Q1.
This sculpture of a yakṣha from Pitalkhora carries an inscription on its hand, kanhadāsena hiramakarena kāṭa meaning ‘made by Kanahadasa, a goldsmith’. Is it not interesting to see that a goldsmith could also craft a sculpture made of stone? What do you think this tells us about people’s professions at the time?
Answer
It tells us that professions in that age were real skills, not fixed labels — a craftsman trained in one material could and did work in another.
Four things can be drawn from this one short inscription:
- Crafts overlapped. A goldsmith works with fine chisels, punches and files on a small scale. Those same habits of hand and eye transfer to carving stone. So a man called hiramakara (goldsmith) could carve a large yakṣha.
- Craftsmen were proud of their work. Kanahadasa signed the sculpture. He wanted to be known — which means an artisan's name and reputation were worth something.
- Artisans were literate, or had access to writing. Somebody had to compose and cut that Brahmi line.
- There was demand and mobility. Cave sites like Pitalkhora were being cut and decorated on a large scale, so skilled hands moved to where the work was — a goldsmith could take on temple or cave commissions.
Why it matters: we usually learn about kings because kings left inscriptions. Here an ordinary craftsman left one. That single line lets us see the people who actually built the ancient world — and shows they were not silent.
Did you know? A yakṣha is a minor deity associated with nature. This one is shown as a stout, smiling figure with heavy jewellery and a pleated lower garment, arms raised as though holding something up — yakṣhas are often carved as if supporting the structure above them.