each sculpture represents
a well-known Hindu deity and is carved in
strict adherence to iconographic tenets
for immediate recognition. This adherence
imposed a powerful discipline on them and
also strengthened the hold of tradition.
The carvers fashioned these images out of
deodar wood; sometimes sheesham (teak) wood
was also used. The idea of ugliness or beauty
apparently did not bother them nor did it
bother the devotees who worshipped them
with unflinching devotion.
History of Wooden Statues
It is not possible to trace the development
of folk sculptures in a chronological sequence,
for no dated images are to be found. Nor
is it possible to date them. In fact, these
carvings cannot be said to have a history
but they certainly have a tradition. There
are strong indications that this style had
been handed down from generation to generation
for centuries.
The overwhelming unity of religious feelings
of the village community has made it possible
for such a strong tradition to be produced
by the Pahari carpenters. Also, the Pahari
rural areas have a closed society, impervious
to change and outside influences. The traditional
values are more compelling for the villagers,
convinced, as they are that the traditional
manner is all that matters, for it has persisted
for centuries and stood the test of time,
so it must be accepted and continued.
So, the folk style continued unchanged.
The carvers carried their mythologies, legends
and folklore in their minds. The wooden
sculptures served as an instrument for preserving
their religious beliefs in powerful shapes.
Common Forms
The three-dimensional freestanding sculptures
are hewn out of a single block of wood.
Efforts are made by the carvers to keep
the grain of wood intact. What strikes one
most about these images is that they are
cylindrical. In fact, this cylindrical form
derives from the shape of the log, lending
the sculptures a wonderful three-dimensional
quality. The statue of Goddess Kali standing
in a desolate corner, a few kilometers away
from Kusumpti near Shimla, is placed in
the midst of stones in such a way that only
the torso of the Goddess is visible. Due
to exposure to weather, it has acquired
a rugged appearance. The Goddess's arms
are broken and there is a mere suggestion
of breasts. Her body is roughly carved and
executed with great simplicity in rounded
forms. On her drawn face, she has a weird
expression, a long grotesque nose, circular
eyes arched by thick brows, a protruding
tongue and small ears that project slightly
from both the sides.
Shiva and Parvati
There are two statuettes of Shiva-Parvati
discovered from Nirth village in Shimla
hills, both cylindrical in treatment. Shiva
is riding Nandi, which is chiseled in a
remarkably skilful manner. The full body
and sturdy legs firmly planted on the flat
wooden pedestal reminds one of the bronze
horse-rider images in rural style from Rajasthan.
A lot of hard work seems to have gone in
chiseling his facial features - arched eyebrows,
eyes, sharp nose, thin lips and full cheeks.
His two broken arms and his feet are vestigial.
Parvati has a broad face, prominent jaw
line and tightly worn bun.
She is wearing
a long skirt hemmed by a zigzag pattern
and the pleats are suggested by long vertical
lines.
Wooden Panels in Relief
The two-dimensional wooden panels carved
in relief display an imaginative depiction
of the actuality of living, where every
day contributes some novelty to be absorbed
by the stream of tradition in well-modulated
style. The whole surface of the panels is
treated as part of the composition and there
is no distinction between the relief and
the ground plan. The human figures are carved
without any anatomical details and with
little indication of clothes. An outstanding
characteristic of these panels is the complete
integration of patterns and figures into
one harmonious whole.
These panels vary in size - from one foot
to five feet in width. Similar panels are
generally fixed on the wooden pillars of
the temples, and the bigger ones are placed
in the verandah running around the temple
by the villagers as a token of thanks giving
for fulfillment of their wishes.
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