2023Recognition
Samudra Manthan mural unveiled at the New Parliament
Government of India
Naresh Kumawat · The Murtikar
TheHand
BehindtheStone
For over four decades, and across three generations, Naresh Kumawat has given permanent form to India's faith and nationhood — sculpted in stone, cast in bronze and panchdhatu, and installed across eighty nations.
Biography
Alifeshaped
bystone.
Born into a family of sculptors in Pilani, Rajasthan, Naresh Kumawat grew up surrounded by the tools, traditions, and devotion of a three-generation craft. From his earliest years, clay, stone, and bronze were not mere materials but sacred mediums — his father's first rule was simple: sit, watch, and learn to see before touching the stone.
Guided by his father and guru, Matu Ram Verma, he learned the ancient idiom of Indian shilpa — then reinterpreted it through modern engineering and material science, making his work relevant not only to temples but to Parliament, the Supreme Court, and public squares across the world.
"Sculpture is not just craft — it is a dialogue between devotion and permanence."
In time, his commissions grew from temple deities to national landmarks — the tallest Shiva in the world at Nathdwara, the Samudra Manthan mural at India's new Parliament, and works carried to eighty nations as ambassadors of Indian heritage.
Guru–shishya
Four generations of craft.
Naresh Kumawat's story does not begin with him. It begins generations earlier, in a family of Rajasthani sculptors where the chisel passed from father to son — and where his father and guru, Matu Ram Verma, first taught him to see before he could carve.
Read the full legacyGuru–shishya
From father to son, guru to shishya.
The legacy begins with Matu Ram Verma — father, guru, and the fire that first shaped this craft.
“Every generation carries forward a legacy in its own way. I see in Naresh the same fire that once guided me, now burning even brighter.”
It is a lineage passed not only in skill, but in values: patience, humility, and devotion to the work.
Heritage & craftsmanship
Rootedintradition.Builtforpermanence.
His methods reach back three generations — and forward into modern engineering. Every work begins with a clay model shaped by hand, then moves through structural modelling and precision casting. Tradition sets the meaning; technology ensures it lasts a thousand years.
- Clay modelling by hand — the sculptor's first language
- Lost-wax bronze and panchdhatu casting
- FRP and mixed-material production for monumental scale
- Structural modelling — soil testing, wind analysis, load design
- The final form always finished by a human hand
Artistic philosophy
Abulletcantakeabreath.Itcannottakeamemory.Whatthenationmustneverforget,Icarveinstone.
The studio operates from three convictions: that monumental art reflects a civilisation's confidence; that tradition and technology must work as one; and that sculpture is a form of cultural diplomacy — carrying India's philosophy across the world.
Rooted in the ancient Shilpa Shastras and temple traditions, yet wholly contemporary in scale and engineering — Sanatan values meeting modern vision.
- 40+
- Years of practice
- 80
- Countries
- 6000+
- Sculptures
- 03
- Generations of legacy
Recognition
Honoured
bythenation.
Recognition from the highest offices of the nation, spanning four decades and three generations of practice.
2022Record
Statue of Belief, world's tallest Shiva
Guinness World Records
Felicitation
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar statue at the Supreme Court
by the Chief Justice of India
Mann Ki Baat
Works mentioned by PM Modi (Mississauga Ram, Valmiki Italy)
Mann Ki Baat
Honour
Mangal Mahadev citation
Prime Minister of Mauritius
Studio visit
Shri Ram Nath Kovind, President of India
Studio visit
Milestones
Landmarks
instone.
The inheritance
Three generations of sculptors in Pilani, Rajasthan; the craft passed from grandfather to father to son.
War memorials
War memorials for the Indian Army (15 Punjab, 14 Mechanised Infantry, 98 Armoured, 10 Dogra) — a citizen's understanding of sacrifice.
Deendayal Upadhyay statue
PM Narendra Modi unveils the Deendayal Upadhyay statue at Vigyan Bhawan.
Statue of Belief opens
The Statue of Belief opens at Nathdwara — the world's tallest Shiva, at 369 ft.
Samudra Manthan mural
The Samudra Manthan mural is installed at the heart of India's new Parliament.
Ram Mandir murals
Entrusted with the inner parikrama bronze murals at the Ram Mandir, Ayodhya.
Five national milestones
Five national milestones; installations across 80 nations; the proposed 251 m Shree Ram at Ayodhya.