Wood Carving - Kerala
The design that is to be carved on wood is first sketched on a paper with a pencil or pen. The paper is cut along the sketch edges with a sharp knife. Cut out of sketch is obtained. This cut out is placed on the wood and outlines are marked. For temple, the design is mostly of gods and goddesses, simple floral drawings, or scenes of Dashavataram, or figures relevant to the temple. Marking along the cut out, the wood is chipped leaving the drawing to look embossed. The chisels of various sizes and a mallet is used while carving. Straight gouge is used to mark along the drawing first and then with help of bigger chisel the space next to the drawing is chipped out making the drawing look embossed. This kind of carving is seen in Kasaragod, particularly carvings of doors are done in this manner and it is two dimensional. Once the sides of drawing is chipped off and the design is visible embossed, detail work on the drawing is carried on. The main drawing after detailing looks very prominent and clear. The wood is polished to give a glossy and finished look. Once the carvings are done, hinges for the doors and frames are attached. The basic process of cutting wood log into planks is done in timber yards after seasoning, after seasoning they are treated for long-term quality maintenance. The carvings for temples are typically done at temple area. The three dimensional idols are also carved, the skills of carver enhances the carving. For temples generally, experienced folk sit on carving wood. Vyali (the god/goddess protector of the place) is a three dimensional piece. In Kasaragod shrines, carvings of snakes, crocodiles and Vyali are seen.
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