Admantine glues used in Indian Iconography

1. Dr. A.S. Nene
Prof. of Civil Engineering (Retd)
VNIT Nagpur
prof.ashok.nene@gmail.com
Ashtabandha and Vajralepa

2. Adamantine glues
A bonding agent mortar or glue was very essential
for fixing idols, in wall construction, when cement
and other modern materials were unknown.
Even now these glues, known as Astabandha, are
prepared in temple premises for fixing or re-fixing
images of gods.
Five prescriptions for such glues are described in
Shilpashastras

3. Ancient Indian texts such as Brhatsamhita of
Varaha-Mihira and Mayamatam of Sage Maya (5-6th
century AD) describes the materials and methods
of cementing material in chapter Vajralepa.

4. The ingredients are
1. Unripe fruits of Tinduka and Kapittaka,
2. Flowers of silk cotton
3. Seeds of Sallaki
4. barks of Dhanavana and Vacha
All these ingredients are boiled in 256 parts of
water till the decoction reduces to One-eighth of
its original volume (i.e.32 Parts). The sediments
are mixed with substances, such as.
First Variety
Explained in Brihatsamhita

5. First Variety -Adamantine Glue

6. Shrivasaka Raktabola
(myrrh)
Guggulu Bhallataka
Kunduruka
or tree resin
Atasi Bilva) fruit
The resulting paste is termed as adamantine glue. It
was expected to last for a million years.

7. Second Variety –As per Mayamat
Lac Kunduru soot (lamp
black)
Guggulu wood-apple Manjiostha
resin
Bilva
kernel
fruits of Naga,
neem,Tinduka ,
Madana , Madhuka,
myrrh and
Ambalaka
The method of preparation is same as
mentioned above.
Ingredients are

8. Second Variety -Adamantine Glue

9. Third Variety As per Brihatsamhita
This variety of glue known as Vajratala or Vajralepa
Ingredients are
• horns of cows, buffalo and goats,
• hairs of donkey,
• buffalo hide, cow hide,
• Neem fruits,wood-apples and myrrh.
This mixture too should be boiled in water and
reduced to one-eight. In this glue some organic
substances are also included

10. Third Variety -Adamantine Glue

11. Forth Variety by Maya
A compound of eight parts lead, two of Bell
metal, and one of iron rust, and is known as
Vajrasanghata ( Adamantine compound)
It may include other materials mentioned in
the previous versions as well ,

12. Forth Variety -Adamantine Glue

13. Fifth Variety popular in Kerala
Preparing the mixture is a 41-day long
procedure and the eight ingredients are
Finely
powdered
conch
gall-nut, sealing
wax
Fruits of
gooseberry
resin of
pinus
dammar’
Cotton Medium
sized
gravels #
Small
sized
gravels #
# From the Bharatapuzha a river in Kerala, India

14. After becoming lump, it is hammered by
four or five men alternatively. During this
process one turns it with an iron spatula. For
hammering, only wooden hammers made of
tamarind wood are used. The weight of the
hammer would be 8 to 10 kilos.

15. The lump is very soft and malleable. It
becomes hot during the hammering and
becomes hard like stone when the hammering
is stopped. An estimated 0.1 million hits of
hammering are needed for a kilogram of
adhesive.