Murtis: Beauty Speaking through Stone - A Stonemason's Shop near Puri

Here a number of devotional and decorative exhibits at a roadside near Puri.

An apsara playing mridanga

other motives

a larger figure

a different type stone

still bigger

a vessel

Hanuman and a glance into the garden

unfinished

musical instruments in hand

dancing posture

Krishna as Govinda with a cow

Siva with the crescent in his hair, and the Ganga flowing from his head

same at a lower angle

big sphere

Vishnu

ladies, with Garudas in the back

a shell

flowing movement

that impressive vessel again

blessing and praying Hanuman

a V.I.P. made his selection

then a well-deserved nap

How much would one of those murtis sell for? How much would it cost to ship, I wonder.

The one this man bought cost just a few thousand Rupees. Shipping by sea freight would not be unreasonable.

Like anything you probably get what you pay for. Usually there are different prices depending on the material used and the detail. These type appear to be made of a type of sandstone like in Jaipur. In North India the usual materials are this, soapstone (very soft, cheaper, breaks easily), and marble. In South they used granite (much harder) mostly. You can get good granite deities in Mahabalipuram. If you want metal of course in North they use brass or bell metal (astadatta). Whereas in Sout they use Pancaloha (bronze) which has a predominance of copper. For metal murits try Vrndavan or Navadvip in North or Kumbhakonam in South. Styles vary mainly by region. Don't expect to find Gaura Nitai in South. Also the finish is important. Some deities are very detailed and made for worship (usually called Temple finish). Then some are made for decoration. Some metal deities are specifically given what is called Antique finish to make them look old.

Shipping is usually available if you by at a larger emporium. If not you can find an exporter easily who can take delivery, pack and ship to you. Having deities custom made is nice. If you want take a photo of a famous deity you like and have the guys copy it. But remember to be practical if you are actually going to worship that deity. Some artisans make deities with lots of extraneous clothes and ornaments that make dressing difficult. Of course if you are not going to dress then this can be an asset. Probably better to repaint any painted features before installation however as Indian paint is not as high quality as that available in the West.

I doubt that Jagat thought about worshiping one of these stone murtis on his altar. It is true though, that you'd find much more refined murtis elsewhere. One thing I am concerned about, Keshavaji, is this statement of yours:



Since this can be read by many different people, more and less experienced ones, and will remain in the archives for years to come, I think it should be said that people in India in general promise shipping just to finalize a deal, but that you may never receive anything, especially if you do not have a continuing relationship with the shop you buy at. Obviously you should only do it by a reputable shipper, someone you get recommended by someone you can trust, who does not receive money from you. If you are buying at Mahabalipuram (modern Mamalapuram) continue down a little further to Pondicherry and use Arhandicraft Export Service; they ship daily to stores in Europe and America and are used to Western standards. In a place like Vrindavan it is a different story, but out in the wilderness of India's zillions of shops you cannot just trust any store to send you what they sold to you.