Shivarapatna

 sculpture, village

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There is a village in our own backyard, little far from the hustle and bustle of cities, which has a tradition of making sculptures. Once a renowned place, now unknown to a lot. It is just another typical Indian village. The profession of the people around here is making sculptures. The art of making sculptures has stuck to this place and people. Walking along the unpaved paths of the village, one can see carving of sculptures all along. Listening to the birds chirping and clinking sound of stone cutting reveal a different ambience altogether.
Expert Hands At Work

There were well bred artisans who had splendid hands on carving the stones which were used to build the temples, statues and southern style architectures in and around the place. The fine traditional art of hand sculpting and stone carvings have come down from ages.

Father and Son



One such family was of Basavalingacharya who was a renowned sculptor, grandson of Shilpi Janakacharya, who handed over the art to the descendants. There were no schools of art or any written rule. The art and the techniques were learnt entirely under the guidance of a guru. The early style was of Cholas and later period saw a mix of all the styles of South India. The art is still kept alive by the delicate hands of the artisans. Few of them are the direct descendants of erstwhile master artisans.
The history of the village Shivarapatna goes back to the time of Gangas dynasty, whose capital was Kolar. The village Shivarapatna is named after Shivamara who was a palegaara / caretaker ruler who encouraged the art of stone carving. During his rule, prominence was given to stone carving or sculpting. The same practice has continued till date.