Jaipur Stone Carving
Rajasthan, the land famous for its Great Indian Desert and the oldest mountain ranges, Aravali, has been a huge deposit of rocks of all types. It is the home for variety of rocks like marble, granite, quartzite, slates, soap stone etc. Since ages the land has been a paradise for skillful stone carvers. The main centers for rich stone deposits are Jaipur, Jaisalmar, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Mount Abu, Makrana, Kota etc.
Every place has some special variety of stone and therefore places are even named after them. For e.g.
Jaipur is called as Pink city due to the availability of Pink sand stone. Jaisalmar as yellow city as it has yellow sand stone and due to the huge deposits of white marble in the Udaipur belt it is called as white city.
The land of valorous Rajputs is not simply famed for its fearless warriors and their heroic sacrifices but also for its marvelous forts and palaces made out of stone. The magnificently carved places and forts of Rajasthan narrate the story of stone art and the immense skills of the local artisans. These intricate carving can also be seen in havelis and other common domestic buildings across the state.
The major stone carving centers in Rajasthan are Jaipur, Alwar, Jaisalmar, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Sikar, Sawai Madhopur, Sikhandra and Bharatpur.
Khazane Walon Ka Rasta in Jaipur is considered as one of the main centers for stone carving and stone inlay work in the city. The place, filled with the sound of constant hammering and drilling is situated in the walled city near Ajmeri Gate and houses one of the country’s highly skilled stone carvers. Stone carving has always been a major occupation among the people of Jaipur making it one of the best forms of art and crafts. Beautiful designs of sandstone and marble carvings can be seen in the city palaces, Tripolia Gate, Jantar Manter, Hawa Mahal etc.
