Metal workers in Patan Part 2: casters

Bronze images have been created by the lost wax method since antiquity and in Nepal perhaps at least since the mid first millennium AD. Until more recently, all sculptures were direct casts, modeled individually without the use of molds. Today, multiples are being created, either for the trade, as well as for religious purposes. The small, seated Buddha images (on the bottom left) are meant to be deposited inside a much larger sculpture of the Buddha, which is still being produced. Two large mold sections of this icon (on the bottom right) are waiting for their cast. In contrast to the small icons, this large image is a single, direct cast.

The wax model is prepared manually by building up layers of beeswax, which with some additives, is molten over charcoal fire. The shapes are hollow and typically do not contain a clay core while they are being formed. Some images are highly individual such as the master full portrait on the bottom right being modeled by Anju, the daughter of the master image maker and caster of this workshop.

Once the wax image is finished, a clay mold is built up around it in layers, starting with a fine- grained mixture of cow dung and clay, applied twice. Thicker and coarser layers containing fillers such as rice husks follow and hollow shapes are filled. These layers allow a capture of fine surface details, adding stability, and porosity required for the cast. Iron nails are used as core holders. The molds are dried carefully and evenly to prevent cracking prior to a first firing that melts the wax out. The negative shape inside the clay molds is then ready to receive the molten metal during the cast.

Last week, Nutan and I were lucky to witness the casting of several large garment folds of the large Buddha image mentioned below (which would consist of twenty parts with a total weight of 200 tons). When we arrived in the morning, the large forms had already been baked in a brick structure built around them. Over hours, a large kerosene-fueled crucible was filled with copper wires and small chunks cut from a tin ingot. The weight must have been dozens of kilograms. Eventually, once the melt had been reached, the casting funnels cleaned, the entire area cleaned for the cast, rubber flip flops changed into sturdy foot wears, backs braced with wrapped cloths, foreheads clad with water-soaked scarves, two casters began to dip small crucibles into the molten bronze and began to fill the large molds. The work had to commence quickly, in unison – it had to be done perfectly and was dangerous. After the metal had risen visibly through lower casting holes, those were plugged with clay, and more metal was poured until the forms were filled completely. A brief quick celebration followed: fresh papaya, sprinkled generously with salt, and a clear local wine.

The molds were cooled with water siphoned from tanks, which had been filled by a water truck earlier. The cooling, steaming clay was broken open to reveal the cast bronze – gleaming and iridescent. The cast was successful; the men were exhausted. One of them looked at me and said “I am happy”!

Sincere thanks to Rajesh Awale, founder and artists of Hangrib Handicrafts in Lalitpur, for allowing us to see his workshops, and to Basu Shrestha and the casters for inviting us to join the cast.

 

Temple finials at Patan Durbar Square

The roofs of temples and shrines are traditionally topped with gilded finials (gajuras).  Worked from shaped and joined copper sheet, many are plain and bell shaped with various smaller, stepped tips.  Two elaborate, temple-shaped finials crowned the Patan Palace: a smaller one, in shape of the Krishna temple at Durbar Square, at the private Taleju shrine – and a taller shape at the Taleju Bhawani Mandir.

Even in the best of times, the finials need to withstand extreme weather conditions: winds, thunderstorms, and hail.  Sunlight heats them to stove-top temperatures, followed by occasional extreme cold at night.  All three of these finials shown below had to be removed for repair, pre and post earthquake.  They are currently stored in the courtyard of the palace and allow a rare opportunity to view them up close.  Nutan and I spent a good part of the day trying to figure out where they belong.  Below, their position marked on a postcard, that shows Patan prior to the 2015 earthquake.  In due time, the finials will return to their lofty heights.

Preservation of metalwork at the stupa of Boudhanath

The great stupa of Boudhanat is one of the most important Buddhist monuments of the world. Located to the east of Kathmandu along the historic trade route to Tibet, it remains a center of the Tibetan community in Nepal. The large, white-washed mound, representing the body of the Buddha, carries a tower (harmika) above its center. The interior brick structure is clad with gilded copper sheets and is surmounted by a spire topped with an openwork umbrella, which terminates with the crest jewel. The eyes of the Buddha, painted onto all four sides of the harmica, emit a powerful presence (the image below in the left was taken in Match 2014).

During the 2015 earthquake, the tower suffered severe structural damage, as did other parts of the large monument. The metal cladding, underlying frame and brickwork had to be dismantled. The wooden frame of the umbrella on the lower right, as seen in March 2016, is currently partially stripped of its gilded metal coverings and awaits further repair.

