Ayodhya Nath Kerni
Sudhmahadev is a small town situated in the lap of precipitous mountain Shivgarh with innumerable shrines in the surroundings and famous for the abode of Lord Shiva. The temple of Lord Shiva creates the ambience of holy, historical, secluded and peaceful small town. A mela takes place on the full moon night of ‘Jyeshtha'(June). Devotees in large numbers throng to pay obeisance to trident , mace and shiva lingum. Festival longs for three days. Cultural programmes are also organized during the festival. Temporary tented accommodation is provided by J&K Tourism Deparment. A sarai of Dharamarth Trust and guest houses are also available for the stay of visitors. The spots like Gauri Kund (Where Goddess Parvati attained renounciation), Papnashni Bauli(Where sins are eradicated), Mantalai(Where marriage of Parvati with lord shiva was solemnized) and many other spots of scenic beauty as well as religious significance make it attractive. There exists a small shop adjacent to Shiva temple known as ‘Art Gallery’.
The art of stone carving and embossing statues on stone developed along with human civilization. There are many magnificent statues of Lord Budha and monuments of architectural triumph in the world which reflect the grandeur of exquisite stone carvings noticed in many ceilings of grand structures. The carved statues of various deities in most of old Baulis, though found eroded with ravages of time, represent the glorious art of stone carving of the past era.
Madan Verma, a local resident of Sudhmahadev joined service in Tourism Department of J&K state after completing his schooling at Sudhmahadev. It is a fact that few of us return our debt to the society. He had the distinct desire to do some thing new in service of motherland right from his childhood. He got associated with late SV R Khajuria, the master sculptor in 1983 . He holds great regard for him and considers him as revered guru. Initially. Madan Verma started learning carving as hobby which ultimately turned into profession. He achieved laurels in the annals of carving, and sculpture by participating in various exhibitions at state level as well as national level. Few of them are-Art exhibition of J&K Cultural Academy, Fine art exhibition of J&K Cultural Academy, Annual Fine Arts exhibition J&K, exhibition of Fine Arts Academy Amritsar, National Exhibition of Arts organized by Lalit Kala Academy New Delhi, Fine Arts Exhibition Jaipur, Exhibition of Arts on the life and ideology of Mahatma Gandhi Lucknow, Arts contest exhibition SCZZ Nagpur. All India Exhibition Bhopal. He had the privilege to organize some special exhibition along with Amrik Singh Namdhari in memory of his guru late V R Khajuria at Abhinav Art Gallery Jammu, Lalit Kala Academy Lucknow, one man show at Delhi Haut, National Painters and sculptors camp Mansar and many more. He also attended many camps in J&K state and outside such as All India Sculptors camp at Kud, Sculptors workshop at Patiala, sculptors workshop at Hoshiarpur, and so on. His work was recognized and he received many awards for it like state award by Cultural Academy, Awarded for working on Aghar Jitto Statue, Best performance award in Sculpture by JKTD corporation, All India Award by SCZCC Nagpur etc.
The creations speak volumes about his innovative creativity like discovering locally a fine wood wild walnut(Bank Akhrote) for carving which was not used locally for any purpose. He prepared idols and decors with this wood which were much cheaper in comparison with stone idols. His observations are that longevity of wooden idols is less and possibility of developing lining cracks after some time is not ruled out. He has surveyed the types of stones at various places at Thathri Nallah, Charan Paduka Katra and Khambian other side of Trikuta hills. The idols can be erected with the stones of these places but stones are having after all have a mixture of slate, sand and other alloys which amounts to obstruction in shaping the desired design of minute nature. Due to lining and other drawbacks this stone is not preferred for idols. Stone available at Samroli rock site can be used for big and rough idols such as erecting of Bhim like big statues only which are mostly demanded in villages. The most suitable stone for erecting the desired designs of idols is the stone of Hajipora (Sopore). Idols sculpted with stone do give a fine finish and natural colour. No polish is applied on the idols of this stone. Only wax or oil is applied which gives an everlasting look.
Separate tool kits are kept for wood carving and stone carving which includes hammers flat chisels round chisels and corner chisels etc. Now a days auto saws for wooden work and electric stone cutters are also brought into use. Raw material i.e. Marble piece 1’X1′ costs Rs 3000 at Jaipur plus heavy freight where as same size stone at Hajipora costs only Rs 1500 and less freight. Considering the cost factor stone idols are cheaper than marble idols. Moreover, marble idols are fragile in nature. Stone idols need not be immersed during hot and sultry months. They are more robust and weather proof.
Madan Verma has worked in Indian Mythology, Modern art, Lining art and relief work. He prepares idols on receiving orders. A statue of the size of 3’X1 1/2 ‘ sells at Rs 70000. He has also displayed about 150 art pieces in arts Gallery which include Vasuki Nag Kaliveer , Durga, Sheshnag, Shiva-Parvati, Hanuman, Ganesh, Sita-Ram, Shivalingum and many wooden decors. He posseses diversified and versatile creative talent. He has blended the traditional folk art with modern forms and has attained proficiency in craftsmanship. His elegant carvings and inland sculpture work is greatly thriving in this age. His Art Gallery is visited by many pilgrims who come for the obeisance of Shiva Temple and annual festival. He has imparted training to some locals but they have not devoted full time and lack in proficiency.
In order to promote skill development it is imperative that organized training is imparted to our youths particularly in the field of stone carving so that art may not vanish. There is a good future in the field and which can fetch good returns. The trainings should be organized on Government level or by volunteer institutions so that art may become more popular among locals. Steps are required to be taken to articulate interest and curiosity for stone carving particularly to the drop out students who do not go for higher studies.
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