Sculptures have a very old history in India. Excavations of the old civilizations have shown traces of metal sculptures in the land. Different regions within the country differ in choosing the material of sculpture. Stone and clay sculptures dominate the east region.

The south has the master sculptors of wood and metal. The central states have a rare talent of molding the iron. Various kinds of wood are used for making beautiful and intricate sculptures in the south India. These sculptures are made either in one block of wood or by joining more than two pieces together. The glue used for joining them is prepared by grinding tamarind seeds. The use of wood is seen almost in every region however.

The techniques of crafting are also different in each region. The oldest and the most complex technique is the one used in the central Indian state Madhya Pradesh. The tribals of this region use the cire-perdu or the lost wax technique for making various metal sculptures. This method has been in practice for a very long time. The skill is passed from one generation to the other. The eastern state Orissa has in abundance a very soft stone known as soapstone.
The artists of this region realize the minutest of their imagination on this gray stone.

Kerala, a beautiful coastal state in the south produces the best of the rose wood sculptures of the country. The themes are everywhere related to the deities or the nature. Apart from making individual idols of the Hindu deities, the sculptors also make idols with mythological significance. We have collected for you the best from every region. Discover and learn the heritage of the Indian sculptures.

The sculpture tradition in India started a long time back. It was set by the leaders of religion in the ancient time that the temple icons were very pious and they were to be worshiped very carefully. No errors were pardoned either by the religious gurus or the deities themselves. It was impossible for the common people to perform the lengthy worship everyday in the temple. This gave way to the creation of replicas of deity icons established in various temples.

Common people were allowed to keep these icons inside their houses and worship them daily as a part of their day-to-day living. The main icon that was established inside the temples were taken out once in a year on chariot pulled by the devotees and taken through the streets. This ritual was performed especially for those who were barred in the temple premises and also for the purification of the village or the town.

Apart from this reason, what promoted sculpture tradition in India was the pure passion of its people for creative art. Every available material was experimented with and excellence was achieved down the ages. Brass, Copper, Bronze, Iron, Gold, Silver, various alloys, Stone and wood, sculptures were made in all these. Following the tradition of sculpture making, the artists of south India still delve in creation of beautiful brass and bronze sculptures of various deities. Shiva-Parvati, Radha-Krishna, Indra, Soma and much more Hindu deities are sculpted in minute details by these gifted artists.