Karnataka: Family of sculptors wants govt to save the dying art

Though they consider themselves the best in the business, a sculpting family from Karnataka want the government to act to save the art, as the new age of technological development threatens to drive the art to extinction.

Bidar: In the modern age of mechanised production, a family of sculptors from Karnataka's Bidar district has called for government intervention to save the dying art.

The Gangaram Pawar family from the district's Bylahalli village completely depends on the art of sculpting to make their ends meet.

The master sculptors are especially known for their carved statues of Hindu Gods like Anjaneya, Laxmi, Shiva, Basavanna, among many others. The family says that they are equally good at producing intricate home decor out of stone.

The family claims their sculpting history dates back to the Bahmani Sulatanate era, when their ancestors lent their work to the royal families.

Even the stones used for their art is meticulously chosen, with rocks being brought in only from selected locations in Bagalkot, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Though they consider themselves the best in the business, the sculpting family want the government to act to save the art, as the new age of technological development threatens to drive the art to extinction.

Read: Bhatambra Fort bearing brunt of government's apathy