Jaisalmer Stone

Iron wedges are hammered into the rock to facilitate its cutting.

The blocks are loaded into trolleys and transported to factories where they are further cut into slabs and smaller blocks.

While small blocks are used like bricks for construction, architectural elements like pillars and doorways are carved using basic hand tools and simple electric machines.

View of the stone cutting factory.

Ali Khan attaches an iron chain on a block to lift it. With the help of a remote control, he places it under the cutting blade.

The giant hydraulic blade used for cutting the rock. Water is used to soften the rock and to cool it, countering the heat produced in the cutting process.

Slabs of stone at the factory await further transportation and processing.

The chisels are diamond tipped, to give them a hard edge for clean cutting.

Light hand-held electric tools, such as this rotary blade, are also used in the carving process.

A tracing of the design is made out on butter paper, and placed on the stone slab to be carved. This acts as a guide for the artisan to mark out the basic form of the design.

In the case of geometrical designs the craft person generally draws a grid directly on the slab. The carving is then done in the desired areas.

An artisan carves a design using a hammer and chisel.

Detail of a hand carved design.

Some carving is also done with electric tools. Here an artisan uses an electric drill to carve out the required form.

Carved panel based on a traditional window design. Often the form is carved with an electric tool, while the finer detailing is executed using a chisel.

The motifs and patterns used in new carving are often inspired by the traditional designs employed in the old architecture of the city.

Craftsmen at work at a stone factory in the industrial area of Jaisalmer. Carved panels are taken to architectural sites where they are used in the construction of new buildings.

Carved sandstone slabs that will be used as decorative door frames, pillars and friezes.

For this, slabs of stone are first made into smaller pillar like pieces.

These pillars are affixed to an electric lathe, and made to the size specifications required.

A pillar is shaped by turning it. Different attachments are used on the turning machine for various functions and effects.

The final stage on the lathe is that of making the surface even.

The completed product is then smoothened and finished with the use of sandpaper.

A variety of simple forms are made using the turning technique. Products include functional and decorative articles, that are popular with locals as well as tourists.

Read more about Jaisalmer's stonecraft tradition here:

- Life in the Golden City
- Architectural Heritage of Jaisalmer