There is a lesser-known and sparingly used technique for vigraha-making in the coastal state of Kerala. Several vigrahas of Mahā Viṣṇu and Devi in temples in Kerala are made with this technique: the Kadusārkarā Yogam. Sri Padmanabhasvami temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Anathapuram Lake temple (mūlasthāna of Padmanābha), Adikesava Perumal in Thriuvattaru, Malayalapuzha Devi, and Madayikavu are a few such popular temples that have used Kadusārkarā Yogam. While the mūrtis are commonly made of stone, wood, metal, or stucco (a mixture of plaster and incense), they can also be made of wood, as seen in the Puri Jagannathan temple. The Kadusārkarā Yogam is a rarity because of its complexity and tedious process of vigraha-making.  

I was lucky to have grown up in Śrī ĀnanthaPadmanābhasvāmi’s Thiruvananthapuram, in the same neighborhood as my maternal grandmother and her brothers. I have heard this word - Kadusārkarā Yogam used by my granduncles and grandparents. While the details were never discussed, my cousin, TK Ananda Padmanabhan, highly intrigued, began discussing this with śilpis, tantrīs, and researchers for over a decade to help the restoration of Śrī Padmanābhasvāmi mūlavigraha.

Kadusārkarā roughly translates to “medicinal mud”. In this process of vigraha-making, the bimbam must be made in the location of consecration, aka within the temple garbhagṛha. We had Rāmalalla of Ayodhya carved out to precision in Karnataka and installed (prāṇapraṣṭhā) in Ayodhya, but Kadusārkarā vigrahas are built stage by stage in the Garbhagṛha itself.  The current mūrti of Śrī Padmanābha is only 250 years old. The prior mūrti was made of Illupa wood and was destroyed by a temple fire during the reign of Marthanda Varma in the 1730s.

The deity is built like a human, with each stage replicating the different systems of the human body – skeletal, muscular, nervous, and dermal, involving six stages completed sequentially.

The primary stage is setting the framework or the “Sthūla Vigraha”. Making of the skeleton involves measurements (tālamāna) specified in tantric texts, and the measurements are done with a pāśa or rope.  A scale is fixed, and the pāśa is used to demarcate the various parts of the bimba, such as the chest, waist, legs, arms, and feet. The base material is formed with a good, strong tree with a high-quality texture and trunk. Traditionally, locally grown and strong trees such as Black Ebony (Karingali), Devatharu, and Sandal are used. After the main structure is laid down, areas of feature details, such as palms, feet, ears and nose, are constructed with copper plates and wires. Thus, stage one completes the building of Sthūla vigraha (skeleton).

The next step is the “Aṣṭa-bandhana-lepana” for fixing the Sthūlam. Āṣṭa is an 8-part mixture, and bandhana would loosely translate to “sticky gum”. The lepanā is mixed using a part of common gum (thiruvatta Pāśa): 3 parts of Kundirikkam, 5 parts of gulgullu, 1 part of jaggery, and 8 parts of resin from Chenchalyam. This mixture is also mixed with 3 parts of red ochre earth with equal parts of oil and ghee. The lepana must be in the consistency of honey so it can flow and bind with the Sthūla vigraha. Then the mixture is boiled in an earthen pot. The lukewarm honey aṣṭa-bandhana-lepana is now slowly poured over the Sthūla vigraha to bind.

