Alwar: Rajasthan's Alwar district is famous for its local artisans, who beautifully carve statues from stones. Butoli, a village in the district is a place where statues are being carved since 1975.
In earlier times, people used to come from far-off places to the houses of the artisans to learn the art of designing statues. Today, people of this village are carrying forward the tradition of their family. Sound of chisel and hammer is heard from every house of this village. People from this village have settled in different parts of Alwar and are presently making a living through their sculptures.
Kanti Sharma, a craftsman of Butoli village, said the art of designing statues requires exquisite skills and artisans often encounter difficulties where a minor mistake can spoil his entire hardwork. "Many people came to this village to learn the art and settled here. Today, people have preserved the tradition of the elders of their family and are carrying forward the art. Around 40 people from this village are engaged in this art. Also, many people have taken forward this art to other cities, towns and villages," Sharma said adding that he is handling the work started by his father.
Moving from Butoli to Alwar in making idols: Sculptor Ashok Sharma said the art has been associated with Butoli village, which is known for its stone work. Sharma said elders started this work in Butoli village, and today the people of his family have taken this work to a large scale.
Work made easy with technology: Sculptor Ashok Sharma said that the work of making idols is very complex but now things have turned easier with technology handling more than 50 percent of the work. Machines are used for designing the artwork on a statue while earlier a lot of time got wasted in working with hammer and other tools, he added.
Price depends on the stone texture and statue's design: Sculptor Ashok said that three to four types of stones are used for making statues in Alwar. Stones brought from abroad are used here. The price of a statue depends on the quality of stone and the design of the statue, he said adding that he also carves statues worth up to Rs 5 lakh.
Sharma said that these days, idols of Rama, Krishna, Hanuman, Shiva, and other Gods and Goddesses are in huge demand.