About 4000 copper sheets had to be removed, documented and numbered.  They are currently undergoing treatment and repair in temporary shelters set up in the lower terrace levels of the stupa, supervised by Sajan Shakya. The copper is being cleaned and flattened to be returned into its original shape. Damages and holes are plugged; edges are reinforced as required. Final surface gilding is carried out by other professionals.

Work allover the stupa commences at a fast pace due to the help of large numbers of workers and volunteers. The tower has grown many meters since I arrived. It is currently being set with a framework of wooden beams, which will carry the gilded copper tiles again in the future. The spire and umbrella will eventually be placed where they belong. The Buddha’s eyes, newly painted, shall return their strong and watchful gaze to Boudhanath.

Sincere thanks are due to Sajan Shakya, proprietor of Kriti Handicraft, Lalitpur, who most generously offered his time and expertise to allow me to view his workshop’s preservation work on the metal elements.

 

 

Metal workers in Patan. Part 1: repoussé workers

Many large images, such as sculptures of royalty and mythological creatures, displayed on tall stone pillars at the Durbar Squares of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, as well as finials of roofs and stupas, and metal claddings of frames and doors of shrines, were worked from, to be gilded, copper sheet, as well as occasionally from silver.  The metal sheets were joined by mechanical means, such as rivets, or by soldering.  This particular technique, no pun intended, was raised to an extraordinary level of skill and magnificence in Nepal.

In the process, the metal sheet is often embedded into a resinous, somewhat flexible material, while the surface of the metal is manipulated and shaped by punches and hammer strokes.  Frequent annealing of the metal is required to retain is continued workability.

As in the past, final surface treatments consist of fire gilding (or amalgam gilding), the setting of precious and semi precious stones into bezels, and – occasionally – the application of colored layers.

The owner Rajkumar Shakya of On Metal (www.onmetal.com) has kindly allowed me to view his work and introduced me to other members of his family, who are also active metal craftsmen.  His grand father created the images of the Buddha at Swayambhu (see entry of March 19, 2016).

See also Dreams magazine “Rajkumar Shakya: Filling in the Shoes of Arniko” by Reetu Joshi, September 21, 2014.

http://mydreamsmag.com/article/rajkumar-shakya/

Traditional metalwork in Nepal

Nepalese metalwork was praised as early as the 7th century AD by a Chinese envoy – as is documented in his records. In the 13th century, the legendary Newari artisan Aniko (also Arniko) not only worked in Tibet but he was subsequently called to the court of Kubilai Khan in China, where he influenced the imperial workshops as their leader.

The dense historic neighborhood that clusters around the Buddhist monastery Oku-Bahal has been the traditional home of Newari metal craftsmen for centuries (see also March 23, 2016 entry “Window shopping in Oku-Bahal”). Some groups of artisans are connected to monastery by hereditary membership, and in many families the craft has been passed on over generations.

Above a view into the inner courtyard of the Vihara complex with the shrine at the far end and an eccentric collection of metal sculptures, ranging from traditional images to European style hybrids.

Different communities have been engaged in different technologies and use of materials, such as casting, repoussé, gilding, goldsmithing and copper work. In more recent times, with the lack of traditional royal patronage and wider cultural shifts, including the demands of mass tourism, production patterns have shifted and there are newcomers to the profession. At the same time, work for temples and monasteries in Nepal, Asia, and beyond remains active and is flourishing with frequent orders of large-scale monuments. Today, active workshops have greatly expanded beyond the traditional quarters with some rather extensive operations.

 

 

Window shopping in Oku-Bahal, Patan

The old neighborhood of Oku-Bahal, for centuries, has been the center of Newari artisans and metal craftsmen, who created – and still do – copper vessels, sculptures, and architectural metalwork by casting and repoussé.  Named after a Buddhist monastery in its midst the area also contains the small sikhara-style terracotta temple of Mahabouddha.  This temple is also often referred to as “Temple of a Nine Thousand Buddhas”, due to thousands of small Buddha images that cover its surface.  Allegedly, its foundation was laid by an artist and architect in the 7th century AD.

Many dozens of shops, small and large, line the narrow streets and squares.  Some house workshops in their back rooms, while other craftsmen operate without window front. The streets are filled with faint noises of hammering. The metal workers of Oku-Bahal still create images and finials for temples in Nepal and the Himalayan region, including Ladakh, Tibet and Buthan, as well as other parts of Asia, and for the tourist trade.  The  skilled artisans are also involved with repairs and upkeep of images in temples and heritages sites, a subject to be explored in future entries.

One area of the neighborhood finds a concentration of shops selling raw materials, copper sheets and coils, brass, resins and much more, and stores that display finished wares.

