Sculpting has thrived in Mamallapuram over the years, attracting clients from across the globe. The sculptors, who have established studios and workshops in the ancient town, have been using the rich resource (black granite) from the neighbouring Kancheepuram district. However, some of them have started procuring the raw material from the bordering districts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. This shift is attributed to quality concerns and limits imposed on stone quarrying in Kancheepuram. One of the reasons for the curbs, the sculptors say, is the depletion of the resource caused by over-consumption and years of extraction. When the stones at a quarry get used up, it results in the formation of deep pits from which extraction becomes difficult. Moreover, this leads to an increase in the price of stones as the manpower and machinery required go up.
‘This stone is unique’
“My first visit to Mamallapuram was in 2009. I remember the sculptors extensively procuring materials from the quarries of Kancheepuram,” recalls Stefano Beccari, an 80-year-old sculptor from Sweden and director of Global Stone Workshop. “The practice has continued for years, resulting in what seems to be resource depletion. This [black granite] we get here is unique and ideal for sculpting of all kinds,” he says.
According to the District Survey Report, 2019, the availability of black granite in Kancheepuram was put at 3,75,000 metric tonnes. Its quality was determined to be poor. Murugan, another sculptor in Mamallapuram, says he has of late been procuring stones from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh for major projects.
Quarries are abandoned after they are worked up. Then they turn into lakes, from where water is supplied to urban areas, a practice that is gaining popularity in Chennai. Sustainable redevelopment of quarries is also taken up: the depleted quarries are turned into public spaces.
The nearest quarry is 70 km away. This has always inconvenienced the sculptors as transport cost is high. As a result, some of them have been demanding a stone quarry at Mamallapuram. However, the demand ran into opposition from some sculptors. “A quarry would destroy the tranquillity of the town and may even bring down the number of tourists. People visit this place for its culture and serenity,” says T. Baskaran, a sculptor and owner of Creative Studios. “As businesses surge, so does the demand for raw materials. Sculptors from across the globe prefer the black granite offered here because of its durability and colour,” he adds.
According to another District Survey Report, the supply of rough stones (used for sculpting and public sector projects) from Kancheepuram went down from 3,601,450 cubic metres in 2016-17 to 3,270,657 cubic metres in 2018-19, even as the demand stayed consistent.
Global demand
Mamallapuram’s tryst with stones has not only attracted clients and businesses but also sculptors and researchers from across the globe. For instance, Mr. Stefano hosts renowned sculptors from Europe in workshops conducted in October and March every year at Mamallapuram. In European traditions, marble is the most preferred stone for sculpting, followed by granite. The sculptors say quality is the last aspect they want to compromise on as the sculptures are exported globally. They are often commissioned for big-ticket projects within the country, too, including temple idols for which they must pay attention to the details. This is why they have been relying on the granite stones from Kancheepuram, despite the huge transport cost incurred.
Among the international sculpting projects taken up in the town is an Irish recreational park that has stood out because of its outlandish nature: 12 sculptures, each 10 or 12 foot tall and weighing about 10 tonnes, were made in Mamallapuram and shipped to Ireland over 16 years to establish Victor’s Way. “Black granite stones were transported from Kancheepuram to make the sculptures. These stones take on a greyish tone once sculpted,” says Mr. Baskaran, who led 20 native sculptors to pull off this project.
“In sculpting, it is the details that count, and the black granite we get here [Kancheepuram], though relatively softer, is resilient to the cold climates of Europe. It is cheaper, too, than the materials we get in Europe,” says Yemisi Wilson, a Swedish-Nigerian sculptor who was in Mamallapuram for a workshop.
As the takers’ count grew exponentially over the years, the rate of depletion, too, went up. “Earlier, the raw materials were procured from within the town [Mamallapuram]. However, restrictions were imposed on stone extraction after the resources became protected. And that’s how the sculptors started getting the stones from Kancheepuram,” says P. Rajendran, a sculptor and former Principal of the Government College of Architecture and Sculpture, Mamallapuram.
Hub of sculpting
He says several factors contributed to Mamallapuram becoming a hub of sculpting. In the earlier days, the stones were extracted in the town itself. “However, following the restrictions, the sculptors had to look elsewhere,” he says. He highlights the proximity of Mamallapuram to the sea and the resource-rich Kancheepuram as the major reasons for sculptors and clients to troop into the town since the Pallava period. “The sculptors have pulled off several international projects. The stones were transported from the quarries in Kancheepuram, and the finished sculptures were shipped from the Chennai or Mamallapuram coast,” he says.
