All works of art are expressions through different media whose material is both an aid and a barrier to its satisfactory rendering. Wood carving is one of the decorative arts. Decorative art is defined as "art which is concerned with decoration of objects which themselves are not necessarily beautiful. Decorative art may concern itself with the treatment of architectural units, furniture, textiles, or any other object which the human being feels, should not only be useful but also beautiful. Hence the object should be both useful and beautiful, but if it is of asethetic point, then it is no longer decorative art, but falls into what is known as fine arts". Wood carving is one of the ancient crafts in India. It reflects the state of human society through the individual and throws light into the core of the collective mind of the community.

     In India, as in other countries, the artists have never failed to emphasis the quality of their medium and devise various techniques that are suitable to varied materials. The artists, by their familiarity with the material  and long experience and constant practice in handling it attained a remarkable mastery over it.

     Despite its perishable nature, Wood Carving has been a most important craft in almost all the parts of India, especially in South India through the ages. Though the antiquarian specimens of wood have not survived due to ravages of time and climate, we have sporadic literary evidences about the use of wood. The primary reason for selecting wood is its inherent purity and it being a raw material. More than this wood was easily available and light to handle. In South India, the career of wood was of longer duration and along with other materials like plaster and metal constituted an important medium. Most of the wood carvings displayed here are the ones received from the disused temple cars all over South India. Sir George Birdwood who says,
"South India serves as the best place for the study of wood carving" amply testifies the importance of this craft.

Dancing Girl

Varaha