Makrana White Marble Sai Baba with Carved Padukas, 12 in

Makrana marble comes from the Nagaur district of Rajasthan, out of the same quarries that supplied the Taj Mahal, and it has been the working stone of Indian murti carving for centuries because it holds a fine edge without chipping. On a 12-inch figure that property is what makes the piece possible at all: the folds of the kafni, the knot of the head cloth, the toe-knobs on the padukas. The block used here reads a bright natural white with the faint cream undertone Makrana is known for, and a close, sugary crystal grain that picks up lamp light instead of flattening under it. Every piece is carved to order by the master sculptors we work with in Jaipur. The block is roughed out, brought to primary shape, then detailed — and the face, the hands and the drapery are always hand-finished, never left to a machine. Progressive polishing takes the surface to a soft satin rather than a mirror, which is the right call for a murti seen in lamp light: a mirror polish throws hard reflections and hides the carving, while satin keeps the terminator line across the cheek and the fall of the robe readable. The seating follows the form devotees know from Shirdi — right leg crossed over the left, both hands resting easily, gaze turned outward to meet the devotee rather than closed in meditation. Sai Baba is shown in the full-sleeved ankle-length kafni with the head cloth wrapped and knotted over the shoulder, so the figure is never mistaken for a bare-torso ascetic. Below him, on the front step of the plinth, sits a carved pair of marble padukas. That arrangement is not ornament: padukas are venerated in their own right across the Datta and Sai traditions, and at Dwarkamai a pair rests on the stone itself, set below the seat. At 12 inches this is a shelf murti, not a floor piece. It sits comfortably in a compact home mandir, on a puja alcove ledge, or on a desk shrine, and wants roughly a foot and a half of clear height above it so the head is not crowded by the shelf. Because the padukas are carved integral to the plinth step, there is nothing loose to reposition or misplace — steady for daily aarti and easy to lift for Guruwar puja. Warm light from slightly above suits it best; it rakes across the stepped plinth and picks up the chisel work. Sizes above and below 12 inches, Vietnam white marble in place of Makrana, and an inscribed base for a housewarming or Guruwar gift are all open. We design the piece with you, brief the sculptor, and follow it through to delivery at your door — message us on WhatsApp with the size and the shelf you have in mind.