Some are virginal white, others are the colours of
the night. Whether white or
black, these marble creations from the distant desert
city of Jaipur are breathtakingly beautiful. S N Pandey's
marble sculpture showroom in Rajajinagar is the only
one of its kind in the city.
Chiseled marble sculptures in different designs are in-vogue
today. Pandey Moorti Bhandar showcases the great Indian
arts. These replicas of traditional statues are hand crafted
in Jaipur, the home of marblesculptures, where the tradition
has been practiced for many generations.
S.N. Pandey, Proprietor of Pandey Moorti Bhandar spoke
to bangalorebest.com on the neglected art of marble sculpturing.
Where do they get the marbles from? " We get all the
marble from Macrana and Nagor in Rajasthan. Making
of marble sculptures has been our ancestral profession for many
centuries now. 'Pandey Moorti Bhandar' is very well known
in Jaipur for this specialized art."
On his clientele…. "For years now, we have been serving
some
of the richest families and organizations in India.
ISKON temples all over the world have marble statues
and sculptures made by us. Our 'moortis' have gone to
many places abroad where Hindus reside. Birla, Jindal,
Reliance, Mittal, Goenka, JK have all been our clients till
date. We have been in this business for almost 200 years
now. I myself am an artist and have trained 200 people.
I want to train 10,000 more!"
On the different types of marble…. " There are three types
of marble viz, Macrana, Jeri and Mehslana. Of
these, Macrana and Jeri are white marble, whereas mehslana
is black. Macrana is the most expensive of all because of its
super whiteness, hardness and life span of 10,000
years. Jeri, has an antique look, is creamish
in colour and priced a little lesser than Macrana."
On the different kinds of sculptures they specialize in…
" We specialize in sculptures of gods and goddesses, animal
figures and Roman art. The articles available here range
from Rs 400 to Rs 10 lakhs."
 The
foreign market for Indian marble when compared to Italian marble…
"Indian marble Macrana and Jeri are the best quality
wise. They can be polished without lacquer. The finish
is excellent and stays forever because of its hardness when
compared to Italian marble. But, unfortunately, Italian marble
has a better market as people are ignorant about the quality
and the difference between the two. Indian marble can be used
for intricate and delicate work; whereas, the same is
not possible with Italian marble. Italian marble, when cut,
breaks into small pieces and chemicals have to be used to laminate
the cracks."
Other purposes of marble… " Marble powder is used
as building material just like cement; marble chips are
used for flooring and marble is also used to build temples."
Tips on buying a marble piece…. "When buying a marble
article, always look for smaller grains, absence of
cracks for durability, a good finish and a soft look. Never
forget to check the hardness. Italian marble,
when rubbed, erodes away easily. Indian marble,
on the other hand, does not erode."
Here is one 'must-visit' showroom. The sculptures range
from table-top figurines to life size marvels. Just one them
in the living room corner is likely to change the course of
conversations!
For more information contact:
Mr S N Pandey,
Pandey Moorti Bhandar,
Arya Seveshrama Trust, 83,
Ist 'N' Block, Rajajinagar,
Bangalore-560 010
Phone: 2342 9911
Url: www.pandeys.com
| Photographs and Text by Aditi Kumar
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