While we can compare the first two stages to the skeleton and ligaments of the human framework, the nervous system of the vigraha is “Nāḍī Bandhana”. The technique uses materials very native to the coastal area of Kerala and trees native to the Western Ghats. So I can say with a degree of confidence that this is a very native method of Vigraha Śāstra to the southern coast of Bhārata. Nāḍī is built with the coconut fiber as its primary material. The human sapta nāḍī is replicated using a fine fiber of hardened coconut, which is meticulously made by removing the husk and extra fiber. It is then washed and cleaned several times to cure it. The nāḍī is further built by twisting the strands of fiber from left to right in three separate spirals. These three constitute the Iḍā, Piṅgalā, and Sushumnā Nāḍīs. The Sushumnā nāḍī runs from the crown of the head to the spine. This is the central nāḍī, and it is often referred to as Sarasvatī nāḍī in Āyurveda. This is a primary and significant nāḍī. To the left of the Sushumnā nāḍī, the Iḍā nāḍī is placed. “Idam” is also the Malayalam word for left. On the right, the Piṅgala nāḍī is placed. They are referred to as candra and sūrya nāḍī, respectively. These three nāḍīs are vital nerves. Then four other Puṣā—associated with ear and perception, Yaśasvinī—overall right side branching out to the rest of the sthoola, Śaṅkhinī—left ear, perception, and runs through to the central core, and Kuhū—down to the peripherals are made. They run through the Sthūla Vigraha originating in the head. They represent the saptaa nāḍī. We can now relate to the divinity in the human form as the vigraha evolves.

The “Mrth Lepanam” is the next process. This is complex and involves several ingredients from different terrains and across the deśa. This stage is akin to the muscular system, and adds the form and structure to the vigraha using mud paste. Soil from dry (Jaṅgala deśa), marshy (Anūpa-deśa) and desert (Maru-bhūmi) is collected separately, cleaned, and mixed. While this is kept aside separately, three different concoctions are made too.

The karungali concoction is made using the medicinal bark of Black Catechu tree and Maruthu (Arjuna Tree bark). Then, Nalpamara, a common ayurvedic concoction made of four Ficus trees – clusters of Athi, Ithi, peepal Tree (arrayal) and Hiptage (Peral), is prepared. Third is a red lac resin made from the scarlet secretions of the Laccifer lacca tree. The concoction is obtained after several rounds of purification and heating. 

Next, the soil is mixed with specific concoctions in earthen pots and allowed to cure for 10 days. After the curing, the mud dries. The dried and cured mud is further treated with fruit kaṣāyaṃs of Triphalā, Āmal, and Bibhitaki. The mud is allowed to further cure in this for 10 more days, dried and redried again.

At this stage, one portion of river sand is mixed with 1/8th part of the cured mud and mixed thoroughly. Then barley powder, ground wheat, leaves of medicinal plants, fine gold and silver thread are added with coconut water, gum from various trees (guggula, Kunthirikkam, sal tree, pine) are mixed along with maṅgala dravyams such as honey, cow milk, curd, dry ginger, milk, ghee, jackfruit, saffron, several powdered roots and kastūrii are added.

This is mixed with sand from crab holes, farmers’ ploughs, bull’s hooves, elephant’s tusks, ant hills, vegetable farms, and Gaṅgā river bed. These sands are added in specific quantities to the existing mixture slowly. To bring the dried mud and mud mixtures into a gum or resin texture, they are mixed with the resin of the Illupa tree. Illupa wood was the original material used in the making of Śrī Padmanābhasvāmi vigraha before the fire destroyed it. The sand is cooked for 5 days in the resin. Coconut husk, gum of bael fruit and jackfruit are then added. This is applied to the vigraha to bring the shape and form to the bimbam as desired and described by the Śilpa Śāstra.

In this stage, a fine silk cloth resembling the inner layer of the derma is fixed on the Mrth lepanam with the help of gum.

What protects the vigraha for years is the application of “Kalkkam” – a medicinal mixture.  The Kalkkam is prepared by hand-pounding and bringing the mixture to a perfect glue-like consistency over several days. In a gum made of sesame oil and triphalā, jackfruit and kūvalam sand from the river, black sand, black stone, and gravel from the river bed are mixed. This mixture is pounded on a granite stone; the pounding creates heat, and as it gets heated, it is cooled before it can be re-pounded. This process is repeated for 30-40 days till a perfect glue consistency is obtained. This is coated on the vigraha. With the Kalkkam, the Śilpa is further refined with the ornaments, yajñopavīta, the finer features of palm, face, feet and vastraṃs.

