Wood carving is a revered art form with a history spanning two centuries. It is practised in the regions of Arumbavur, Kallakurichi, Chinnasalem and Thammampatti in Tamil Nadu. Each place boasts a distinctive style of wood carving. However, all the carvers uphold traditional iconography guidelines from the ancient scripture, Shilpa Shastra.

Local wood carvers favour rosewood for its flexibility and smoothness, but they also use vengai, mango, maavalingai and athi wood. The carvers first sketch a design on the wooden surface, and then use a chisel to carve out an outline. The masters carve out intricate details with considerable effort, with hammers on chisels of various shapes and sizes. They use U-shaped chisels for deep cuts, and V-shaped chisels for narrow grooves, and a flat chisel for thin, level cuts. Lastly, after cleaning the surface, they apply a polish for a glossy finish.

Mara Silai carving mainly includes idols of gods, mythological symbols and creatures in varying sizes. It also appears on temple doors and the puja mandapam, the sanctum sanctorum.

The Thammampatti wood carving practice of Salem got certified with the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2021.

Flyers can spot a remarkable Burmese teak wood-carved chariot when visiting the Chennai airport. This masterpiece was created master carver Appar Lakshmanan. Unlike conventional deity idols, he ideated and depicted Thiruvalluvar as the charioteer. The chariot showcases Tamil culture, with carvings of sacred verses from Thirukkural, and also food like ‘idli’ and ‘idiyappam’

Any information on this page is anecdotal and based on publicly available details. If you're interested in learning more, click here.