Shivarapatna is an artisan cluster renowned for its stone sculptures and metal casting. Shivarapatna, a heritage village on the Bangalore-Kolar road is famous for the 300 families engaged in creation of fine art sculptures. Deities and warriors of Chalukyan friezes are the main source of inspiration for Shivarapatna sculptures. History has it that the shilpis, sculptors of Shivaraptna are descendants of the craftsmen who constructed the temples of Belur, Halebidu, Hampi and Hoskote. They consider themselves the descendents of Vishwakarma,the architect of the universe. The basics of fine arts are passed on by the ancestors. They use hard granite(or soft grey-coloured or Mysore stone),soapstone and sandstone as raw materials. Earlier the sculptures were religious in nature. But today the sculptors carve secular portraits and statues and participate in art shows as well. The state government of Karnataka declared Shivarapatna as a ‘Heritage village’ in 2010 and released funds to achieve a clutch of objectives including that of saving the artisan community in the region.
 

Production clusters: Bangalore (Devanahalli), Kolar (Shivarapatna), Udupi (Karkala, Naravi, Alabengadi), Dakshina Kannada (Mangalore)


Products: Idols

Tools: Chisels, grinding stones, sand paper