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Stone Sculpture
The temples and Madhis in the Himachal area are full
of stone statues of deities. The tribal areas have their own kind of statues
which reflect the religious beliefs of the tribals.
In the Googa Madhis in the villages, the Googa and his
Googadi, his horse and soldiers are carved out in great details. Many
walls display beautiful relief work. The Shiva temple at Baijnath and
the Krishna temples at Masroor are carved out of a single rock. The temples
at Chamba, Mandi, Kulu and Bilaspur areas display feats of architectural
skill by local artisans much before the advancement of science.
The stone masons are known as 'Batai Hadai'.
Large buildings and small articles of daily use in the houses like pounding
stones, moohras, pots and basins also display the skill of local masons
amply. Many houses have statues of lord Ganesha near the door. These and
the divine animal statues in the local temples are all carved locally.
Stone masons can be found in each area and locality in Himachal.
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