With a huge pile of Hindu deities scattered along Hari Maharjan’s home in Khumaltar near Satdobato, the place resembles a statue factory. Most of his rooms function as a storehouse for statues that look freshly carved while some pieces are scattered unattended, waiting to be worked upon. His home has been set up as his workplace as this is where he occupies himself at his prime job of crafting the sculptures of various deities.[break]
Initially, Hari worked as a statue carver where his job was limited to fine-lining the details of the already carved statues of gods. Out of curiosity and with interest to perfect his skills, he built a statue from scratch. There were many failed attempts, and without a trainer, it was expected to be tough as he found it hard to assemble the parts into a proper shape. But with time and patience, the artist learnt the expertise and he’s been in this business for twenty five years now.
Observing Hari’s work is enthralling. His expert hands cautiously take out the melted wax that he places over a framework or casing in order for the wax to assume the shape. The framework varies according to the shapes and structures of various idols and is mainly used to give the wax a certain form.
Photo:Bijaya Rai
He allows the wax to cool down and explains that after the wax is set, the whole thing is coated several times with a mixture of mud and cow dung. Talking about this intricate job of making a sculpture which a novice will find a hard time to grasp, he informs, “The framework can be in different forms and may include the hands, head or other parts of the body. The individual parts should then be joined together and burnt on fire until it becomes red. Then it’s covered with liquid copper and left to dry for two weeks.”
Hari explains that the final step is when the wax falls off after it is set and the copper statue gets its desired form. A shapeless wax is brought into life under the skilled hands of Maharjan as he shows a recently completed statue as an example with a content expression on his face. He’s been making more than 200 sculptures of idols every month which varies as per the demand of his dealers in Patan. “By selling sculptures of deities, I earn from Rs 30,000 to 40,000 per month and have been sustaining my family of five,’ says Hari.
There are four young employees working under Hari who aren’t only learning the skills in the art of making sculptures but also have been earning for themselves from an early age.
One such example is eighteen-years-old student, Bijay Magar, who has been involved in statue making for the last three years. He’s currently employed at Hari’s place to assist him and earns Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 per month.
“As I’m independent financially, it’s been a support for my family as well. In these years, I’ve learnt a lot about the craft of statue making,” says Bijay as he works on a wax mold.
Hari mentions that in Patan alone there are around ten thousand people who make statues like he does. Rabi Bishwokarma’s, another statue carver, lives a stone’s throw away from Hari’s place.
On his terrace is seen a group of four young men deeply engrossed in sculpting fine diminutive details on the sculptures in their hands. Rabi is seen correcting the men who have missed out a few details, and instead of wasting time, he grabs a piece to work on it himself.
Rabi has been crafting idols and statues of the Buddha, Tara, Radha, Krishna and Manjushree, to name a few, since he was eighteen years old. He had learnt the skills from one of his relatives back home. Originally from Ramechhap, he remembers how it was hard to manage the expenses of his family comprising four members when they moved to the capital.
But his skills came handy. Over the last five years, his work has seen a lot of progress as he now earns up to Rs 35,000 per month. “To survive in the capital, you need at least Rs 5,000 per person. So we have to make the best of what we have,” he says.
Lately, the practice of carving the details of statues through machines has gained momentum but Rabi and Hari don’t want to opt for the trick of the trade.
“The statues carved with machines aren’t of the same standard quality like those done manually. In two to three years, the quality of statues made by such machines degrades. Which is why I haven’t even given a thought to it, “says Rabi.
Like a painter puts life into a painting through colors, Hari’s work is to bring more definition, precision and clarity to a statue. His skilled hands carve various details and shapes, turning the whole statue into a striking piece.
He works for twelve hours a day and prepares around 100 to 150 statues every month. He has also trained four employees who earn from Rs 8,000 to 10,000 per month and are paid for overtime as well. Like Hari, he’s been selling his sculptures at Patan Dhoka and Sundhara. He says the retailers who buy their statues sell their work not only in the country but abroad as well.
Rabi says the major concern about sculptures in Nepal has been the declining business over the years. “There were many Chinese businessmen who came here and lured the local artists to work for them in China by offering good money. Many artists are already abroad now. They work there and have taught the skills to other people there.”
He explains that this trend has decreased the demand of statues in the market and abroad because the Chinese themselves are making sculptures of gods in their country itself.
“So the market value of our statues decreases in that way as well. It would’ve been better if we ourselves could’ve imported the statues or if we had limited the skills in our country. Then it would’ve helped improve the revenue of the country in some way.”
Men like Hari and Rabi have been keeping our traditions alive with their sincere job of crafting sculptures of idols. They are passionate about their work and devote hours on engraving details to craft distinct statues everyday. Their work of art hasn’t only acted as the main source of livelihood for their families but has also opened opportunities for many young people who want to take up statue carving professionally.
nistha.rayamajhi11@gmail.com
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