THE STONE
The marble that lies under the Aravali range in the Rajasthan region of India gets its name from the town of Makrana. It is mined extensively from some of the oldest marble mines to be found in India. Often known as ‘milky white’ marble, Makrana marble is renowned for its high quality and dazzling whiteness. The crisp translucent white of Makrana marble sometimes features veins of rose pink or softly textured brown, each variety treasured for a wide range of applications.
Makrana owes its rich stock of marble (an estimated 55 million tonnes) to geological events around 1450 million years ago when layers of sedimentary rock metamorphosized under immense pressure and what was a huge limestone deposit became a massive underground treasure trove of marble.
What Sets Makrana Apart
Makrana marble, however, has some unique qualities that set it above lesser stones. It is markedly high in calcium, making it much less porous than many other varieties of marble. This is a particularly valuable trait as the less porous a marble is, the better the retention of color and the less risk of water seepage there is. This makes the marble ideal for large scale building work, monuments, places of worship and fine sculpture. Makrana marble was also honored with Geographical Indication Status in 2015, a scheme which seeks to recognize and protect the important product of a region.
The most famous monument of Makrana marble is the famous mausoleum, the Taj Mahal. Makrana marble was selected for its renowned quality and durability, and any of the millions of visitors to this revered UNESCO world heritage site will confirm the incredible state of preservation that the Taj Mahal retains in modern times. This quality was only officially confirmed during the planning of the Victoria Memorial in the 1900s when the British geologist Sir Thomas Henry Holland conducted extensive investigations into samples of various highly-regarded marbles from many countries in order to establish porosity and resilience. This research concluded that Makrana marble was the best choice for the Victoria monument, and the striking building stands testament to this choice to this day.
While the Taj Mahal and the Victoria Memorial are undoubtedly the most legendary examples of Makrana marble in architecture, there are many other well-known and easily recognizable buildings that made use of Makrana marble. These include the Parliament Building of Afghanistan, the Birla Temple (Jaipur), the Jinnah Tomb (Karachi), the Sheikh Zayed Mosque (Abu Dhabi), Ambedkar park (Lucknow), the China Garden (Mumbai)and the Jain Temples of Mysore, Dilwara and Sri Brahmeshwar Parshwanath Swarna Jain Mandir.
A Thriving Tradition
The Ustaji of marble stonemasonry, along with their disciples, have been working the beautiful Makrana stone for generations, and Makrana has become a town that is inseparable from the wares it produces. Over 400 mines produce 120 thousand tonnes of Makrana marble each year, and this is exported from India to countries all around the world. It is walked upon in some of the most elegant homes, it adorns the facades of some of the grandest buildings, and it graces the lives of people across the world in sculptures, ornaments, and trinkets.
Wherever we find Makrana marble, whether, it is the most elaborate of architecture or the humblest object, the evocative juxtaposition of its enduring strength and soft, milk-white translucence are evocative of a special place and a precious people – the Ustaji master stonemasons of Makrana.