Fine relief carving worked directly into fragrant sandalwood — a Mysore craft prized as much for its scent as for the intricacy of its detail.
मैसूर, कर्नाटक · Mysore, Karnataka
Sandalwood's fine, even grain allows for unusually detailed relief carving, traditionally used for deity figures, decorative panels, and boxes, with the wood's natural fragrance, which can last for decades, considered as much a part of the finished piece as the carving itself.
Mysore remains the craft's best-known center, and demand for genuine sandalwood carving has grown more complicated in recent decades as wild sandalwood harvesting has come under strict regulation, pushing many workshops toward cultivated and certified wood sources.