Numerous vendors cater to the needs of Buddhist temples and monasteries, selling prayer wheels and roof decorations such as those seen in the bottom right image (above) of the Guru Lhakhang Gompa in Boudha, Kathmandu.

Buddhist and Hindu divinities of all sizes, made by different techniques in different alloys and with different surface finishes, are exhibited throughout.  Many sculptures carry a traditional gilding layer on the surface of the face, which is protected from sunlight by cotton wrappings.

Machchendranath Mandir, Patan

In an open courtyard, tucked away from one of the busy market streets in Patan, lies the temple of Rata (Red) Machchendranath. The three-story tall brick pagoda with richly carved and painted roof struts dates to the 17th century and houses an icon of Machchendranath, god of rain, who by Buddhists is revered as a reincarnation of Avalokitshvara, Bodhisattva of Compassion.

The sanctuary is home to an icon of the deity (perhaps made of painted sandalwood, or maybe of much more elaborate nature), which was brought in the distant past from Assam to Patan to relieve a period of draught.

Every year in April, the idol is brought from the shrine during a prolonged festival that results in its relocation in the temple of Bungmati at a distance of 6 km. The processional 18 meter tall chariot is rebuilt each year from parts that are stowed away near the temple’s precincts. The enormous axels are cast solidly from copper alloy! The ones in view here lie currently in front of the close by Minnath temple, which is ritually connected. The expressive mask (seen here in open air storage) is a masterpiece of repoussé work.

The entrance to the shrine is flanked and guarded by seated lions, carved from stone and clad with now painted metal sheet (likely brass) and fastened with rivets and bolts. Handling has led to holes and losses on the rump of one lions while dents are omnipresent.

The wooden frames surrounding the door to the sanctuary and the torana above are covered with what appears to be brass sheets carrying raised decorations.  The door is covered with beautifully worked silver sheeting.

Numerous donations of metal images and donor sculpture can be found on elevated pedestals in front the sanctuary of the temple. They are safeguarded by metal structures resembling cages, lending a somewhat surreal character to some of the animated images.

 

 

A very brief visit to Swayambhu

The great stupa of Swayambhu Mahachaitya was built prominently on a hilltop, located slightly west of the center of modern Kathmandu, and is surrounded by many other important monuments, shrines, as well as smaller devotional offerings. Over centuries, the precincts were enlarged, damages were repaired, and losses were rebuilt.  In fact, maintenance and repair of a Buddhist chaitya is an undertaking that provides great spiritual merit.

The stupa in March 2014

Prayer wheels surrounding it, March 2014

Yet, the monuments of Swayambhu suffered again extensive damage during the 2015 quake.  Three entire buildings collapsed, others show severe cracking and dislodged buildings materials.

One building that has by now been completely removed after its devastation, is the active Buddhist monastery Shree Karmaraja Mahavihar, north of the stupa.  Central to the monastery was a large seated image of the Buddha, which was housed in an ornately decorated hall.

The image was created in the 20th century by one of the great and legendary metal craftsmen, Kuber Singh Shakya (1881-1957) of Oku-Mahal, Patan. In the process, numerous individual pieces of hammered copper sheet were worked in repoussé, joined, and covered with a thick layer of gold.  Today, the Buddha remains in situ, in a small roofed shelter that allows devotees and other visitors to fully view the image.

The Buddha inside the richly adorned all of the monastery in March 2014

The building has completely vanished. The Buddha remains seated on a pdestal, surrounded by a small shelter, March 2016.

March 2016.

March 2016.

 

 

A feast for the eyes

It is difficult, if not impossible, to convey the experience of visiting temples in Nepal: the richness of decorations, shapes, surfaces, materials – and the multiple layers in which all is often present.

The small mosaic of metal images below, from different locations and periods, and of varying size and execution, may just begin to invite the eye to wander.

 

 

 

 

First impressions at Boudhanath

Yesterday, I arrived in Kathmandu.   My home base during my four week stay is the Buddhist neighborhood of Boudhanath, also often called Boudha, with the now damaged and still magnificent giant stupa in its center.

March 2014

March 2016

Since touching ground just 24 hours ago, I have been overwhelmed by the good spirit and optimism of everyone I speak to. On my brief walk mid-day I passed schoolyards emitting busy chatter. Dogs lay stretched out or curled snoozing amongst feet rushing by. Signs of rebuilding abound.

In the coming days, I will begin to visit the individual heritage sites in Kathmandu and Patan, and will begin to set up meetings with scholars of Himalayan metalwork, preservation agencies, craftsmen, and many others in the hope to explore the current situation.