Notes from the workshop.

At Stonegraph we treat stone as a record of the decisions made by its carver. Based in Jaipur, the workshop continues a seventh-generation carving lineage in which tool control, relief depth and surface judgement are taught at the bench.

A legacy continued

The professional foundation of the present workshop was established in 1990 by Badri Prasad Kumawat through Kumawat Enterprises. Ravi Kumawat now leads Stonegraph, the export-focused studio created in 2018. The portfolio records carved stone supplied for hospitality, devotional and public projects, including work associated with The Oberoi properties, ISKCON Kharghar and Rajasthan landmarks.

What the hand contributes

Machining is useful for setting geometry, repeated profiles and the first controlled removal of material. Hand carving and finishing handle the transitions that determine how a relief reads: softened or crisp edges, undercuts, tool texture and the way light moves over the surface. Because those choices respond to the individual block and composition, two hand-finished pieces never read exactly like factory copies. Stonegraph uses both processes in sequence — digital control where repeatability matters, then experienced hands wherever the surface has to carry character.

Stonegraph's work for ISKCON Kharghar in Navi Mumbai brought sacred fine art and monumental marble work into one coordinated project. The commission called for painted ceilings and carved stone to share the same geometry, scale and devotional intent rather than behave as unrelated finishes.

Hand-painted ceilings

The ceilings were conceived as celestial focal points. Their layered compositions required patient hand work and close coordination between the artists, the architectural setting and the sightlines from below. Colour, borders and central motifs had to remain legible at the finished height.

Marble that carries light

The marble work uses sacred geometry, carved profiles and hand-finished surfaces to control how the stone reflects light. The goal is not simply a polished surface: edge treatment and relief depth determine whether ornament reads clearly or disappears into glare. The same practical questions apply to a residential mandir and a larger institutional temple — deity and room dimensions, viewing height, joint placement, assembly sequence and access for installation all need to be resolved before carving begins.

Stonegraph's portfolio records hand-finished architectural stone associated with The Oberoi Udaivilas, Rajvilas, Amarvilas, Vanyavilas and Sukhvilas. Across properties with different settings and architectural languages, the work required consistency at project scale without flattening the character of carved stone.

The hospitality vocabulary in stone

• Stone jali screens — pierced patterns finished to manage light, shadow and the view through the screen.
• Pillars and columns — repeated profiles coordinated across separate blocks so an assembled elevation reads continuously.
• Inlay and artifacts — smaller details whose material contrast and edge quality are most visible at close range.

Large hospitality packages combine repeated architectural elements with one-off artistic features. Drawings, samples and dry assembly establish the geometry; hand finishing then resolves the joins, foliage, arrises and surface character. That sequence allows a workshop to maintain coordination across many pieces while preserving the judgement expected in a carved feature made for a particular room or courtyard.

Jaipur's contemporary public architecture still draws on the city's long relationship with carved stone. Stonegraph's portfolio includes work for Patrika Gate and Jawahar Kala Kendra, two projects that ask very different things of the material.

Patrika Gate — ornament at civic scale

The Patrika Gate celebrates Rajasthan's visual traditions through grand arches, decorative pillars and layered ornament. Stone carving at this scale has to work from a distance while retaining enough edge and relief definition to reward a closer view. Repeated elements also need to align across separate blocks and trades.

Jawahar Kala Kendra — geometry in stone

Jawahar Kala Kendra required a different response. Charles Correa's nine-square plan and geometric architectural language call for controlled profiles and disciplined junctions rather than dense ornament everywhere. Supplying bespoke stone elements for that setting meant matching the work to the building's modernist order. Together, the projects show two ways Jaipur's stone vocabulary continues in present-day public landmarks: one through exuberant ornament, the other through measured geometry.

Stonegraph's export-focused studio was established in 2018 to supply hand-finished stone from Jaipur to projects outside India. The workshop has supplied clients in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and Malaysia using a design-and-supply model coordinated with local installation teams.

Outdoor pieces and architectural work

Export orders range from sculptural parasol bases and garden pieces to murals, jali, mandirs and other architectural assemblies. The stone, section thickness, centre of gravity and vulnerable carved edges determine how each piece must be handled and supported; there is no single crate design that suits every commission.

Preparing work for local installation

Larger assemblies are dry-fitted where appropriate, photographed for approval and marked before packing. Pieces are numbered to correspond with setting-out information, then protected in reinforced, sea-worthy crates designed around their weight and fragility. The client's qualified local contractor remains responsible for unloading, foundations and installation. Resolving joints, access and lifting constraints during the drawing stage is what lets a supply-only project arrive as an organised assembly rather than an unmarked shipment of stone.