CHAPTER V.
Implements and Material*
T^HE implements of the wood-carver, like those of most Indian artisans
A -- -- are few and simple.
mallet usually a plain block of wood
and a dozen small chisels will suffice for all purposes.
Monograph on Wood Carving.
13
Chisels are generally called nihdni : though ruhhni (Mainpuri) and
qalam (Nagina) are terms in common use.
V They fall into two main classes, viz. the flat
chisels known as
chaursi; and those with a bent rounded head, used in carving floreated
patterns, called hirka. Each class is sub-divided according to sizes, the
dimensions of the different chisels corresponding with the breadth of the
thumb and finger-nails.
In Nagina hirlca chisels are called gol qalam. The thassa is a
minute gouge employed in decorating the background. Derhkhamman
and ultians are two forms of hirka.
In the Brihat Sanhita, a celebrated work on astronomy dating from the sixth century A. D., a list is given of the kinds of wood most esteemed by Hindus for furniture. Sdl, sandalwood, and teak are mentioned, but tun and shisham, which are used so generally nowadays, are not included.
Similarly, there is a curious collection of forgotten lore in the Silpa
Sastra and the Puranas, which imposes certain rules in the selection and
felling of trees. According to this ancient philosophy, the timber of trees which have been struck by lightning or borne down by inundations,
storms or elephants, or which have fallen towards the south quarter,
or which grow on burial-grounds should not be used by carpenters. The
business of the modern timber-merchant is not hampered by any such
A scruples.
few curious superstitions still exist.
Sandalwood (chandan) is an object of great veneration, and is used
extensively for religious purposes. Its paste is used for caste-marks and
for anointing the household gods, and Hindu poets compare it to a -- saint: " Chandana sangati chanaclii hoti." The use of chandan is
much approved by the carpenters of ISTaglna as a fragrant lining for
carved ebony caskets. The wood of the siris (Acacia speciosa) is also much esteemed, and
it is regarded as inauspicious to use it any way that may cause it to be
trodden under foot. Accordingly, it is unsuitable for ^eJbiQn^(kharauns);
14
Monograph on Wood Carving.'
and though there is no objection to using it in the door-Untel (utrangi)j the sill (dilial or dihli) should never be made of it. The wood par excellence for all kinds of carving is shisham (Dalhergia sissoo), which flourishes universally in the plains as well as on the lower ranges of the Himdlayas. The dark heart-wood is of great durability and is not readily attacked by whiteants. When darkened with oil or a composition of soot, it is not easily distinguished from sdl (Shorea rohusta), a timber much used in these Provinces for the cheaper kind of chauhats. The latter wood is, however, inferior to shisham, as it is coarse-grained and less durable. Cedrela toona or tun is the staple timber of cabinet-makers, notably in the Sahiranpur district. This wood is soft and easily worked, and takes a natural dull-red polish. Dudhi (Holarrhena antidysenterich), another speciality of Sahdranpur, is not so well known as formerly. The tree is found in the Sewdlik tract and yields a white soft wood, very easily chiselled. Plaques and picture-frames of dudhi wood were formerly turned out in great quantities, but have now Ic^t favour owing to their tendency to rapid discoloration. Owing to its high price the hard-grained, durable, and fragrant sandalwood is used only for small articles. The Nagina carvers are fond of using it in combination with their so-called "ebony" (abnus): the latter (Diospyros tomentosa) is a black and heavy heart-wood imported from Central India. Teak or sagon (Tectona grandis) is used in the central jails by Burmese prisoners, and their work is as readily identified by the pale unpolished nature of the wood as by the well-known characteristics of the carving.