Tibetan Wood Carving - Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is one of the states of India covered with mountains and forests in the vernacular built forms. Generally in this place people travel from one place to another penetrating through the great divides of the mountain ranges. Villages are in between the plateaus, dense forest and the stepped sides of the mountains. Spiritual elements and the cosmic interchange between the wood and stone suggest the people living here places themselves closer to Gods. The appeals of the Himachal houses are basically cuboid which is arranged in two to three layers. Near examinations shows that interior spaces reveals half levels and intermediate spaces. The clans that had migrated from central Tibet to northern steppes (grasslands) brought their own mythology and rituals with them. Nomadic clans settled among people who were already tending the land in the valleys who had their own rituals and customs. The ceremonies of Tibetan culture are accompanied with poetic recitations of telling the story behind the rituals. This is one of the way or part of passing down the wisdom and morality from one generation to the next from the cultures followed.
Norbulingka is a place in old Tibet and Norbulingka institute is located in northern Himachal Pradesh considered to be the traditional summer dwelling to Dalai Lamas success which serves as administrative and also as a religious center. This institute provides a great support for teaching and training of the carving in wood with Tibetan motifs and inspirations. These carvings of the Tibetan is said to be developed from their masters and are transferred only to the students of this institute through a long training of about 13 years under the guidance of their teacher to transfer the art of this type of carving to them. Woodcarving is a practice of folk art that empowers the local people to direct their culture through the motifs or abstractions which are usually based on nature, spiritual awareness or replication of patterns found in native flora and fauna. As per the craftsmen, the art of wood carving is done in four stages, the first stage is with basic carving with tools fabricated by the local blacksmith. In the second stage, master craftsmen draws the pattern on the wood with pencil or pen which is one of the critical part where the images of the story is created on to the wood. Third stage is creating the ornamentation part of images on wood. Followed by fourth stage of the wood carving which is the final, where coating is done on the wood surface for luster and protection.
