India Crafters | Artistic - Unique - Carved

Saturday, 22 October 2011

Elephant Tusk Statues

Elephant tusks have been considered lucky in many cultures. In India, during the British rule, hunting elephants for their tusks was a fairly common phenomenon. The hunters were mostly royalty or British officials who would then keep the tusks as decorative items in their palaces, homes or offices. Although, in today’s times hunting of elephants is strictly forbidden by law and consequences for such actions can be quite severe, the love for Ivory or elephant tusk statues has not yet died down. Having said this, the many variety of faux-ivory or imitation elephant tusk statues available in the market today have made things easy for the many lovers of beauty, who no longer have to be disappointed at not owning this item.

To get your hands on a beautiful set of elephant tusk statues, you can try and find a reliable and reputed dealer on the Internet. You may come across quite a few websites that make sculptures of various Indian deities like Lord Ganesha, Lord Krishna, Goddess Saraswati, Goddess Laxmi and others, in addition to making elephant tusk statues. The reason for this is that while some people like to buy these tusk sets as gifts or to decorate their homes with a stunning focus piece, some buyers use these as pieces kept on the side of statues of deities that they pray to. No matter what the utility, it cannot be denied that these particular sets add a special touch of elegance and exclusivity to each setting.

It is a fact that resources like online shopping have made procurement of items like elephant statues or tusk statues an extremely easy task you can undertake from the comforts of your home. However, buying something in a hurry and realizing the size is not right or that there are betters deals or pieces out in the market and you settled for a bad deal can upset anyone. That's why the one thing you must know is the size of the tusks you want to buy. An ideal size for such an item to be kept in a home or office space is about 35 to 40 inches with a widest point of approximately 3 to 4 inches. Browsing through the many websites is the answer to finding the best deal, but it is crucial that you find a balance between what the price is and what you are getting for that price-tag. Many companies may offer great prices, but are unreliable when it comes to quality of the product.

Rather than procuring something cheap, it is best to first shortlist your favorite elephant tusk statues and then compare prices and quality, materials used to make them, reputation of the company, security in money transaction, etc. You could also take a look at some beautiful elephant statues while browsing.

Thursday, 13 October 2011

Significance of a Durga Statue

Hinduism is a complex religion and so are the deities in their numerous forms. It can be hard to understand the wholeness of a particular god or goddess by simply seeing their statue; as the statues are sculptured depicting a particular legend or expression or avatar of the deity. Even a Durga statue that you come across on one website may differ in form, expression, and details from another statue you see on a different website store. If you are looking to buy a detailed statue of this goddess believed to be the one who can redeem in situations of greatest distress, a good place to find one that is beautiful and fits your budget would be online.

If you browse the Internet for statues of Durga, you may hit upon a number of websites that make them in a variety of materials and sizes. There are statues carved out of stones, made from metals, FRP, glass, ceramic, etc, which come in a variety of sizes. As mentioned earlier, all goddesses in Hinduism come in many forms and expressions, and before you buy a statue of this ‘invincible’ goddess it might be wise to know a few aspects of her being.

A manifestation of Devi, who is believed to be the female cosmic force and energy that sustains and supports the world that we live in, Durga is endowed with a number of characteristics that are distinctive. She is the self-sufficient, fierce, compassionate and destructive form of Shakti. In India, there is a festival known as Navratri that is celebrated each year to praise this goddess. Navratri literally means nine nights and is celebrated by traditional dancing in the nights, citing of religious texts to invoke the goddess, sowing of seeds and watching them sprout and grow.

There are said to be nine characteristic forms of Durga, which are worshipped one form per day in the nine days of Navratri. They are Shailaputri, where she is two-armed, carries a trident and lotus flower, and sits on nandi, the bull; Brahmacharini, where she is two-armed carrying a rosary and pot; Chandrakhanda is the form in which Durga is atop a tiger and has ten arms out of which eight arms carries a bow, arrow, sword, mace, trident, pot, rosary, lotus and remaining two arms shows Varada & Abhaya mudra; Kushmanda, where she is eight-armed with a tiger by her side. In this form she carries a pot, holy water, bow, arrow, lotus, discus, rosary and a mace. In this form Ma Durga creates solar system; Skanda Mata is the form where Ma Durga rides a lion and has four arms carrying infant Lord Kartikeya or Skanda, lotus in two of her arms and one arm raised in blessing posture; Katyayani is the form which showcases her atop a lion with four arms. Two arms carry a sword & lotus and other two shows Varada & Abhaya mudra; Kalaratri is the form also known as Kali. Here the goddess has four arms and rides a donkey. While dark and unattractive in appearance, she has one hand blessing devotees and depicts that everything has a dark side as well; Mahagauri wears white, rides a bull or a white elephant and is four-armed carrying a trident and hand-drum, she is presented as purity itself; and Siddhidayini is the ninth form of Durga in which she is four-armed and sitting on a lotus.

You can choose a Durga Statue that presents her in any of these nine primary forms. All you have to do is look for a piece that is beautiful and illustrated in details like weapons and facial features of the goddess.

Wednesday, 5 October 2011

Religious Statues and Sculptures

To look for exclusive and beautiful religious statues and sculptures for decorative or spiritual purposes can be challenging. You may find such statues made in precious metals like gold and silver at Indian jewelry stores, but coming across some in materials other than metals, such as fiber reinforced plastic (FRP), resin, wood or stone is slightly more difficult. In situations such as these, resources like the Internet come handy. You can hit upon a number of websites that are dedicated to showcasing different types of statues and sculptures made by the owner company, by simply searching for your requirement on any web search engine. Different companies sell different products, therefore it is best to know exactly what you are looking for and if not, have plenty of time to browse around and shortlist items you like.

Indian mythology showcases the various deities in a wide range of moods, names and expressions, hence statues made to capture their essence can be found in a variety of styles and designs. There are many options when it comes to religious statues and sculpture, but some of the most popular are intricately designed statues of Lord Krishna, Lord Ganesha, Goddess Laxmi, Goddess Saraswati, Saibaba, Jalaram, Ram – Sita, Shakuntala, Parshvanath, and Shreenathji. The statues come in various sizes, not to mention the differences in postures and expressions in different statues.

For instance, Lord Ganesha may be in a standing posture, sitting on his royal throne, or lying down. On the other hand goddess Saraswati is always sitting, but the statue may be elaborately carved or simply made to show her elegantly sitting on a lotus with a sitar in her hand. Another example could be of Lord Krishna, who is an expression or Avatar of one of the greater gods, Vishnu. In India you may notice that Krishna is also known as Kishan Bhagwan, Murlidhar, Shreenathji, Vasudeva, Gopala, Jagannatha, and Vithoba. You may find many different statues of Krishna in the market, which capture poses from his countless legendary stories. Gopala or Bal Krishna are statues of Krishna as a child, while Shreenathji is a Rajasthani interpretation of the God with him wearing a traditional Rajasthani outfit. On the other hand, other statues of Krishna may have him playing the flute leaning on a cow, standing alone playing the flute or with Radha next to him.

The variety of religious statues and sculptures you may chance upon in the market is amazing. You can always count on finding the perfect statue of your deity or saint, if you take a little time and browse through a few websites. All you have to do is have a material in mind, and know a range in size that you prefer.