Made in Nepal Tibetan Buddhist Chorten (Stupa)

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Thereafter the mud-mound began to have some kind of shapeliness and usually a peripheral wall around it. People seem to have started paving the mound with stone slabs in its natural hemispherical shape for protecting it from erosion, and incidentally thus developed the hemispherical dome form of a stupa. The peripheral wall with gates usually on all four sides was included with the structure both for protection and embellishment. The top of the dome, which also constituted its pivot point, where-under lay the remains of the person buried there, was surmounted by an umbrella type kiosk. Later the stupa architecture underwent a lot of changes. The single umbrella was multiplied by a number of them and the hemispherical dome was now spiral. The dome now had a decorative and well defined base and in addition often a separate plinth. The entire structure, instead of the earlier flat one, was now spiral.

Lord Buddha had prohibited his idol worship. Hence for some five hundred years after his death motifs like the Bodhi tree, Stupa, snake etc. alone were the objects of Buddhist worship. The Stupa was most popular as it was supposed to house the remains of the Great Master. Hence, there developed the votive models of Stupa at an early stage and such models were carried by Buddhist monks from one place to another as holy idols, to be gifted to the Buddhist commune there and to friends and followers of Buddhism. Most of the ancient stupa sites, such as Damek in Samath, also have smaller Stupa structures. These might be the structures surmounting the burials of subordinate monks. But, these might also be the votive pieces brought or sculpted locally by devotees visiting the site for paying their homage to the dead lying there. Thus the cult of votive stupa began prevailing in Buddhist tradition soon after the Great Extinction of Lord Buddha and is yet in great prevalence.

This bronze is a votive stupa motif developed on the model of the ancient Dhamek (Sarnath) Stupa pattern. This bronze is more characteristic of Ladakh and Tibetan Buddhist art traditions, where such votive pieces are created both in clay and metals and are used as gifts to friends for their well being and to temples and monasteries as marks of their reverence and devotion. Such votive motifs, due to their smaller sizes, do not have all specified or traditional ingredients of a stupa, however, they are usually very rich in their embellishment. The Tibetan models have the motifs of sun and moon, besides a finial, surmounting the top of the structure. The domes in them are usually ribbed and recede towards their necks. On their square plinth and square multi-layered base they have an elongated round neck rising spirally and getting narrower while rising to conciliate with the neck of the dome. On each of all four sides such votive stupas have a niche with the image of Buddha or Boddhisattva. This votive stupa has only on one side a single niche, though it is suggestive of niches on all sides, but it characteristically enshrines in it the Bodhi tree instead. It suggests that it is based on early stupa models and preserves the initial tradition. .

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.

Of Related Interest:

Jewelry: Sterling Silver Stupa Pendant

Thangka Painting: Stupa Mandala

Sculpting Serenity: Unveiling the Art of Crafting Wood Statues

Wood has been a preferred material for sculptures and statues since ancient times. It is easy to work with than most metals and stones and therefore requires less effort to shape it into any desired shape or form. The texture of the wood gives an element of realism to the sculpture. The selection of an appropriate wood type is necessary for carving. Woods that are too resinous or coniferous are not considered good for carving as their fiber is very soft and thus lacks strength. On the other hand, wood such as Mahogany, Oakwood, Walnut wood, Weet cherry wood, etc., are preferred by sculptors because their fiber is harder. A wood sculptor uses various tools such as a pointed chisel in one hand and a mallet in another to bring the wood to the desired measurement and to make intricate details on it. A carving knife is used to cut and smooth the wood. Other tools such as the gouge, V-tool, and coping saw also serve as important tools in wood carving. Although the wood carving technique is not as complex and tough as stone carving or metal sculpting, nonetheless, a wood carver requires a high level of skills and expertise to create a stunning sculpture.

1. Selecting the right wood

The process of wood carving begins with selecting a chunk of wood that is required according to the type and shape of the statue to be created by the sculptor. Both hardwoods and softwoods are used for making artistic pieces, however, hardwoods are preferred more than softer woods because of their durability and longevity. But if heavy detailing is to be done on the statue, wood with fine grain would be needed as it would be difficult to work with hardwood.

2. Shaping the wood

Once the wood type is selected, the wood carver begins the general shaping process using gouges of various sizes. A gouge is a tool having a curved cutting edge which is useful in removing large unwanted portions of wood easily without splitting the wood. The sculptor always carves the wood across the grain of the wood and not against it.

3. Adding detailing

When a refined shape of the statue is obtained, it is time for making details on the statue using different tools. This is achieved by using tools such as a veiner to make and a V-tool to create decorative and sharp cuts.

4. Surface finishing

Once finer details have been added, the sculptor is ready to smoothen the surface and give it a perfect finish. Tools such as rasps and rifflers are used to get a smooth surface. The finer polishing is obtained by rubbing the surface with sandpaper. If a textured surface is required, this step is skipped. Finally, to protect the statue from excessive dirt accumulation, the sculptor applies natural oils such as walnut or linseed oil all over it. This also brings a natural sheen to the statue.