Temple Builders Pavilion an appreciation in bronze

concept to reality

Around 1999, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, affectionately known as Gurudeva took note of the sweet sounds the silpis (Indian stone sculptors) were making with their chisels as they shaped the white granite. He realized visitors of the future Iraivan Temple would not be privileged to see this amazing process on the island. So he directed the monks to create a bronze memorial that would depict the ancient technology.

“The silpis create these beautiful statues and temples and their names are not there, you don't know who they are. They don't become famous and they don't advertise themselves. That's the tradition.” - gurudeva

For the first time in the history of Hindu temple building, Gurudeva decreed that we honor the architects and skilled Indian craftsmen in a pavilion showing their expertise. Never before have these gifted stone sculptors been so boldly honored, not even by the Kings who have hired them.

It was envisioned that the pavilion would display ten life-sized craftsmen at work, with Gurudeva and architect V. Ganapati Sthapati standing in the center.

The initial seed idea

No ordinary feat

Holly Young, the sculptress, and the 32 artisans in Colorado took eight years to complete the workshop under the guidance of the swamis of Kauai Aadheenam.

For the Silpi project, Holly Young, a bronze sculpture artist, was given many photos of Gurudeva and Stapathi, Iraivan Temple’s Master Architect. She visited the silpis, taking thousands of photos as they worked at their various tasks. From this, Holly worked up freehand sketches of Gurudeva, Stapathi, and the artisans in poses representing key aspects of the hand-carving process.

Once the monks approved the ideas, Holly proposed poses and used whatever methods she could to acquire photos to work from. Holly would travel to the Aadheenam and do photoshoots of a Silpi who would pose for her, and even the monks were willing as needed.

For the younger Stapathi, who lived in India, Holly asked for a professional photographer there to send her photos with the subject positioned for the sculpture. They turned out to be excellent!

Beginning with the murthi of Gurudeva, Holly flew to Kauai to take photos of a monk holding the pose to have a detailed model for the way the fabric of the robes should fall. Then using pictures that were sent to Holly of Gurudeva and a tall model on Hawaii Island, she sculpted in stiff wax. The swamis flew to the Big Island at critical junctures to review and tweak the wax with Holly.

After the sculpting of a figure was completed, Holly made molds of it in silicone rubber and outer plastic "mother mold" (often plaster is used for the mother mold) and shipped them to Page Inc. (a company in Loveland, Colorado) to start the foundry process.

Foundry Process, Metal Chasing & Patina

At Page Bronze, from the molds, a "foundry wax" was created in pieces; this is a hollow wax copy only 3/8" thick of the original artwork.

Then these waxes were sent to Madd Castings (a bronze casting company in Loveland, Colorado) At Madd Castings, "The shell," a second mold, was made around the wax pieces with a special foundry ceramic material. The wax gets melted away from it, leaving an empty shell. Molten bronze is poured into the space that the wax had occupied. The shell is then broken away from the cast bronze.

Back at Page Bronze, Bob Page welded the pieces of the bronze together and "chased" them, resculpting the welds and any metal defects from casting.

Debbie Bakel, using heat and chemicals, patinaed each sculpture "French Brown," which is a traditional, long-lasting chemical reaction on the surface of the bronze to color and protect it.

Shippers Supply Custom, another team member in the circle from Loveland, Colorado, then gets the completed bronze shipped to Kauai.

Initial sketches

The finished Bronze showing how a Silpi creates a break line to remove excess granite

Silpi in bronze depicting how a rough granite slab is smoothen out with ‘Nadaraja Palamunai’ chisel

Actual Chisels used for Iraivan Temple

All the chisels, hammer, chisel handling and measuring instruments utilized by the craftsmen shown in the Silpi Pavilion project have been carefully crafted to lasts for a long time in bronze.

Using a hand-driven blower, coke and coal the blacksmith heats the steel chisel to just the right temperature. While still red hot, he hands it to his partner below who grabs it with protective tongs. In the image the patinuer has masterfully colored the chisel to show its heat.

