Renowned sculptor BalkrishnaTuladhar, the person who left behind a family legacy and left a mark on the Nepali art world by creating vivid statues of gods, goddesses and famous and well contributing personalities including the lions installed on the top of Singh Durbar, the martyrs of Shaheed Gate, Lakhan Thapa, Ganesh Man Singh, the leading four martyrs from the Jan Andolan, Jan Yudh, Madhesh movement, warriors, estates and kings-maharajas, has passed away at the age of 91.
Continuing the art business of his father, his sons and grandsons are continuing the profession dedicated to art creation for four generations. One of Balkrishna’s sons Mahesh Tuladhar has earned fame as of his father and grandfather in creating fine statues.
Bal Krishna Tuladhar learned to make statues from his sculptor father and went on to produce masterpieces rivalling his father’s creations. Bal Krishna’s father, Ratna Bahadur, was renowned for his commemorative statues. He created the statue of lively army personnel that stands atop Tribhuvan-Chandra Military Hospital just a side of New Road Gate in Kathmandu. The military hospital opened in 1926 as a memorial to the Nepali soldiers who fell in the Great War. The bronze statue of a Gurkha rifleman frozen in full stride is a vivid reminder of the battalions of young men from the hills who were shipped off to fight on European battlefields and never came back.
A decade later, the oligarchic system was finally dismantled, and the four heroes were enshrined in Nepali history as the martyrs of the revolution.
Bal Krishna not only showed himself to be a true son of his father, he launched his career with a flourish. The young artist put his mark on the monument by sculpting the panels depicting memorable events from the revolution of 1951 which were fixed to the platform beneath the arch. One of the brass and copper reliefs portrays king Tribhuvan in his famous pose with his hand raised as he disembarks from a Dakota aircraft after returning from New Delhi. Another shows a mass meeting at what is now the Rangashala stadium.
The statues of army personnel installed at Tundikhel
Bal Krishna then lived at Yatkha, a lane to the west of Indra Chowk. He had a workshop on the ground floor of his house which fronted a courtyard. It was here that he produced his most memorable works. The ensemble of six statues placed between the staircases at the Army Pavilion at Tundikhel would be the greatest feather in his cap. Finished in the early 1960s, the statues occupy centre stage at a venue for state functions and are an illustration of Nepalís cultural diversity. The group of statues consists of three security personnel and three civilians in traditional costumes representing the people of the Kathmandu valley, Tarai and hills.
Bal Krishna’s family originally lived across the street at Itumbaha where he was born. Their house was located on the southern side of the immense courtyard. The brick paved space is enclosed by houses and studded with sacred sculptures and stupas. Steeped in legend, the neighbourhood exudes a dreamy ambience. As a child, his father, Ratna Bahadur, would be constantly calling him to help with little things while he worked. Bring this, do that, hold this. That was my introduction to sculpting, recalls Bal Krishna. It was natural that I should enter the family profession and make my own statues. My elder brother became a sculptor too, but my younger brother had other plans.
Once, Pasang Lhamu Sherpa’s husband turned up at Bal Krishna’s house with a photo of the late Everest summiteer to commission a statue. She was the first Nepali woman to scale the world’s tallest peak in 1993, and died tragically on its icy slopes during the descent. The sculptor took one look at the photo and said that such a statue would be dull and convey nothing of her energetic personality. So he had a photographer take pictures of a model dressed in Sherpa costume striding forth holding the national flag aloft in her hand. Pasang Lhamu’s statue stands tall in a park near the Bouddha stupa, a shrine for aspiring women climbers.
From mountaineers to kings, queens and poets, Bal Krishna’s expert hands have shaped more than five dozen figures. He has also made a fine statue of Chittadhar Hridaya, the great poet of Nepalbhasa which has been installed at Kalimati crossing.
Likewise, communist leader Pushpa Lal’s statue installed at Champadevi are some master pieces Balkrishna Tuladhar had made. One of his works, a bust of poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota, has even been flown across the Himalaya and installed in Lhasa. A prolific output most assuredly, but the sound of loud hammering outside the window tells you that Bal Krishna is not one to rest on his laurels. Like the statues at the Army Pavilion gazing out over Tundikhel, he has his eyes fixed firmly on the future.
