Buddha in the Earth Witness Gesture

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As per the tradition recorded in canonical and non-canonical literature, the historical Buddha was born in 563 B.C. at Lumbini grove (Nepal Tarai) and was given the name Siddhartha (i.e. whose purpose has been fulfilled). His father Suddhodana was the king of the Shakyan republic of Kapilvastu. His mother queen Mahamaya died just seven days after his birth. So he was nurtured by his step mother Mahaprajapati Gautami. The prince Siddhartha showed a meditative bent of mind from early childhood. He was married at sixteen to Yasodhara and had a son, Rahula. He relinquished worldly life at the age of 29 and went to the forests and meditated as a hermit for six years on the nature of suffering. He finally attained Buddhahood (Enlightenment) at the age of thirty-five in Bodhagaya and became Buddha or the Enlightened one. He spread the law of his Dharma among suffering beings till his parinirvana. He delivered his first sermon at Sarnath (U.P). In the very first teaching he discussed the four Noble Truths which form the foundation of Buddhism.

The Buddha Shakyamuni has been represented in different art mediums with different gestures and postures. The earliest images of the Buddha were made simultaneously both in Gandhara and Mathura school of Art between first century B.C. and A.D. In the present representation he has been shown seated on a lotus in the Padmasana. His right hand is in the gesture of bhumisparsha (earth touching). This mudra was applied by the Buddha to invoke the earth goddess as a witness to his having resisted the temptation of Mara, the god of evil. His left hand, held in meditation, is holding a begging bowl. He is wearing a slight heavy monastic drapery covering both the shoulders with the breast bared. The drapery is pleated above the waist and falls in folds on the back. The sanghati is ornately decorated. The embossed decoration depicts mythical animals, birds, jewels and scroll – designs or bats – motifs. The borders of the garments are also embossed with floral designs. The front of the pedestal has eleven ornate lotus petals. The back of the pedestal is embossed with similar designs as on the robes. Further, the base of the pedestal is also embossed with scroll-designs.

The physique of the image is slim and slender. The eyes are half-closed, the lips are upturned, the earlobes are distended and the neck has three folds (trivali). His hair, painted in blue colours is arranged in small curls with prominent ushanisha and a jewel on the top. The facial expression expressed love, compassion, calm and serenity. This type of richly decorated Buddha are not found in abundance and the present one is rare as it depicts motifs of mythical animals on the robes. It is a result of strenuous workmanship.

How are Nepalese copper statues made?

Nepalese statues and sculptures are best known for their unique small religious figures and ritual paraphernalia for over two thousand years. These are mainly cast in copper alloy. Nepal draws influences from the artistic styles of Buddhism and Hinduism, and therefore the sculptors of the country specialize in making the icons of both these religions. Over the years, Nepalese sculptures evolved into their own distinctive iconography. Some characteristic features of these sculptures that differ from other pieces are exaggerated physical postures, youthful and sensual features, languid eyes, wider faces having serene expressions, and ornate flourishes. The Buddhist deity icons of Nepal have tremendous demand in countries such as China and Tibet for ritual purposes in their temples and monasteries.

Nepalese statues and sculptures have a high copper content and therefore develop a slightly reddish patina on the surface as they age. However, the most unique feature of Nepalese copper statues is their decorative detailing. The pieces are heavily gilded and sometimes inlaid with semi-precious stones. This embellishment protects them from getting tarnished. The traditional lost-wax method for casting Nepalese copper statues remains the most practiced technique in Nepal for many centuries. This process involves many steps and requires skilled artists.

The first step in lost-wax sculpting is to make a wax replica of the desired Buddhist deity to be cast in copper. This replica is created by hand and therefore needs excellent artistic skills otherwise fine features will be lacking.

Once the wax replica is made, it is then coated with a special mixture of clay with a brush. This layer of clay is hardened when left to dry. A small hole is made on the base of the wax mould so that the wax flows away when it is heated.

At this stage, a hollow mould in the shape of the deity is obtained.

This is the time to pour liquid copper into the hollow mould which is then allowed to cool and harden inside a container of cold water. When the liquid metal has hardened, the mould is removed and the statue within is revealed.

The artist works on the details of the statue using various tools. It is then polished to get a shiny and lustrous surface.

Now comes the most important part of Nepalese art which is gold gilding. This is done by the traditional fire gilding method. A mixture of mercury and 18K gold is applied on the surface of the statue and heat is applied using a flame torch. The result is that mercury evaporates along with impurities, leaving a pure 24K gold finish.

The lost-wax method of sculpting is the most preferred technique

for artists to cast a metallic statue having intricate details. Since Nepalese copper sculptures require extraneous effort for giving a majestic look by adding special embellishments, it takes several weeks to complete one masterpiece. A 24K gold gilded copper sculpture retains its brilliant luster for many years and appears as like before. Nepalese sculptures continue to remain one of the finest specimens of the art of the East that have a strong aesthetic appeal that other sculptures cannot match.