Here the blacksmith deftly positions the chisel on an iron brick, and with a hammer strikes the malleable metal near the tip, shaping a newly sharp point.

This bronze shows the ancient hand method that allows two men to move a two thousand pound stone. With a wooden wedge and two iron rods, the silpis on Kauai have moved most of the heavy granite slabs. They coordinate their efforts by singing a Tamil song that allows them to push in sync.

The rhythmic ‘ilesa’ ballad by the Silpis, when they move stone, helps with large jolts or precision placement.

Sections of the Tara Pillar in wax. There are only four of these intricately carved black granite pillars in Iraivan.

Left: The Tara pillar in polished bronze before patina work. Right: One of the four black granite Tara pillars of Iraivan Temple

Here builder Selvanathan Sthapati marks on the Tara pillar, which Holly molded to capture its form precisely in metal.

In fine-tuning the carving, the Silpi shown here is not just chipping away the granite but almost pulverizing the molecules to perfection.

THE RENAISSANCE AWARD

The Hindu Renaissance Award Hindu of the Year was created in 1990 by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, founder of Hinduism Today, to recognize and strengthen Hindu leaders worldwide. For the first time since its inception, the award was presented to a group, the Shilpa Parampara worldwide, responsible for building the great temples of our religion over the last many centuries.

Central to the temple building tradition anywhere in India is the sthapati: architect, designer, engineer, sculptor, construction supervisor and teacher all in one. Some sthapatis specialize in the making of murtis (statues), others in temple stone work and still others in the concrete, brick and plaster construction of most modern Hindu temples. Contributing sthapatis are experts in metalwork, jewelry and carpentry. Many sthapatis are competent engineers in reinforced concrete. Most modern temples are made of this material, then decorated by sculptors working with plaster.

“for their central role in preserving and expanding Hindu culture in thousands of communities around the world, we honor our temple builders, north and south as our “Hindu of the Year” for 2012.” -Hinduism today

Dr. V. Ganapati Sthapati

Vaidyanatha Ganapati Sthapati (1927 – 2011) was a Sthapati (temple architect and builder) and head of the College of Architecture and Sculpture in the Vastu Shastra tradition ascribed to the sage Mamuni Mayan He served as principal of the School of Architecture and Sculpture at Mamallapuram from 1957 to 1960. Sthapati was the architect for several buildings and sculptures, including Thiruvalluvar Statue at the southern tip of India at Kanyakumari, TN, India. He designed, and was the temple architect for numerous Temple projects in India and abroad. Sthapati has authored several books and publications.

Awards and accolades are too many to describe for Ganapati Sthapati, Padma Bhushan (the third highest civilian award in India) recipient in 2009 but he had claimed that one of his most important project of his lifetime is working on Iraivan Temple.

The gesture of humility receiving the charge before he embarks on the monumental work that will last over three decades.

"Look upon the temple as the form of God and offer worship. The Sthapati and the shilpis are supposed to internalize these spiritual concepts so that the sculptor becomes the sculpture, the architect becomes the architecture, just as the poet becomes his poem.” Ganapati Sthapati

The blessings to carry out one of the most important work of his lifetime.

unsung heroes honored

It took eight years and 32 artisans to fulfill Gurudeva’s decree to craft these ten life-size figures placing them in the Silpi Pavilion.

The black granite chains mounted on the two bronze pillars at the entrance of the Pavilion are card from a single stone. This is a showcase work of what will hang from the mandapam eave of Iraivan Temple.

Chains carved in stone

Unveiled in Bronze: Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, the visionary architect of Iraivan Temple and the San Marga Sanctuary.

Aum Namasivaya

Appreciate

Credits:

🙏 Special thanks to Holly Young and the Team of Artisans of the Silpi Bronze Project in Loveland, Colorado. © Kauai Hindu Monastery | Wikipedia