Gajendra-Moksha: Redemption of the Elephant King (Large Size)

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As the legend goes, once when sporting in the lotus lake, Gajendra, the king of elephants, irritated a mighty crocodile that inhabited the lake and wielded its authority over the lake’s water. The enraged crocodile caught hold of Gajendra by grabbing one of its legs and began dragging it under the lake’s waters. Trapped in the dreadful jaws of the crocodile Gajendra wrestled to free its leg but despite all its strength applied it did not succeed in freeing itself from the crocodile’s grip; rather the pressure of the crocodile’s piercing sharp teeth had increased rendering the pain unbearable. After it was completely helpless with none of its efforts bearing any fruit, the elephant king cried for help but fearing the displeasure of the crocodile none from its herd came forward to help their king.

When almost to drown and die, Gajendra recalled the services that its clan had always rendered to Lord Vishnu, especially his consort Lakshmi who was their patron-deity too. As it struck to its mind, the elephant king plucked a lotus from the lake and raising it towards the sky in the mode of making an offering to him the elephant king commemorated his Master Lord Vishnu and prayed him for its release. Lord Vishnu was resting in Vaikuntha with his consort Lakshmi in attendance. He no sooner heard the prayer of Gajendra than riding his mount Garuda along his consort Lakshmi he rushed to the rescue of Gajendra. With no other option in view to protect his devotee he released his ‘Sudarshana-chakra’ and severed the crocodile’s head and liberated the elephant king.

As a statue, more so one carved from wood, is not the medium of serializing a theme, as does a relief-panel, this masterpiece focuses on the climax part of the legend. The elephant’s leg is still in the crocodile’s jaws and its head is skywards turned in prayer, riding his mount Garuda Vishnu along with Lakshmi is descending on the venue and he is yet to release his ‘Sudarshana-chakra’ which is still in his hand. In the statue the agony of the awe-stricken elephant has been wondrously portrayed. Whatever the urgency and his anxiety to protect his devotee, an absolute divine quiescence enshrines the faces of the divine couple. If any anxiety or urgency, it is on the face of Vishnu’s mount Garuda conceived with human anatomy. Besides its concern for Gajendra Garuda’s primary concern is the success of its Master’s mission. The dread of losing its life and the resultant piteousness has been wondrously arrested in the figure of Gajendra that in agony turns its trunk and head almost diagonally. Subordinate divinities, one supporting Vishnu’s figure, and other, elephant’s, and those of the female devotees holding the podium have been as vigorously carved as the main divinities.

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.

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.