Abstract
Rohida police station recovered an old sculpture, accidentally discovered from the cemetery of Bharja/Bhaja village. It is a broken bronze Buddhist Idol and very rare sculpture. It has exquisite Antique beauty with rust in red and corrosion in green. Sculpture of Buddha seated in Padma Asana (lotus posture) and his hand in Dhyan Mudra (meditation posture). Buddha is wearing the robe; the robe is decorated with the scene of Buddhacharita story, superimposed on the visible crust. This Sirohi district has the history of Jainism and Hinduism only, till the date there is no evidence regarding Buddhism practices in Sirohi district of Rajasthan. Sirohi is famous from its silk route in the valley, ancient Chandrawati city and Mount Abu, where thousands of temples of Jainism and Shivanism were built. Objective: what were the technique and technology used to manufacture sculpture? Where this artefact came from? What are the main characteristics & features of this sculpture? What carving scene depicted in this sculpture? Research analysis: For analysis of this sculpture we carefully look sculpture and magnify scene to compare with the stories of Buddhacharita. Moreover, check out that this sculpture is indigenous work of ancestral craftsmen or not. Also compare superimposed stories of Buddha and his life. Scientific method: Buddha sculpture is hollow in nature but very heavy in weight; Craftsman used the lost wax method to manufacture it. In ancient time the science behind manufacturing sculpture is very time consuming, first sculptors need to imagine about the subject, draft and then mould through melting, condensing, chiselling, hammering and exquisite carving. One of the oldest methods of metal casting according to Archaeo-metallurgy is bee wax method; this technique is now termed as the lost wax method. Conclusion: In the end, we like to conclude that in the history of Sirohi exploration, first time unearths the Buddhist sculpture but we have certain doubts that it mustn’t belong to Sirohi district. This idol is required for further critical research like dating and detailed mould-casting technique used in the manufacturing of this sculpture.
Highlights
According to the police, reported sculpture was found accidentally from Islamic graveyard of Bharja Village in Sirohi District
He saw “decline of the Buddhist monastery of hundred brother monks belonging to Hinyana of Sarvasti sect” [4, p. 231]. Both Shivanism and Jainism developed here side by side in our earlier finding we found many inscriptions explaining the value of this region
Earliest lost wax method developed during the time of Harappan civilization, that time mould was used to make through clay but later on, a single metal mould was used in Mauryan time which was durable and provide strong and solid finishing to sculpture
Summary
According to the police, reported sculpture was found accidentally from Islamic graveyard of Bharja Village in Sirohi District. The problem of robbery of cultural artefacts has grown so much that several International registers exist where stolen items can be reported and displayed This hollow Buddhist sculpture without the head is a very rare one. Even we never found the description of the Mount Abu region in any Buddhist literature like Buddhacharita and travel documents of Buddhist pilgrimage Huien Tsang, but he visited Bhilmala/Bhinmal, which is not more than 100 km far from Mount Abu, visited by Huien Tsang in 640 CE He saw “decline of the Buddhist monastery of hundred brother monks belonging to Hinyana of Sarvasti sect” [4, p. 1. Chandrawati ancient city was flourished on the bank of the river West-Banas was a sacred centre of the Hinduism (especially Shivanism) and Jainism religion. In this sacred ritual (yajna) even gods got to assemble and from Agnikund (fire-alter ) given birth of four clans of Agnikul Kshatriyas “Parmars” by Lord Indra, “Chaluky” by Brahma, “Parihars” by Shiva and “Chauhans” by Vishnu [9, p. 9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
