Worlds Above and Worlds Below, There's No One Like Me (Buddha's Birth)

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

Name: Worlds Above and Worlds Below, There's No One Like Me (Buddha's Birth)
Brand: Exotic India
SKU: ZEN184
Price: 395.00 USD
Availability: InStock

$395

Buddha is believed to have been born, as Siddhartha Gautama, around 480 BCE in Lumbini, a part of the Shakya Republic. He was the crown prince of the Shakya clan but surrendered all materialistic attachments to seek the Truth. He wanted to free himself from the cycle of births and ease the suffering he saw prevailing around the world. About the Buddha's birth, the legend says that on the day he was conceived, his mother dreamt of a white elephant with six tusks. Siddhartha was born ten months later.

This masterfully crafted bronze statue of infant Buddha depicts the legend of his birth. It is said that after he was born, the infant Buddha spoke, took seven steps and then pointed up at the sky with one hand while keeping the other pointed towards the ground. The raised right hand depicts this posture and represents the heaven from where he has just arrived. The left hand points to the ground signifying the Buddha's mission on Earth. The opposite direction of both hands represents a unification of Heaven and Earth within the person of the Buddha's human incarnation. The seven steps taken by him represent the seven directions, namely, east, west, north, south, up, down and here.

In this depiction, Buddha is shown standing on a lotus pedestal. It's a fully bloomed lotus flower representing a time after enlightenment. This is the same lotus that the white elephant in Buddha's mother's dream had carried: A symbolic manifestation of the mantra - Om Mani Padme Hum - that translates to the jewel in heart of the lotus. It represents not merely the enlightenment associated with the Buddha himself but also conveys the purity and innocence of the childhood state.

Notify me when this item is available

Specifications

	ZEN184
	Copper Statue From Nepal
	Height: 8 inch
	Width: 3 inch
	Depth: 3.7 inch
	Weight: 900 gm

Delivery and Return Policies


	Returns and Exchanges accepted with 7 days
	Free Delivery

Easy Returns

Return within 7 days of
order delivery.See T&Cs

Fully Insured

All orders are fully insured
to ensure peace of mind.

100% Handmade

All products are
MADE IN INDIA.

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.