BUDDHA, BIHAR AND BRONZE: A CURIOUS TRINITY IN THE AXIAL AGE

One of the most intertwined relationships in Indian history between a region, a religion and its reverence in form of art is explored in this article. Buddha, the founder of the famous religion of Buddhism gained enlightenment in Bihar, a state in India .Perhaps unsurprisingly, hordes of bronze statues were casted, after His life time in this part of India. The article attempts to highlight the different places where these bronze artefacts were found in Bihar. The article emphasises briefly on the salient feature of Buddhas birth place and His journey from a man of prominence to an enlightened being. It also focuses on the development of bronze art and casting techniques of different bronze devices that were produced by the artists of that era. It concludes by presenting the results of chemical analysis, which was done to prove the artists own skills and experiences that was applied in order to achieve superior results for casting.