20" Jhule Lal Ji

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Item Code: ZAG94
Specifications:
White Marble Statue
Height: 20.5 inch
Width: 17.5 inch
Depth: 5.5 inch
Weight: 29.30 kg
Handmade
Handmade
Free delivery
Free delivery
Fully insured
Fully insured
Shipped to 153 countries
Shipped to 153 countries
More than 1M+ customers worldwide
More than 1M+ customers worldwide

This marble statue, appropriately painted giving a painting’s effect, represents Jhule Lalji, a human-born elevated to the status of a god in his very lifetime itself and venerated for that reason as Zinda Pir – a living god. A legendary figure believed to emerge riding a fish out of the river Sindh Jhule Lal is also known as Dariya Lal – the glorious son of Dariya, a Turkish term for river. In popular tradition Jhule Lal is believed to have his seat over the waters of the river Sindh or the sea and to incarnate the sea-god Varuna. The tradition believing in his divine birth claims his emergence from under the waters with a lotus, his seat, and a large fish, his mount. Sometimes a horse is also claimed to be his mount. When he emerged, he is believed to have his palms upwards held as when praying for God’s bounty – a characteristic Islamic mode of praying, upholding on them a large manuscript which perhaps the water pressure turned into a semi-circular ‘U’ form.

This image of Jhule Lal carved out of a fine-grained marble rock, neither a vein, a knot nor a discolouring spot revealing, represents the divine figure in absolute adherence to his iconographic tradition. The image of the holy one has been sculpted as seated on a full blown ‘sahastra-dala’ – thousand petal lotus laid over a fish as large as afforded adequate space for the divine figure to seat. The well-contented fish, divine ecstasy bursting on its face, fully enthused upholding its tail like a boat’s hood, has under it a plain moulding with its apex painted in blue symbolic of water over which the fish appears to swim. The figure of the holy one has been conceived as seated in ‘yogasana’, a cross-legged posture with the lower half firmly settled for a longer sitting as required when performing meditation. He is holding his hands as when praying and has held on them a multi-leaved manuscript. A sword is one of his usual attributes but he neither carries nor has any around him.

An incarnation of the sea-god Varuna, the dominant colour in his vestment – his upper wear’s, is marine blue, though Varuna himself being in Vaishnava line, Jhule Lalji’s ‘antariya’ – lower wear, and sash over his shoulders are in various shades of yellow : pinkish and saffron. Varuna is the custodian of all riches which reflects also in the richly embellished costume of the image – both the coat and the ‘antariya’ lavishly worked with gold thread.   The marble’s purity as reflects in this sculpture, more so in carving his gorgeous white beard, moustaches as also the life-like eyes and other features of the face, is simply rare. The image has been so modeled that it synthesizes with the divine serenity and composure the vigour of youth with which the image, though conceived to represent his elder days, bursts. But for his beard his figure has been modeled with an oval face with a well defined nose, well fed cheeks, arched eyes, elegantly trimmed eyebrows and a broad forehead with a Vaishnava ‘tilaka’ mark in the centre. Besides his strangely modeled crown he is putting on around his neck a lace consisting of large gold beads which on one hand frames his beard, and on the other, mounts the collar of his coat. His headgear with a large peacock feather cresting it and bunches of other peacock-feathers and laces of pearls flanking it on either side linking him with Krishna’s Vaishnavism, is a characteristic feature of the iconography of Jhule Lal Ji. A large halo defines the headgear’s back.

Broadly, Jhule Lalji was a regional god of Sindh, a province now with its larger part in Pakistan, worshipped in the region for over a millennium and subsequently world-over by the Sindh-migrants especially after India-Pakistan partition. Under normal chronological order Jhule Lal Ji was born sometimes around the mid tenth century, perhaps 950 AD, on the second day of the month of Chaitra, the first month under Indian calendar. As it happened, a tyrannous Islamic ruler of Central Asia, Mirkshah, conquered Sindh around the mid-tenth century. He ordered all to either embrace Islam or be ready to die. Sindh had a large Vaishnava population which was under the threat of death. Jhule Lalji emerged as the savior. He convinced the Islamic ruler to let them have some time to think. They were allowed forty days which period, now known in Sindhi tradition as ‘Chaliho’ preceding the festival of Cheti-Chand, is among the Sindhis the most sacred period of rituals. For these days that they were allowed to make up their minds they spent in arduous fasting on the banks of river Sindh, now Indus, meditated and prayed, and it so happened that before the deadline ended Jhule Lal Ji succeeded in convincing the Islamic ruler that both Hindus and Muslims were alike and so was their God except differently named in two sects. His efforts bore results and Hindus were allowed to follow their own path. Now parallel to Viashnava gods they began worshipping Jhule Lalji as their Ishtadeva – personal deity, under various names, the main among them being Lal Sai, Udarolal, Varuna Dev, Doolhalal, Darialal, Zindalal… His birth day, the second day of the month of Chaitra, marked the beginning of their annual calendar and was celebrated as the most important annual festival known as Cheti-Chand.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of ancient Indian literature. Dr Daljeet is the chief curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the National Museum of India, New Delhi. They have both collaborated on numerous books on Indian art and culture.


