As the elephant and sandalwood country is one, the Gudigars love carving elephants of all sizes. In Karnataka, the sandalwood tree is one of the few things one cannot own even if it grows in one's own garden. It is the property of the state and government permission is required to fell it or even to cut off some of its branches. It is illegal to carry sandalwood logs and billets without a permit. The rules have been framed to check indiscriminate felling of these precious trees.
Sandalwood has a sweet fragrance.
To experience it, one just has to walk into the Karnataka government emporium, Cauvery, in Delhi or Bangalore and take a sniff at an intricately carved pen or handful of prayer beads. The fragrance is special. It has to be. It is made by the Gods.