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In classic Sanskrit treatises, the sculptor has been given various names. He is
known as the Sadhak (Admirer), the Mantrin (Wizard), and the Yogi
( Visionary). This is perhaps explained by the ultimate aim of the sculptor to
be primarily spiritual and only secondarily aesthetic.
The sculptor was not endeavouring to portray the mere perfection of the
physical structure, as with the Greeks. He believed that even the perfect human
figure could not fully manifest the higher spiritual values of life, nor
contain within itself the attributes and qualities of the divinity.
Therefore, to give expression to such abstract conceptions , the sculptor
consciously set for himself an ideal, which was not based on the contemplation
of the natural form, but upon meditation of the divine form.
Consequently, you would notice a distinctive power of suggestiveness in the
sculpted forms. Perhaps their supreme function, the idols and forms suggest
attributes and possibilities beyond the range of mortals.
But every time the chisel carved a shape, it was based on Shilpashastras
(axioms of sculpture). Drawing inspiration from the mind, mythology and
experiences, the sculptor has left behind an impression that cannot be ravaged
even by time itself.
Durgi, Allagadda and Tirupati are among the stone-carving centres in Andhra
Pradesh.
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