Chennai artist recreates Tamil Nadu temple sculptures on pencil lead

Self-taught artist recreates the magnificence of Tamil Nadu’s temples in miniature

S. Kaviyarasan is currently pursuing a digital art course while working towards taking his miniature art to international competitions and showcasing Tamil Nadu’s sculptural heritage.

The 27-year-old self-taught micro artist from Chennai creates intricate temple sculptures on surfaces as tiny as pencil lead, chalk and sandalwood.

His work began with a fascination for the sculptures he saw in temples. A native of Dharmapuri, Mr. Kaviyarasan started practising when he was ten years old.

“I started trying to carve when I was in class five. I looked at sculptures in temples and practiced on my own,” he says.

Learning from temple sculptures

Mr. Kaviyarasan came to the Manidheya Neyam IAS Academy in Chennai in 2022 to prepare for government examinations.

The academy is run by former Mayor Saidai Duraisamy. Mr. Kaviyarasan was sitting cross-legged in a classroom there when he described how he studies the details of temple sculptures, their design and the ideas they convey.

He uses those observations as the starting point for his miniature works.

“When I go to temples, I look at the sculptures and try to understand what they are trying to tell us, and how they have been designed,” he says.

That interest has taken him beyond copying visible forms. He has explored the engineering and artistic ingenuity embedded in Tamil Nadu’s temple architecture.

The stone chains at the Varadaraja Perumal Temple in Kancheepuram have informed his work. So has the rotating stone ball inside a yazhi’s mouth at the Kailasanathar Temple.

Stone carvings at Sri Margabandeeswarar Temple in Virinjipuram, near Vellore, have also influenced him.

A sandalwood Nataraja

Elements from these temples appear in one of Mr. Kaviyarasan’s notable creations, a sandalwood sculpture of Nataraja.

The sculpture also features the sages Patanjali and Vyaghrapada, as well as Ravana lifting the Himalayas.

Carved from a single piece, its overall structure casts a shadow resembling a person in prayer.

The work reflects the way Mr. Kaviyarasan brings together separate architectural and sculptural references in a single miniature creation.

His interest in history also shapes his art. He has carved Rajendra Chola I in a piece of chalk and speaks about the temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram in explaining the historical context behind the structures and figures he recreates.

“In common history textbooks Rajaraja Chola is more famous, but Rajendra Chola also has a great history. He built Gangaikonda Cholapuram. He carved his own legacy, but he also paid homage to his father’s legacy,” he said.

Recognition for painstaking work

Mr. Kaviyarasan’s work has earned him several recognitions. These include a Guinness World Records achievement for making 617 interlinked chain links from pencil lead.

He also received recognition from the Asian Book of Records in 2019 and the Indian Book of Records in 2019 and 2021.

The scale of the pencil-lead work underscores the precision involved in his practice, while his temple-inspired pieces connect that precision with Tamil Nadu’s architectural and sculptural traditions.

His journey began at home, where he practised without his family’s knowledge.

His father, Selvam, is a tailor, and his mother, Manjula, manages the household.

“It was only later, when teachers and others recognised his work, that he began to see micro art as something he could pursue seriously,” the source states.

“I was doing this at home without telling my family in the beginning. Later, some teachers in college supported me. They told me that this was a form of art and that I could take part in competitions,” he says.

Taking temple heritage to more people

Mr. Kaviyarasan’s ambitions extend beyond collecting awards. He wants to introduce more people to the intricacies of Tamil Nadu’s temple heritage and demonstrate how these forms can be interpreted through micro art.

His approach places close observation, historical understanding and painstaking execution at the centre of the work.

Mr. Duraisamy said micro art is a rare skill that demands considerable effort, patience and dedication, and must be encouraged.

Source: The Hindu