History of Chemistry in Ancient and Medieval India, Incorporating the History of Hindu Chemistry by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray c15.s2.5

c15.s2.5

In the ruins of an old Buddhist monastery situated at Sultanganj in the district of Bhagalpur (Bihar) a large copper statue of Buddha was discovered in 1864 by Mr. Harris, a Resident Engineer of East India Railway. It has a height of 7 ft. 6 in. with a weight estimated to be nearly one ton. The statue is of very pure copper and provided with an outer garment sufficiently transparent to make the body proper visible through it. It seems to have been cast in two layers, the outer layer being cast over the inner one presumably by the *cire perdue* process (Fig. 24). The casting of the inner body was effected in segments on an earthen mould; these segments are held together by iron bands. From the mode of its construction and from the fact that a coin of the reign of Chandragupta II was found in the neighbourhood of the monastery, it might be concluded that the statue is a product of the 5th century A.D. Among the other articles, found in the vicinity, are the hand of another large copper figure and three small standing copper figures of Buddha besides lumps of copper ore. This seems to suggest that the smelting and casting operations were conducted on the spot. The statue was removed to the Birmingham Museum where it possibly lies still preserved.