Dhokra Art: India’s 4,000-Year-Old Lost-Wax Metal Casting

Dhokra is a craft of casting metal by the lost-wax method. The artisan first shapes the object in wax. The wax is later melted away and replaced by molten metal. The metal is brass or bronze, which contain no iron.

Why is the Dancing Girl linked to it?

• The Dancing Girl is a small bronze figure from Mohenjo-daro.
• Mohenjo-daro was a city of the Indus Valley (Harappan) civilisation.
• Writers call the figure the earliest known evidence of lost-wax casting.
• Dhokra is described as a living form of the same method.
• The link is an association drawn by writers. It is not a proven chain of makers.

How long has the craft lasted?

• Sources say metal casting has been used in India for thousands of years.
• Some date the craft to about 4,000 years.
• Old texts describe wax casting too, such as the Manasara Shilpa.

What is the memory hook?

Think “wax out, metal in”. The wax model is lost, and the metal takes its place.

The artisan builds a clay core and covers it in wax. Clay is then coated over the wax. When fired, the wax melts and runs out. Molten metal fills the empty space. The mould is broken to free the piece, so each mould is used once.

What are the steps in hollow casting?

• A core is made from river clay mixed with coal dust and rice husk.
• Wax is rolled into thin strings. It is a mix of beeswax, tar and tree resin.
• The strings are pressed onto the core to make fine details.
• The model is covered in layers of soil, sand and jute, then dried in the sun.
• The mould is heated. The wax melts out through a hole.
• Molten brass or bronze is poured in. The mould is broken after it cools.

What is the difference between hollow and solid casting?

• Hollow casting uses a clay core. It is common in central and eastern India.
• Solid casting uses a solid wax model with no clay core. It is common in Telangana.
• A simple piece takes four to five days, and 19 steps in all. A complex one takes two to three weeks.

What is the memory hook?

Think “core, wax, clay, fire, metal, break”. Each word is one stage.

Dhokra is made in tribal belts of central and eastern India. The main centres are Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Telangana. The craft is named after the Dhokra Damar tribe. Writers do not agree on where that tribe began.

Which places are famous?

• Bastar in Chhattisgarh is known for its Dhokra bull and tribal figures.
• Bikna village in Bankura, West Bengal, is a major Dhokra hub.
• Dariapur in Bardhaman, West Bengal, is another hub.
• Kandhamal and Dhenkanal in Odisha are known for deity figures.
• Pundi village in Jharkhand makes animal and bird containers.
• Adilabad in Telangana also has a Dhokra tradition.

Where did the name come from?

• One source says the Dhokra Damar were the earliest metalsmiths of West Bengal.
• Another says popular legend places the “Dhokra” tribe in Bastar.
• The same source says there is no firm evidence for the name’s origin.
• Artisan groups carry other names by region, such as Ghadwa in Bastar.

What is the memory hook?

Think “Damar names it, many states make it”. The tribe gives the name, and the craft spread.

Artisans make figures of animals, gods, tribal people and daily-use objects. The style is simple and folk-like. Elephants, owls, horses and tortoises appear often. Each animal carries a meaning in tradition.

Which pieces are famous?

• The Bankura horse is the best-known piece from West Bengal. It is made in pairs.
• The Dhokra bull is a famous piece from Bastar.
• Artisans in Kandhamal, Odisha, make figures of Lord Jagannatha.
• Other items include lamps, caskets, measuring bowls, anklets and jewellery.

What do the animals stand for?

• The elephant stands for wisdom.
• The horse stands for motion.
• The owl stands for prosperity.
• The tortoise stands for femininity.

What is the memory hook?

Think “horse of Bankura, bull of Bastar”. Each hub has its signature piece.

Dhokra has more than one GI tag. A GI tag is a legal label that ties a product’s name to the place it comes from. Bastar Dhokra is tagged for Chhattisgarh. Bengal Dokra is tagged for West Bengal. The two tags are separate.

What does the GI register show?

• Bastar Dhokra was registered on 22 April 2008. The applicant was the Chhattisgarh Hastshilp Vikas Board.
• A separate Bastar Dhokra logo mark was registered on 3 February 2014.
• Bengal Dokra was registered on 28 March 2018.
• Its applicants were two artisan groups, from Bikna in Bankura and Dariapur in Bardhaman.

What does a GI tag not protect?

• It protects a name linked to a place and its makers.
• It does not protect the casting method itself.
• So two states can each hold a tag for the same craft.

What is the memory hook?

Think “2008 Bastar, 2018 Bengal”. The first tag came a decade before the second.

Which traps repeat?

• Dhokra is lost-wax casting. Bidriware is metal inlay.
• The name comes from the Dhokra Damar tribe, not from a place or a metal.
• The Dancing Girl is the earliest known lost-wax piece. Say “earliest known”.
• Bastar Dhokra and Bengal Dokra are separate GI tags.
• The mould is broken to free each piece.

What is the memory hook?

Think “Damar, Dancing Girl, two tags”. It keeps the name, the origin and the GI count together.