Lost Wax Copper Casting

Pradiip Maharjan has been creating religious statues from the Buddhist tradition using the lost wax technique, known in Newari as thajya, for over 17 years. From the original clay models, the sculptures are converted to thin wax shells which are then covered in a mixture of clay and rice husk moulds. In the fire the wax melts out, replaced by molten copper to create the final form after which the works are meticulously hand carved and finished before being gold plated.