How Marble Murtis Are Made
The general craft steps that turn a block of marble into a finished murti.
Read the guideCraftsmanship
From a block of marble to a murti
A marble murti is made in stages, each one bringing the deity a little further out of the stone. This is how a murti takes shape.
Raw marble
Every murti begins with choosing a block. The carver looks for even colour and grain, and checks for cracks or weak veins that could break during carving or later in the murti's life.
Rough shaping
The outline of the murti is marked on the block and excess stone is removed to reveal the basic form: the base, the body and the position of the head and arms.
Carving
The figure is carved in more detail: the posture, the folds of clothing, the ornaments and the attributes that identify the deity, such as Krishna's flute or Ganesh's modak.
Detailing
The face, eyes, fingers and jewellery are refined with fine tools. This is the slowest stage and the one that most shapes the character of the murti.
Finishing
The surface is smoothed and polished. Where a murti has painted details or gold work, these are applied once the stone is finished.
Inspection
The finished murti is checked for proportion, symmetry, detail and surface quality before it is approved for packing.
The finished murti
The completed murti is cleaned and prepared for its final check and packing.
Packing
The murti is wrapped and packed to protect carved details on its journey to a home or temple.
How we pack
FAQ
Common questions
How long does it take to carve a marble murti?
It depends on the size, the amount of detail and the finish. A small, simple murti takes far less time than a large, ornate temple murti. We confirm the timeline for your murti in the quotation.
Are marble murtis carved by hand?
Methods vary between workshops. Many use machines for rough shaping and carve and finish the detail by hand. Our guide to hand-carved and machine-carved murtis explains the differences, and we are happy to tell you how any particular murti was made.
Why do the face and eyes matter so much?
Devotees look at the face of a murti during worship, so the expression, the eyes and the balance of the features have the greatest effect on how the murti feels. It is worth asking for close-up photographs of the face before choosing.
Guides
Helpful guides
Hand-Carved vs Machine-Carved Marble Murtis
How hand-carved, machine-assisted and machine-carved murtis differ, and how to tell them apart.
Read the guideMakrana Marble Guide
Where Makrana marble comes from, what makes it distinctive, and how to ask a seller to confirm it.
Read the guide
Enquire
Tell us about the murti you have in mind
Share the deity, size and where it will be placed. We will reply with suitable pieces or a quotation for a custom murti.
Prefer to talk it through? Book a free video call on Zoom or Google Meet.