His showroom at Vile Parle in Bombay houses an assortment of statues and statuettes made of various types of stone, marble, metal, wood and paper-pulp, all in traditional form.  The man himself is very reserved, like a temple sunken deep inside the earth.  But then excavate him and you will discover a veritable treasure of an artistic tradition.  That is 39-year-old Hariprasad of Sompura family, well-known for temple architecture and traditional sculpture.

      The Sompuras have been in the trade for several generations, Hariprasad representing the eleventh.  His father, Hargovindas, himself an eminent architect and sculptor, is still active at the age of 70.  Even now, he visits quarries, selects stones, goes to temple construction sites and issues designing instructions.  The Sompuras are rooted in Gujarat.  Wadhvan is their hometown.  But they are known for their works all over Western India.

      Hariprasad made his debut in 1969 as a full-fledged architect and sculptor.  That year he had an exhibition of stone-statues, about fifteen, all designed by him.  This was at the Jehangir Art Gallery.  Air-India, with a reputation for selecting only the best, purchased three of his limestone exhibits for installation at the New York air port.  The event proved a great morale-booster.  The next year he joined hands with his father in the construction of Swami Nityanand Samadhi Mandir at Ganeshpuri.  Good work itself provided publicity and assignments poured in.  Among his major achievements are a Jain temple at Sangamner (1972), renovation of the Mahalaxmi temple at Dahanu (1974), and construction of a Brahma mandir at Bardoli (1979).  The new Jain temple (1958) near King's circle bridge (Bombay) is his father's creation.  Currently, he is constructing a Ganesh temple at Kasara, a Shiva temple at Bhiloda, and very shortly, he is going to launch the construction of a Gita temple in New York for Gita Ashram Trust, an organisation of Indians (dominated by Gujaratis) settled in New York city.

      But what he considers his greatest achievement is much different from all these.  That was a mission.  History has it that Mula Raja of the Solanki dynasty started the construction of a Rudra Mahalaya at Sidhapura, Gujarat, in the 10th century.  The work went on for 19 years and then stopped abruptly.  After about 175 years, that is, in the 12th century, it was completed by Sidharaja Jaisingh.  In the 14th century Allauddin Khilji and Alaph Khan tried to destroy it.  Time and tide went against the monuments of Hindu culture.  In the early 20th century, the place showed only a torana (entrance), a suryakunda, three sringarachowkis, and four or five small Rudra temples, by way of relies.  These small temples had changed so much beyond recognition that local Muslims had started using them as mosques.  Prior to independence, the Maharaja Saiyajirao Gaekwad of Baroda tried his hand at renovation but did not fully succeed.

      Armed with historic details Hariprasad visited the place in 1977.  On the site of temples now stood residential brick-houses.  The two floored torana attracted his attention.  Its sculptural and architectural designs and their measurement led him to believe that submerged underneath the ground there ought to be a plinth and also eleven Rudra temples built by the Solanki dynasty.  He made elaborate sketches of all these and started a campaigning through the press, pamphlets, and lectures.  He alerted the people, the government of Gujarat and the Central archaeological department.  The excavation began in 1979.  Muslims were outraged as they felt that their places of worship were being destroyed.  In March 1980 there were widespread riots in Sidhapura.  An injunction was brought and the excavation stopped.  By now seven temples had already been sighted and four are yet to be.  Hariprasad feels that some day the work would be complete and the love of art would win over religious fanaticism.

      Though Brahma is the lord of creation according to Hindu mythology, temples with him as the presiding deity are very rare.  Some of the well-known Brahma temples are located in Pushkar (Rajasthan) Mamallapuram (Tamilnadu), and Khedabrahma (Gujarat).  The last, which is about for centuries old, is the latest, according to Hariprasad.  But the very latest is his own, constructed in 1979, at Bardoli, Gujarat.

      He lays much emphasis on the scriptural codes and conventions.  At the same time, he also believes in making necessary improvisations as have been done by different architects and sculptors from time to time.  For him Vishwakarma Purana, believed to have been written by the divine architect, is the prime authority.  According to this, he says, "There are for different styles of temple architecture: Dravida followed in south, Valabhi followed in north, Wesara followed in the east, and Naagara followed in the west."  This last is Hariprasad's forte.  The Gita temple he is going to construct in New York will be in the Naagara style.  It will have Krishna and Radha as the presiding deities with a few slokas selected from the Gita inscribed in Devnagiri on the walls of the sabha-mandapa.

      Hariprasad is also a reputed examiner of idols.  He acts he technical adviser to Sri Abhinawa Sacchidananda Swamiji, the Shan-Karacharya of Dwarakapeeth, whenever there are disputes regarding the authenticity of architectural and sculptural style and identification of idols.  For example, there was a dilapidated temple in a village near Bhiloda, N Gujarat.  The main idol was missing and there was much mystification regarding whether it was a Krishna temple or a Sun temple.  Hariprasad after studying the remnants in details, declared that it was a Sun temple, and an epigraph found later in the premises proved him right.

      Today erosion of religious faith has resulted in the decline of temple construction.  The activity is almost nil.  As a result, the artisans relying upon the trade for generations are either jobless or are employed in other fields.  This is serious loss where the traditional art is concerned.  With a view to keeping this ancient art alive Hariprasad devised a scheme which, in addition, would also earn for the craftsman his living.  He would pay the artisan in advance, commission him to make specific statues and use his own showroom as a center for selling them.

      The statues and statuettes are sculptured strictly according to his specifications in terms of design and the choice of stone.  "According to the sastras". Hariprasad says, "the beauty of a statue depends upon taal-maana (proportion), bhaawaabhivyakti (expression), kehsagumphana (hair-style), alankar (ornamentation), aayudha (weapon) and waahana (carrier)."

      He gets his limestone from Porbunder, sandstone from Dhrangadhara and marble from Makrana.  "As for their qualities", he says, "the last one is only glossy material.  There is in it more glamour than art.  Whereas the first two are the best for detailed work and artistic satisfaction."

      "As a rule", he adds, "iron is never used in the construction of temples because of its rusting quality. Even cement.  Now a days we use it for fixing the joints.  But its use is kept to the minimum.  In the olden days lime and mud were used for the purpose.  But before they discovered the qualities of lime, herbal juices (vanaspatiras ) were commonly used."

      Most of the customers at his showroom are industrialists, rich businessmen, film-people and the like.  When lesser mortals visit, it is to buy inexpensive statuettes that could be presented as gifts.  Often interior decorators consult him to know what statue would fit where.  The bust of  K M Munshi at the Babulnath temple is his creation.  He has supplied statues of Saraswati and Ganesh to many school and other private organisations.  "And to suit every pocket", he says, "I have items that cost from Rs. 5to Rs. 5000."