The stone carving tradition in India is one of the richest in
the world. 7th century, guilds of masons and stone carvers have
existed here. Even today, the abilities were handed down as family
custom from father to son, a practise prevalent in some parts of the
country. The classical tradition of stone carving was closely linked
with architecture. All major temples of India like Puri, Konark,
Khajuraho, Kailash Temple, or the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram-
epitomize the rich tradition of Indian stone carvings.
Rich in different kinds of hard rocks like granites, marbles,
quartzite, slates, and other metamorphic rocks, has been a
stone-carver's paradise. Right from the medieval times, the ready
availability of high-quality stone made it easy for the Rajasthani
builder to construct strong and charming forts, palaces, and
temples. The sculptures found in the ancient and medieval temples of
Bharatpur, Baroli, Ramgarh, Nagda, Ajmer, Chittor, Mandore,
Jaisalmer, Bikaner, and Udaipur speak highly of the artistic skills
of the Rajasthani stonecutters. Apart from temple carvings, the
stone carvers of Rajasthan are noted for their jali (latticework)
carvings. Most magnifecient buildings of Rajasthan sport jali work
on their doors and windows. The jali screens, sculpted from both
sandstone and marble, were frequently used in the windows of the
zenanas (women's quarters) enabling the women in purdah to view the
events of the courts without being seen. The screens also offered
protection from the elements while allowing the passage of fresh air
through the intricate geometric patterns.
Jaipur is one of the major centre of marble carving in Rajasthan.
You can see many artisans developing marble image of the deities as
well as domestic utensils such as bowls for grinding spices. At
Ajmer, Udaipur, Jodhpur and Bikaner one comes across some good
examples of the intricate jali work done on screens and panels of
the royal palaces. A good quality of marble and sandstone extracted
from the numerous quarries in the state had given rise to a
tradition of stonemasons and sculptors. The quarries at Makrana are
quite famous, for it is from these quarries that the marble used in
the Taj Mahal was mined. Also built using marble from Makrana mines
were the charming Dilwara Jain temples at Mt Abu. Rupbas (near Agra)
and Karauli still produce the red sandstone that was used by the
Mughals to build their forts and palaces at Agra, Delhi, and
Fatehpur Sikri. In Jaipur, white marble is used for carving out
statues of gods and goddesses as well as animal and human figures.
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