Swamimalai Bronze Icons refers to

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

idols and

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...

s manufactured in Swamimalai, Tamil Nadu. It has been recognized as a Geographical indication by the Government of India in 2008–09.

History

During the reign of Chola empire, Raja Raja I commissioned a group of sculptors for the construction of the

Brihadeeswarar Temple Brihadishvara Temple, called Rajarajesvaram () by its builder, and known locally as ''Thanjai Periya Kovil'' ("Thanjavur Big Temple") and ''Peruvudaiyar Kovil'', is a Shaivite Hindu temple built in a Chola architectural style located on the ...

at Thanjavur. The sculptors helped cast statues for Airavatesvara Temple and later settled at Swamimalai.

Production

The icons range from to in height. The production is closely controlled and limited in number to maintain quality. The statues made mainly include that of Hindu deities. Other icons of animals, figures of males and females are also cast based on requirements. The statues are made using the technique of wax casting and the cast can be of two types - solid and hollow cast. Solid wax casts are traditionally used and the model of the required image is cast as a

mould A mold () or mould () is one of the structures certain fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of spores containing fungal secondary metabolites. The spores are the dispersal units of the fungi. No ...

filled with wax, made by mixing pure bee wax with resin from the '' Platanus orientalis'' and ground nut oil in the ratio 4:4:1. The wax pattern is coated with three layers of clay known as investment with each layer made from different clay. The first coat about 3 mm thick is made when fine loam or alluvial soil collected from the

Kaveri river The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Kodagu dist ...

bed finely ground with charred paddy husk mixed with cow dung, the second layer by mixing clay from paddy fields with sand and the third layer being a mix of coarse sand with clay. For large statues, the clay coating is reinforced using metal rods. The mould is heated to remove the wax and the molten metal is poured into the mould. During historic times, the molten metal was an alloy of five metals: gold, silver, copper, zinc and lead, known as '' Panchaloha''. As gold and silver are expensive, they are replaced by tin and iron. Once the metal cools, the mould is broken and the metal statue is polished further to produce the icon.

Measurements

The sculptor takes measurements using units of measurement laid down in

Shilpa Shastras ''Shilpa Shastras'' ( sa, शिल्प शास्त्र ') literally means the Science of Shilpa (arts and crafts).Stella Kramrisch (1958)Traditions of the Indian Craftsman The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 71, No. 281, Traditional ...

for icon making. The basic unit of measurement is ''tala'', which is the distance between the hairline and the end of the lower jaw. The tala is divided into 12 equal parts called ''angula'' (roughly equivalent to the breadth of a finger) which is further divided into eight ''yava'' (the size of a barley grain) and so on until the smallest unit, a ''paramu'' (smaller than the end of a single hair). The measurements are noted using a narrow ribbon of coconut tree leaf cut to the icon length requirement and folded at different lengths in proportion to the length of various parts of the icon.

Artisans

About 1200 people in Swamimalai are involved in metal sculpting. The artisans are known as ''sthapathis'', who are traditionally from the Vishwakarma community and have practiced metal casting for several generations.

Export

The bronze icons made in Swamimalai are in high demand and are exported to number of countries including United States, United Kingdom, Canada,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, South Africa,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, Malaysia and Thailand. About 60 percent of the total production is exported and the statues are installed in Hindu temples built in various countries by NRIs.

Geographical Indication

In 2008, the Government of Tamil Nadu applied for Geographical Indication for Swamimalai Bronze Icons. The Government of India recognized it as a Geographical indication officially since the year 2008-09.

References

{{Chola Nadu Bronze sculptures in India Indian metalwork Geographical indications in Tamil Nadu Economy of Tamil Nadu Cult images