Galkot, March22 : The wood crafts, sculptures and decors are not only beautiful but equally durable. But, it demands higher costs efforts and patience.
The wood carvings being used in the
temples, tudals, shelters, pillars, monuments, public places and private houses
manifest peculiar Nepali culture and civilizational values.
Lately youths are found
increasingly attracted to the wood carving skills. In lack of transfer of
special knowledge and skills involved in wooden crafts, there is a dearth of
availability of artists and wooden products with carvings.
To the exception, Bhim Bahadur
Biswokarma, a local of Baglung municipality-3 however has been upholding his
ancestral occupation of wood carving. His earlier seven generations have been
doing this occupation.
Biswokarma said the new generations
have started using wood works and carvings in their houses despite time-taking
and expensive.
"There are several challenges
but I have been preserving my ancestral occupation of wood works and
carvings", he said.
The use of wood carvings is mostly
seen in temples in Baglung. Now Biswokarma is being hired to decorate the
Baglung Kalika temple with wooden carvings. Even his son Bikas is also employed
in the same job.
Biswokarma, 60, was entrusted with
the responsibility to beautify the popular tourism destination, Baglung Kalika,
with wooden crafts.
He has spent his whole life in wood
craftsmanship. His farther Motilal was expert in manufacturing tudals and
wooden images of the gods and goddesses.
"My family livelihood is fully
relying on wood cravings", he said, adding he has so far manufactured
hundreds of wooden carvings and products such as doors, windows and structures.
He had undertaken such works in popular pilgrimage sites such as Panchakot,
Karikot, Tityang and Manakamana.
"I had learnt this skills from
my father and I am now transferring this skills to my son", Biswokarma
added. (RSS)