While the Mrth lepanam is an ingredient-intensive process, the Kalkkam is a time and labor-exhaustive process. The building of the virgrahas using this ancient technique requires over 100 unique ingredients in pure form. The bimbha made with this technique is not subject to abhiṣeka.

Finally, the energy/prāṇa of the deity is invoked in the vigraha by tantric rituals. Interestingly, in Thiruvananthapuram, the garbhagṛha houses Śrī Padmanābha, the presiding deity reclining on an 18-foot Ādiśēṣa embedded with 12008 śālagrāma bound together with Kadusārkarā Yogam. Śrīdevi, Bhūdevi, Bhṛgu, Mārkaṇḍeya, Divākara (Agastya), sapta Ṛṣis, Sūrya, and Candra in the temple are all made using the same technique. A remarkable feature is that Brahma rising from the Nābhi of Padmanābha (not commonly found in many Viṣṇu temples, including Śrīrangam, Thiruvallur, etc.) is carefully bound using Kadusārkarā Yogam. We can see the durability and flexibility of using Kadusārkarā for the detailing vs. Stucco or stone vigrahas. It is perhaps because of the use of Kadusārkarā that the śilipi could suspend Brahma on a lotus flower from the navel of Padmanābha, making him true to HIS name. Reclining Mahā Viṣṇu is not unique to Thiruvananthapuram, but what makes it special is the rising Brahma, exceptional length of 18 feet, second only to Ādikeśava of Thiruvattaru.

Since its consecration in the 18th century, the mūlavigraha has seen tremendous wear and tear. The Supreme Court of India had ordered an assessment of the mūlavigraha in 2017, and the twelve-page report lists out damage on the mrth lepanam and kalkkam of Śrī Padmanābhasvāmi, Śrīdevi, Bhūdevi, and all other devī devatās in the shrine. The renovation work was stalled in 2018. The Kerala High Court, on November 25, 2025, after hearing a devotee’s plea regarding the negative energy of kadith mūrti worship, has ordered the temple to commence restorations immediately. According to experts, the restoration could take three years with dedicated time for restoration activities. A fully restored and consecrated mūlavigraha will possess the energy and aura to bless devotees for several generations.  

References:  

  1. Kadu-Sarkara Yogam: Ancient Technique of Making Deities – P Jayasimha, Research Scholar

  2. https://sattology.org/content/katu-sarkara-yogam-the-ancient-technique-of-vigharha-making/

  3. Kadu Sarkara Yogam - ttps://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1276395953197477890.html

  4. Interviews and discussion notes between Thiruvattar Shilipis, Ananthapuram Tantri and TK Ananda Padmanabhan

  5. History of Ananthapura Temple - https://ananthapuratemple.com/history

  6. https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/kerala-high-court/kerala-high-court-update-renovation-sree-Padmanābhasvāmi-temple-special-commissioner-lakshadeepam-310488

List of materials used in the process, with their common and botanical names

Devadāru – Cedrus deodara
Thiruvatta Pasha – Pinus roxburghii
Common gum pine – Pinus roxburghii
Kundirikkam (Indian frankincense) – Boswellia serrata
Gulgulu – Commiphora mukul
Chenchalyam / Sal tree – Shorea robusta
Karingali – Acacia catechu
Maruthu (Arjuna) – Terminalia paniculata / Terminalia arjuna
Athi – Ficus racemosa
Ithi – Ficus gibbosa
Arayal (Peepal) – Ficus religiosa
Peral (Banyan) – Ficus benghalensis
Amala (Indian gooseberry) – Emblica officinalis
Bibhītakī – Terminalia bellirica
Kunthirikkam / Guggula – Commiphora wightii
lluppa tree (Mahua) – Bassia longifolia (Madhuca longifolia)
Bael fruit – Aegle marmelos