Stone Carving of Madhya Pradesh

In Madhya Pradesh, domestic implements like the mortar and pestle, the silbatta, chabbi, kundi khoral, handi, and chakla are made by the tribals. These products are lightly carved with designs. Chakkis occupy an important position in Indian traditions as they are believed to keep away evil spirits. The soft marble rocks surrounding Bhedaghat near Jabalpur offer pliable raw material for making decorative objects like carved panels, figures, and boxes. Balaghat has a green stone out of which local carvers make a number of small items. Religious images are important. The Ghosipura area of Gwalior is situated on a hill and has a number of sculptors residing there. They are popularly known as descendants of Vishwakarma and the price they fix for an idol is called wyochhar. This is fixed at an odd number value as the number ‘one’ is considered to be very auspicious. In the Bamaur area five types of stones are available, of which the rajauri is the most durable. Singi is the most suitable for carving idols and dauver is used to make lattices. Mandsaur, Ratlam, and Narsinghagarh specialise in stone craft. Lord Deo Narayan, a popular deity of Mandsaur, is beautifully crafted, while the sculptures found in Umrali village are made of yellow sand stone and are not very large.