Stone Carving of Chhattisgarh

The pink and white stone available in Bastar called sudapaal is soft and easily carved. Large tool called basulas are used for cutting the stone. Pataasis or chisels of various shapes and sizes are used for finer carvings. The artisan make free-hand carvings with these chisels, embellishing the basic motifs with intricate detailing. The idols are later polished with sandpaper to give them a sheen. Tatiya saaj idols are carved on a thick rock as two-dimensional relief work while akshang idols are three dimensional. There are no prescribed measurements: the artisans cut, shape, and carve the idols from an inherent sense of proportion and experience. Simple tools of measurement like the guniya or compass are used. When completed, the idols are polished with polishing stones called battas. The polishing is done mainly by women and children.

At Sheopur, a very traditional form of stone craft is practised in which tribal artisans decorate door frames with intricate creeper designs and also make idols of the gods Hanuman, Ganesh, and Shiva, and of the goddess Parvati. The folk idols of Rajasthan, Pabuji and Tejaji are also sculpted and worshipped as gods. These idols are made on platforms at vantage points in villages. They are are crafted at Ratlam, Kukshi, Mandsaur, and in several other parts of the state. The craftspersons of Kailavan and Tikamgarh also make figures of wild animals.