Bronze Casting

Bronze casting is a process used to fabricate bronze items of different shapes and sizes. The use of clay and wax plays a pivotal role in bronze casting. The basic design / form is first prepared out of melted wax and is then enclosed in clay molds and fired. During the process of firing, the clay mold is created, the wax melts and forms a hollow inside the mold. The hot molten metal is poured into the mold. After the metal has cooled, the mold is open by breaking and the basic solid cast comes out. Finally the details are engraved and some parts are chiseled.

The bronze casting method is one of the earliest techniques discovered by man dating back at least 6000 years and over the years the basic method has changed very little since that time. Indian Craftsmen today, possess some technical advantages over those of past times that include - welding equipment and power tools, efficient gas or oil burners and flexible rubbers for molding. However, still today, the casting process is heavily dependent upon several hours of skilled labor and remains a 'low tech, high skill' art. Swamimalay, Madurai, Mysore, Bangalore and Karkal are important centers for metal casting of images in the south of India. Palitana is an important center in Gujarat for casting Jain images.

Varanasi and Mathura in Uttar Pradesh; Vishnupur near Calcutta, and Balasore and Puri in Orissa, cast images of the deities, Radha and Krishna. Each area is known for its distinctive style of metal- cast images, which are made for the local temples or for worship.

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