TIRUPUR, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 03, 2006: (HPI notes that the terms ‘statue’ or ‘murthi’ are preferred to ‘idol,’ a derogatory term.)
Knitwear capital Tirupur is literally carving a niche for itself in stone. It is now a familiar name in many countries for the export of stone idols of gods and goddesses from the Hindu pantheon to temples abroad. With demand coming in from all over the world, Tirupur has enough reasons to smile as most of the gods and goddesses that adorn the temples overseas were born in this town.
Around 40-45 units are engaged in the idol making business here, gainfully employing 2,000 people. The exquisitely chiselled statues, beams and pillars speak volumes for the workmanship of sculptors in this town. This unorganised sector generates business worth about Rs 1 crore per annum with the price of statues varying dramatically, from a mere Rs 5000 to over Rs 1 lakh a piece. Of course, the pieces that are exported are typically in the upper price bracket.
Mr T U Sambandham of Sri Navabharathi, a unit that exports idols, said currently the unit is sculpting statues for a Rs 100-crore temple to be constructed by the US-based The Hindu Temple of Georgia Trust at Norcross Bruke Hallow Parkway in Georgia state. To be built over a period of five years, the temple sources most of its idols from this region.