Kashi Murty Bhandar Jaipurwale

We are over on Dashaswamedh Road at Plot No. D-17/146. It is a very crowded part of town because everyone is heading down to the river. Our family comes from Jaipur originally, which is why we have Jaipurwale in the name, but we have been here in Kashi for a long time. At Kashi Murty Bhandar, the air is usually full of white marble dust. We spend our days carving and polishing stone figures. You can hear the sound of the hammers and small machines from the street. It’s a lot of manual labor and our hands are always covered in grit. We have all sorts of statues lined up along the walls, some finished and some just starting to look like something. People walking to the ghats often peek inside to see what we are doing. It is hot work, especially in the summer months, but we just keep the fans going and stay busy. The shop isn't very modern; it’s just a workspace where we sell what we make. We don't use a lot of fancy tools, mostly just the things we have used for years. Every piece takes time, and you can't really rush the stone or it might crack. We just sit on the floor and work. It’s what we know how to do. The location is good because people know where to find us near the main road leading to the water.