Kashmiri Art of Stone Carving

Stone carving is an ancient art where pieces of rough natural stone are shaped by the controlled removal of stone. Owing to the permanence of the material, evidence can be found that even the earliest societies indulged in some form of stone work.

In Kashmir the art of stone carving has a long history of centuries, the people used to carve stones into sculptors. The stone even used presently known as Devri stone is an impure lime stone extracted from earth at various parts of the Kashmir. The stone is soft in its nature and gives white appearance after carving. The stone can be molded to any form or shape.

The first person who used this stone was Raja Dever Singh, on whose name the stone was named as devri stone. The traces of which can be seen in the Pattan, Baramulla, where the place named Dever still exists. The remnants can even still be seen in that village of Dever. Then further it was turned into an art by the Mughals, who are considered to be the art lovers, they used these stones in different gardens and monuments in Kashmir like Mughal gardens, Hariparbat and different mosques made by Mughals one such example is the Mula Aakhoon Shah Masjid.

Devri stone is dug from the surface and carved by hands using tools. The various places from which these stones are dug from the surface are Ladoo, Mondakhpal, Sadirkoot etc. The selection of the stone for carving depends on the quality of the stone which is determined by the color, quality and relative hardness. These stones after extracting are sent to the place of molding and carved into different structures.

The person who mold’s the stones is called as Sangtaraash, it is the combination of two Farsi words Sang means stone and Tarash means moulder. The sangtarash selects the stone as per the design and carves it accordingly. Ghulam Mohammed, sixty years old has been working since forty years. He takes it not only as his livelihood but as an art of converting unworthy stone into a treasure.

The art of stone carving is found in various places of Kashmir, but Panthachowk is the famous among all. The artists of the area are considered to be the best in carving. The place has a history of centuries. Most of the people in the area are associated with the trading of stones.  

In the contemporary time the architect gives the design to be molded and the rest of all the work is done by the molder and the people associated , it then depends upon the skills of the moulder how artistically he would carve that design into a monument. While sharing the experience Manzoor Ahmad said ‘to make a statue is much difficult for me because you are supposed  to do all the work yourself and you don’t have any measurement, while other things can be made on the empirical designs.

Devri is famous all over Kashmir and for that matter we can see almost everywhere devri stone are being used whether at private or public places. In Srinagar city alone we can see various fountains of Devri stones adding the beauty to the city at various places.

            The fountains at various crossings, footpaths and the gates of Assembly, High court, at Makhdoom sahib and many more carved from Devri stones shows its importance in Kashmiri culture. Not every stone can be moulded into such architecture, Devri stone is the specialized stone used in carving such monuments.  It all depends upon the patience and experience of the moulder to turn a simple work into an artistic work.

This work is not only the art of Kashmir but it also provides the livelihood to about one lakh people who either work as dealers, contractors or as a carvers.

The process begins with the selection of a stone for carving. Then the artist usually knocks off large portions of unwanted stone. This is the "roughing out" stage of the chiseling process. For this task the moulder may select a point chisel, which is a long, hefty piece of steel with a point at one end and a broad striking surface at the other. A pitching tool may also be used at this early stage; which is a wedge-shaped chisel with a broad, flat edge. The pitching tool is useful for splitting the stone and removing large, unwanted chunks. Those two chisels are used in combination with a masons driving hammer.

For further designing and extra artistic work the carver may also use toothed chisel or claw chisel. These tools are generally used to add texture to the figure. An artist might mark out specific lines by using calipers to measure an area of stone to be addressed, and marking the area to be removed with pencil, charcoal or chalk.

In the contemporary times the art of stone moulding starts with the design of the architect and then the people associated with the trade start the work on the project and utilize the best carvers to work in order to make that artistic creation.

This art has very much potential and the artist or the carver can mould the stone to any shape, ‘even we can construct Taj Mahal of Devri stones, says Manzoor Ahmad a Devri stone entrepreneur’.

‘On chiseling the devri stone it gives a natural colour which is very much attractive, and the stone we use is very soft and can be moulded into any shape’, said zahoor ahmad, he further added that ‘it is our third generation associated with this artistic work'.

Not every stone can be molded in to any shape, it is a special kind of stone and it also depends upon the molder’s artistic level and experience to make pearl out of simple stone says Gulam Mohamad of about seventy years of age.

The Arabic word Allah molded in the shape of almond at Badamwari represents the present day stone carving. Thousands of people visit the monument every year which is sufficient for our appreciation says Ghulam Moh-i-Din and Javid Ahmad who have carved that monument.     

‘This is an ancient art of Kashmir which has developed from centuries; we have learnt this from our forefathers. We are satisfied with the work we are doing and especially when we make some special architectural piece that is the pinnacle of our satisfaction’ says Gulam Nabi a Molder.

Stone carving is present all over the world and new technologies are being used to ease the stone molding, but in Kashmir people are still carving stones with hand. The stone is moulded into variety of items and sold in the local market. ‘It has the potential of being introduced in the international market also’, says Farooq ahmad. 

This is really a work of art and one can develop into an artist only if he works hard, keeps concentration, and have interest, ‘I have been working since last thirty years and I can mould stone into any sculpture. Earlier I have made a flower vas of about three square feet’s with designing outside’ says Basher Ahmad.

Thousands of people are associated with stone carving. Earning sufficiently enough and can be called as skilled labors. The people are not keen about the art but the money they earn, which is damaging the essence of art associated with it.  

When you have will you can make anything, so don’t go after money. ‘If you develop art, money will follow’ said Ghulam Moh-i-din a stone carver.

The artistic hands of the carver infuse life in the stone by carving it into an artistic piece, this white gold can be seen all over the Kashmir valley ranging from the foot paths, monuments, mosques, pillars, gates and to the simple floor.

 

 

      

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Milan Tomic

Hi. I’m Designer of Blog Magic. I’m CEO/Founder of ThemeXpose. I’m Creative Art Director, Web Designer, UI/UX Designer, Interaction Designer, Industrial Designer, Web Developer, Business Enthusiast, StartUp Enthusiast, Speaker, Writer and Photographer. Inspired to make things looks better.

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