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This article shows a slide show of handmade and mostly gold-plated Buddha statues from Nepal. The Newari artists and craftsmen from Patan in Nepal have been famous for this for centuries. Even the great Mongol leader Kublai Khan (1215-1294) commissioned a golden stupa in Tibet to the Newari artists in Patan.
Buddha Statues from Patan in Nepal
For most non-Buddhists a Buddha is a glorified person sitting on a lotus throne with his legs crossed and spending his time in meditation. The more educated Westerners know that there was a historical Buddha who was born in Lumbini, today Nepal, in circa 563 BC and who lived for about 80 years on earth. This historical Buddha is called Gautama Siddharta, or Shakyamuni Buddha.
But in Buddhist belief, there had been many more Buddhas before him, and more are still to come. Thus Buddha Shakyamuni is just one in a long series of Buddhas.
Bronze Figures
I have not yet figured out why. But the famous Newari statues are also called Nepal bronzes. However the material used is nearly always copper, at least for the better ones. The bigger statues, including those of a sitting Buddha, are usually hollow inside. This is done to save precious copper material.
Inside the cavity is sometimes a roll of paper with a holy mantra written on it. You can recognize this by shaking the statue slightly. But please dot not try to open the figure.
Dieter Wanczura, June 2010.
