Bhim Bahadur preserving legacy of wood work and carvings

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.