How to clean and maintain marble statues?


Marble has been a preferred material for sculptors and artists for more than a thousand years. It is a rock that undergoes metamorphism which causes recrystallization of the original carbonate mineral grains. Marble comes in various colors, designs, and dimensions. Pure white marble is the most preferred type of marble for making sculptures and statues since time immemorial. White marble is especially used for sculpting stone monumental sculptures since ancient times. The natural shine and luster of the carbonate crystals of white marble give a lavish and beautiful appearance to the statue.

 

Marble stone statues are highly durable and can even withstand harsh weather conditions without getting corroded, therefore, they can be kept indoors or outdoors without getting damaged or weathered. Although these statues can last for many decades, their regular care and cleaning are essential to increase their longevity and beautiful appearance.


  • The simplest and basic way of cleaning a marble stone statue is to clear away dirt accumulated on the surface. Outdoor statues are especially prone to biological growth and dirt build-up that may take away their natural beauty. You may rinse the statue with warm water and mild soap to clean the dirt as much as possible. You can use a sponge or cotton cloth to scrape off dirt accumulated in crevices and cracks.

 

  • You must never allow water to stand on the surface of the statue for a long time. Standing water gets absorbed by the marble’s porous surface which results in its discoloration. Therefore, it is always recommended to dry-clean the statue with a towel or damp cloth.

 

  • Applying beeswax, a non-toxic product, on the surface of the marble statue offers protection against staining, dirt, and pollutants. It also polishes the surface and gives a natural shine to the statue.

 

Marble statues need periodical cleaning to maintain their flawless look. However, harsh and deep cleaning can result in making the statue look dull. If your marble statue is withering away, it is recommended to take the help of a professional cleaner. Marble is a delicate material and therefore needs proper care.

Marble Mastery Unveiled: The Artisan's Symphony in Sculpting Timeless Beauty

Marble is a soft and delicate metamorphic rock derived from limestone. It is composed mainly of recrystallized carbonate minerals. The appealing appearance of marble gives rise to the making of beautiful sculptures and statues. Jaipur city of Rajasthan, India, is considered the capital of marble carving where various marble idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses are made. These magnificent statues are carved by skilled sculptors out of the purest white marble. The slight softness of white marble makes it easier to be carved and chiseled into any desirable form or shape. Another impressive feature of marble is that the calcite has a low refractive index that allows light to penetrate the stone before getting scattered out. This results in bringing a translucent appearance and luster to the marble sculpture. This is the reason why most sculptors prefer to work with marble for sculpting life-size statues that require intricate details, evoking a certain realism to the work.

There is a detailed or step-by-step process of developing the desired structure of a sculpture from marble stone. These steps are:

1. Clay mould

Most sculptors prefer to sculpt a preliminary model out of clay or wax to translate its complex and intricate details into the final stone sculpture with the use of calipers or a pointing machine. The plasticity of the clay mould helps sculptors capture the success of the final sculpture before carving the stone. The clay is moulded into the desired shape or form and this acts as a rough
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2. Roughing out

The second step of carving or sculpting is to remove large portions of unwanted marble stone. This task is done by using a special tool known as a point chisel. The pointed end of this tool is useful for splitting the large stone and removing big chunks that are not wanted. Usually, a mallet (a tool similar to a hammer) is used to transfer energy through the chisel to shatter the stone evenly and accurately.
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3. Refining the figure

Once the sculptors have determined the general shape of the sculpture, a toothed chisel or claw chisel is used to refine the stone. These tools create parallel lines in the stone to add texture to the figure. During this stage, the rough block of stone has now changed into the general shape of the sculpture.
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4. Adding the details

The sculptor is now ready to carry out detailed work to develop a more refined form of the sculpture. Tools such as rasps and rifflers are then used to enhance the shape into its final form. These tools finely create details such as frills or folds of clothing or locks of hair.
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5. Polishing

This is the last step in marble sculpting in which the sculptor uses materials such as sandpaper to bring out a natural sheen to the sculpture. The sandpaper is rubbed against the surface to make it smoother and flawless. Sometimes, tin oxide is also used to make the sculpture appear glossy and more translucent.
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Marble sculptures are highly durable and can last for many decades if maintained and taken care of properly. They are also extremely weather-resistant and therefore, can be kept outdoors or indoors. The exquisite beauty of marble statues elevates the aura of the space and emanates positivity all around.
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