Ancient Metal Sculpture in India
The lost-wax process for casting is known to Indian from as long ago as the Indus Valley Civilization. The process of making alloy of metals by mixing copper, zinc and tin which is called bronze is also known to Indians for more than 5 thousand years.
The ‘Dancing Girl’ in tribhanga posture from Mohenjodaro is the earliest bronze sculpture datable to 2500 BC. Bronze statuettes of a well sculpted Chariot have also been discovered at Daimabad (Maharashtra) datable to 1500 BC.
The Bronze sculptures and statuettes of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain deities have been discovered from many regions of India. Most of them date from 2nd century AD till 6th century AD.
Most of these metal images were used for ritual worship. They have been sculpted with exquisite beauty and aesthetic appeal.
The metal casting process has also been used for making articles for various domestic purposes such as utensils for cooking, eating, drinking, etc.
Jaina Images
Bronze images of Jain Tirthankaras have been discovered from Chausa, Bihar, belonging to the Kushana Period (2nd Century AD). These images reflect how the Indian metal sculptors had mastered the modelling of masculine human physique and simplified muscles. The most remarkable metal sculpture is found in the depiction of Adinath or Vrishabhnath, who is identified with long hairlocks. (Other tirthankaras have short curly hair).
Buddha Images Gupta / Vakataka
Majority of the Buddha images in metal, that were cast in Northern India are in Abhayamudra. Such images have been commonly found in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and belong to the Gupta / Post-Gupta periods. In these images, the Sanghati or the monk’s robe is wrapped to cover the shoulders which turn over the right arm, while the other end of the drapery is wrapped over the left arm (Mathura Style).
Vakataka bronze images of the Buddha from Phophnar, Maharashtra, are contemporary with the Gupta period bronzes.
In these images, the Buddha’s right hand in abhayamudra is free so that the drapery clings to the right side of the body contour. The result is a continuous flowing line on this side of the figure. At the level of the ankles of the Buddha figure the drapery makes a conspicuous curvilinear turn, as it is held by the left hand.
There was one more advantage of the Gupta and Vakataka Buddha images that they were portable. The monks could carry them from place to place for individual worship or to install them at Budhist Viharas.
Sultanganj Buddha
The most outstanding example of the ancient Indian metal sculpture is the Buddha image at Sultanganj, Bihar, which is quite a monumental bronze figure of Gupta era. The statue is dated by archaeologists at between 500 to 700 AD and is 2.3m high and 1m wide, weighs over 500 kg and was made using the lost wax technique.
Jaina Images Gupta / Vakataka
Most of the Gupta / Vakataka metal images found are of the Jaina tirthankaras like Mahavira, Parshvanath or Adinath and majority of them have been found in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Among the Jaina images, the female images were also cast representing yakshinis or Shasanadevis of some prominent tirthankaras for example Chakreshvari is the Shasanadevi of Adinath and Ambika is of Neminath.
Four Faced Vishnu
In the later ancient India, there was a noteworthy development in the iconography of Vishnu images. The most notable example is that of the Four-headed Vishnu, also known as Chaturanana or Vaikuntha Vishnu. In this image, the central face represents Vasudeva, while the other two faces are that of Narasimha and Varaha. These images were normally found in Himachal Pradesh and other northern states.
