Creating any form of art transports you to a meditative state. The world around you as if does not exist, so engrossed are you in that process of creating. And I feel while carving shapes out of a stone slab one needs to be completely into it, at the highest and deepest kind of concentration level. You can not erase it, you can’t delete it, you can’t add a stroke of brush here and there to make it perfect.  Every stroke of hammer leaves a permanent imprint. No, I have never held a hammer to carve anything on stone but have enjoyed a wonderful experience of watching these artists at work in Hampi, prior to Hampi festival 2017.

Hampi is a magnificent open gallery of the architectural grandeur and sculpting magnificence. These artists were working on their pieces to participate in a competition to be held during Hampi festival. Themes mostly belonged  either to Vijaya nagar Empire or other temples, figures carved by the artists of the yonder years.

 

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Sculptors at work

 

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Badami cave temples taking shape

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This one was sitting a little away from rest of the artists, listening to music on phone, he was giving shape to a stone while few others peeped inside from window.

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He is etching image of Raja krishna deva Raya

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All pictures by Sunder Iyer

 

 

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