Mangaluru: Behind the beautiful faces and expressive eyes of Goddess Sharada idols installed at three major temples along coastal Karnataka is an artist whose skilled hands transform clay into divine forms. As Dasara celebrations gather momentum in Mangaluru, Uchila and Udupi, Kubera Shivamogga is the man behind the idols adding to the festival’s spiritual fervour.Closely associated with the region’s religious traditions, Kubera creates idols of Mahaganapathi, Goddess Sharada, Adishakthi and the nine avatars of Goddess Durga for Kudroli Gokarnanatha Temple. Meanwhile, he creates Sharada and Navadurga for Uchila Mahalakshmi Temple. He also crafts the Goddess Sharada idol for Udupi Sri Krishna Mutt, helping make Dasara memorable for lakhs of devotees.Kubera said that the task of creating and giving a final touch to each idol requires utmost dedication and deep concentration. “Physical labour assistants can do the work, but the artistic perspective requires spiritual discipline. We begin all the work only after performing the Peetha Puja (consecration ritual of the base). After that, alongside daily prayers and spiritual disciplines, as the forms of those idols emerge, we craft them according to the devotional essence and postures suited to each deity. For the Sharada idol, we perform the Peetha Puja on the day of the Ganesha festival and commence work,” he explained.Kubera added: “When painting the eyes and shaping the facial features, we specifically choose a calm, quiet time to carry out that work. I prefer to give the final touches at night — usually after 12 midnight — working till 5am. I do that with great focus and devotion as it requires an immense amount of concentration.”Kubera and his team of assistants reached the coastal districts with all required materials 40 days prior to the commencement of Dasara.“We work step-by-step simultaneously for all the idols. First, we prepare all the armatures. Later, using hay, we build up the basic shapes — the structures based on how each deity should look, whether with four, eight, or 10 hands. After that, we mix paddy husk and river clay together to the right consistency, apply the clay, and sculpt the shapes of the idols. Following that, we apply finishing clay to shape the faces and hands, smooth out the areas that need a refined finish, and then the painting process begins,” said Kubera, who uses only organic materials for his work.On time management while handling work across three locations in Mangaluru, Uchila and Udupi at a time, he said that the team proceeds with the work — stage by stage. “Once the structural work is completed at one place, we move to the next location to do the structural work, and then to the third location.Specialised artisans are sent to the three locations for preliminary work.“When it comes to the finishing work, I oversee and assist at each location to get them ready,” said Kubera, who is making idols for Mangaluru Dasara for the ninth year, for the fifth year in Uchila, and the second year in Udupi.Kubera, who has a workshop, Sri Guru Kalamandira, in Shivamogga, earlier used to work with his master BJ Rajashekhar to make idols at temples. “I seek the blessings of Sri Siddalinga Mahaswami of Gonibeedu, Shivamogga, before commencing the work,” he said.
