Gwalior's Mint Stone Idols Ready To Enhance Temple's Glory In Punjab
The idols are being carved under the supervision of renowned sculptor Deepak Vishwakarma for renovation of a temple at Navagaon in Punjab.
Published : August 1, 2025 at 7:19 PM IST
Gwalior: Sculptors of Gwalior, known for their deft skills in carving out statues from mint stone, will soon showcase their talent in Punjab.
At the regional art and craft centre in Gwalior, renowned sculptor Deepak Vishwakarma is busy carving more than two dozen idols along with his team. The idols of Lords, being carved in Dravidian and Nagar style, will be sent to Navagaon in Punjab.
In a special conversation with ETV India Correspondent Piyush Srivastava, Vishwakarma said, "The statues are being made for a temple in Punjab, being renovated by a local saint Pandit Manish Vasudeva".
Vishwakarma said making the sculptures in Nagar and Dravidian style has been a huge challenge, because these styles do not use modern machinery but handcraft tools. "Fine detailing has to be done, because in the Nagar style, the flowers carved on the statue, the jewelery and even the folds of the clothes have to be carefully made," he said.
The idols include a seven feet tall sculpture of Lord Shiva which is four-faced. The idol is surrounded by the idols of Parvati and a five-feet sculpture of Nandi. Another statue of Lord Hanuman shows him lifting the Dronagiri mountain in front of Susen Vaidya and Lord Rama, who is sitting next to the unconscious Lakshmana.
On the depiction of Lord Rama, Lakshmana and Susen Vaidya with Lord Hanuman, Vishwakarna said, "This scene was given by Pandit Manish Vasudeva. The purpose behind is that the younger generation must know that Hanumanji had lifted the entire mountain to bring the Sanjeevani herb for Lakshmana, but while he was leaving, it was Susen Vaidya who was sitting with Lord Ram beside the unconscious Lakshmana who told him where to find the medicinal herb. If the entire mountain is brought, the entire scene will be in front of everyone along with the darshan of Lord Hanuman in this statue and people will also get more information about him."
Around 15 to 20 sculptors are working tirelessly with Vishwakarma on the project to carve out 25 idols ranging from 6 inches to 8 feet. While around eight tonne mint stone is being used, the cost of the project is estimated at Rs 30 lakhs.
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