After visiting Mahabalipuram for the first time, it was not difficult to notice that the main market there was of statues and sculptures. Due to curiosity, I asked the price of a 3 feet statue of a lion in a shop. To my surprise, it’s cost was Rs. 25,000/-. So I decided to do a survey of this market to know that how the things actually work from start to end.
The first thing which I came to know that most of the statues were made by local sculptors and skilled laborers. There is also a dedicated caste for such people known as ‘Vishwakarma’. One shopkeeper told me that these people are making statues since generations. Some laborers are also hired by the big shopkeepers and then they are slowly trained on the art. Some statues are also bought from the towns and villages of southern Tamilnadu and from other parts in southern Indian states. The people who have the authority to manufacture statues and sell them are called ‘Sthapathis’. There are some government approved Sthapathis in Mahabalipuram. The laborers make the statue by looking at the pictures. Tools used for the purpose are called ‘Ulli’ in local language.
There are around 400 shops in and around Mahabalipuram which deals in this business. Some of the shops are as old as 30-40 years. Most of the shops keep 3-4 samples of the sculptures to show to the customers except some big shops. They also have the catalogue of various designs to offer to the customers. The customers can then select the designs and can also modify them before placing the order. After placing the order, the actual manufacturing work starts. It takes 4-6 months for a laborer to complete 1 normal sized statue (200-300kg). Shop owners take 25% of the money in advance from the customers. They also provide the facility of delivering the consignment to the address provided by the customer whether he/she is an Indian or a foreigner. The shipment charges are charged from the customers. The whole process is focused on maximum customer satisfaction.
The sculptures are made from 3 materials. Stone, wood and metal. Stones used are marble, granite and black stone. Wood used is normally teakwood or country wood. Metal used is bronze. Black stone statues are the costliest because they are stronger and heavier as compared to other stones. Price range varies from Rs. 400 to Rs. 4 lacs depending on the material used, size, weight and also on the amount of work done on the statue. For big shopkeepers, it takes around 2-3 months to sell a statue of considerable amount(more then 25000/-) and for small shopkeepers, it takes around 4-6 months for the same. Smaller transactions happens more oftenly.
Now an interesting part. Most of the customers are Indians and not the foreigners (as told by various shopkeepers). Indians buy the idols of different deities for the purpose of worshipping. On the other hand, foreigners buy the statues for the purpose of decoration in their homes, offices etc. Most of the foreign clients are the traders who buy these sculptures either directly or through middlemen to sell them in their own country. They belong mainly to Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and USA. Most of the foreigners visit this place at the end of their trip after visiting the other parts of the state. Because after visiting Mahabalipuram and Chennai, they catch the flight back to their home. So usually they don’t carry so much Indian currency at the end of the trip. But the shop keepers provide them the facility of accepting the payment in their own currency(dollars, pounds, euros etc.) also.
Gaining all this knowledge was a pleasant experience. It would be interesting to get some more details about the business and their strategies to survive in such a high competition.
Anurag Sahu
FT13411
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