Component 5: News report-2

 News report

The lingering art of rock sculpting in Mahabalipuram

By Nidhi S

22.10.2021

Bengaluru

Mahabalipuram is home to some of the oldest sculpted monuments in India, which are now UNESCO world heritage sites. The Pallava King Narasimhavarman I was the founder of this city in the 7th century. It was during his reign that the art of rock sculpting flourished and many monuments like the Pancha Rathas were built. Sundar R is a 50-year-old owner of Om Vinayaka sculpting shop in Mahabalipuram. He has 28 years of experience in rock sculpting and wood carvings. His artwork of temple shrines and idols is sought after by people from various cities like Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Kanchipuram. He failed his 8th grade and dropped out of school to pursue and acquire the skills of sculpting, the art he immensely admired. According to Sundar, “Sculpting was initially considered a privileged art practiced only by the higher caste in the society such as the Acharyas under the Pallavas rule. However, the Acharyas became nonchalant about the art of rock-cut architecture and sculpting in time and began recruiting apprentices from the lower castes like the Pulayas. Those apprentices multiplied and passed on the art to everyone around them. This is how sculpting became a popular art form in Mahabalipuram ever since”. 

Sundar never went a day without sculpting or spending time with his helpers in the shop but during the Covid-19 pandemic, he and the other sculpture shop owners found it extremely difficult to cope with the situation. A worker in Sundar’s shop said “Anna (Sundar) used to give us his share of the daily wage and savings so that we could feed our families during lockdowns”. The owner of Selvaganapathi sculpture shop, V Ramachandran said: “there were no customers or tourists for months straight and the Tamil Nadu government did not grant us, sculptors, any loans, we were in desperate need to make ends meet”. Sundar, his team, and other shops eventually rose from the dire condition they were earlier in as the restrictions were lifted and customers started to knock on their doors.