Parliament of any democracy is the house of the commons and the insignia atop this house is a badge of people’s power wrested in the will of the people. When it is seated at the top of the temple of democracy – the Parliament building, it truly represents the paradigm of ‘for the people, by the people’.
When the Prime Minister unveiled the 6.5-meter State emblem of India on Monday, weighing 16,000 kg, fully hand crafted by Indian artisans, made of high purity bronze., it not only is the structure that matters but the entire philosophy of people’s power that this emblem represents.
The unique craftsmanship of the national emblem atop the new parliament building needed dedication, meticulous supervision, and skillful installation – all depicting various elements of ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’.
Over 100 artisans from various parts of the country tirelessly worked on the design, crafting, and casting of the emblem for over six months to bring out the quality that could be seen in the final installation. The installation itself was a challenge as it was 32 meters above upper ground level.
The State Emblem of India is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Asoka which is preserved in the Sarnath Museum. The Lion Capital has four lions mounted back-to-back on a circular abacus. The frieze of the abacus is adorned with sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull, and a lion separated by intervening Dharma Chakras.
The profile of the Lion Capital has been adopted as the State Emblem of India. This finds pride in place and the design is adopted for the emblem above the parliament building.
For the processing of casting the National Emblem, a computer graphic sketch was made. based on that a clay model was created, followed by the lost wax process the wax mold and bronze cast were done.
THE PROCESS OF LOST WAX CASTING
To cast the clay into a bronze a mould is made from the model, and the inside of this negative mould is brushed with melted wax to the desired thickness of the final bronze.
After removal of the mould, the resultant wax shell is filled with a heat-resistant mixture. Wax tubes, which provide ducts for pouring bronze during casting and vents for the gases produced in the process, are fitted to the outside of the wax shell. Metal pins are hammered through the shell into the core to secure it.
Next, the prepared wax shell is completely covered in layers of heat-resistant fiber reinforced plastic, and the whole is inverted and placed in an oven. During heating, the plaster dries and the wax runs out through the ducts created by the wax tubes.
The plaster mould is then packed in sand, and molten bronze is poured through the ducts, filling the space left by the wax. When cool, the outer plaster and core are removed, and the bronze may receive finishing touches.
Finally the statue is polished and breezed and ready with clear coat of protective polish and no paint to showcase the rich metal.