Renjala Gopala Shenoy (1897 - 1985) - The magician who infused life into stones

K

arkala, as the name implies, has abundant kariya kallu (black stone) and is well known for its architectural splendours carved out of black granite stones.  Most of the structures including the 42-foot monolithic Bahubali, the Chaturmukha Basadi, Hiriyangadi Basadi and the Ananthashayana Temple were chiselled during the regime of the Bhairavas.

     After the lapse of several centuries of sculpting such architectural marvels, nobody thought Karkala would see other equally proficient sculptures. It would not be an exaggeration if one says that a sculptor of the Bhairava dynasty, reincarnated in the nineteenth century as Renjala Gopala Shenoy. Apart from creating sculptural miracles at his hometown Karkala, his works can be seen at many places in the country and the faraway Japan as well.

A second generation sculptor

     Renjala Gopala Shenoy, born on January 6, 1897, was the only male child among the four children of Janardana Shenoy and Padmavati Shenoy. Janardana Shenoy, who did not have any means to keep the family hearth burning, sought solace of Sri Bhuvanendra Theertha Swamiji of Kashi Math Samsthan. The seer suggested him to take up sculpting, wherein not only he but the generations after him would also excel.  Thus he took to sculpting and his works can be seen in Sri Venkataramana Temple, Udupi and Sri Venugopalakrishna Temple, Karkala. However, he did not come to limelight.

Son takes up the baton

     Despite being the son of an eminent sculptor, Gopala Shenoy was quite unaware of his innate talents till his father passed away. An idol of Ganesha made out of clay, his first work, had become a butt of ridicule when it broke during transit.  The incident hurt his ego. He determined to be an efficient sculptor and never looked back since. With the blessing of Sri Bhuvanendra Theertha Swamiji he ventured into the field.

     Initially Gopala Shenoy was a drawing teacher in the school run by Sri Venkataramana Temple, Karkala. Sri Sukrtheendra Theertha Swamiji of Kashi Math Samsthan came to his residence, blessed him and christened his workshop as Bhuvanendra Shilpa Shaala and then on Gopala Shenoy became a full time sculptor. Perhaps, Shenoy did not leave any medium untouched to express his aesthetic feelings. He had chosen paper, mud, wood, stone, silver, gold, panchaloha and even coconut shells for his works.

Pillars at Sri Venkataramana Temple

     Dexterity and perfection are the hallmarks of the works of Gopala Shenoy. The mastery of his skills can be observed in the four pillars of Garuda Mantap of Sri Venkataramana Temple, Karkala. The chains hanging from the pillars though made out of stone move like any other steel chains. Miniature sized animals such as lizards and honeybees have been meticulously and vividly carved on the pillars. The four pillars are not alike. They narrate different mythological stories.  From the single stone selected from Nallur near Karkala, he carved four pillars and a statue of Durga Parameshwari.

                      

     The works at Sri Venkataramana Temple, Karkala and the Bahubali statue at Dharmasthala catapulted him to fame.

Some tell tale evidences of craftsmanship

· * Thirty nine-foot statue of Bahubali installed in Dharmasthala

·     *   Thirty-two-foot high Bahubali at Firozabad

·       The idol of Lord Krishna in Hrishikesh

·       The idol of Krishna in Canara High School, Mangalore

·        The idols of Rama, Seetha and  Lakshmana at Rama Mandir, Wadala, Mumbai

·       Vrindavana and stone Dhwajasthambha of Gokarna Parthagali Math

·        Dhwajasthambhas of several temples including the one made with silver covering for Venkataramana Temple, Karkala

·       Six-foot statue of Lord Veerabhadra in Akkialur

·       The idol of Ravalanatha at Ravalanatha Temple, Karkala

·       The  idol of Lord Venkataramana at Siddapur

·       Golden throne in Sri Venkataramana Temple Karkala

·    Silver Dhwajasthambha, door frame and stone pillars in the Pauli of Sri Durga Parameshwari Temple, Kateel

·             Silver throne in Kashi Math Samsthan

     And the list has many more that speaks volumes about his ingenuity and skill. They are the living monuments of the finest works of the sculptor.

Masterpieces across the border

     A stone stupa and the 67 feet statue of Avalokiteshwara installed at Nara in Japan are some other examples of adroitness in his work. He had also sculpted the life of Buddha on stones for Japan. He had even exported three thousand identical statues of Buddha to Nara.

Honours bestowed upon Shenoy

     He never went out in search of awards or honours but accolades came in search of him. Shenoy had been honoured with:

·       Honorary doctorates by Mysore and Mangalore Universities

·       The Master Craftsman Award by the Government of India

·       Rajyotsava Award by the Karnataka Government

·     The title Shilpa Samrajya Chakravarti conferred by Sri Sudheendra Theertha Swamiji of Kashi Math

     Sri Shivananda Swamiji of Divine Life Society, Dehradun, in 1943, thought highly of the Krishna idol Shenoy carved for Hrishikesh, and had showered praise on him saying, “… I have found one of the ablest sculptors and engravers our Motherland has ever produced… The smiling lips, the charming eye, the Vaijayanti hanging around the neck down to the waist, the armlets and bracelets, the peacock feather with jewels carved on the crown and the sweet Murali are so life like that the image has become a source of attraction and inspiration to one and all.”

Training produces a band of efficient sculptors

     Those who worked under him and gained experience also excelled in their chosen fields. The late Shyamaraya Acharya, a Rajyotsava Awardee, who later went on to become the chairman of the Karnataka Shilpakala Academy, the late D P Narayana Bhat from Mala, who had won the National Award for silver carving and Gopala Mestri, a well-known name in chiseling stone sanctum sanctorum of temples were with Shenoy at one point of the time or the other.  

     Tamilian artisans, Shenoy brought to Karkala, while carving the Bahubali statue for Dharmasthala, later settled at Karkala. Now there are about 500 families of Tamilians residing in and around the town involved in sculpting.

The saga continues…

     The pious sculptor was not after money.  Work was like meditation for him. Hence he was able to produce the best.  Gopala Shenoy breathed his last on December 1, 1985.

     Among Shenoy’s four sons and three daughters, the second son R Manjunatha Shenoy pursued the profession of his father. Now Manjunatha Shenoy’s son Radhamadhava Shenoy is into the trade furthering the family’s repute.  The sound of stone chiselling continues to be heard in Bhuvanendra Shilpa Shaala.