Dokra Art of Bastar

Dhokra art is the famous art of Chhattisgarh, making it favorite folk style for many customers, collectors, decorators, or furnishers etc. Dhokra art is inspired by tribal themes of animals, mythical creatures, human creatures, natural shapes etc. The region is rich tradition of craft and culture. The Dhokra craft is found in Bastar, which is a district in the southern part of the state of Chhattisgarh. Bastar is bound by the states of Orissa and Maharashtra on its east and west, respectively.

About Dokra Art

Of the total population of bastar, more than 70% are tribal including the Gond, Abhuj Maria, Darda Maria, Bison Horn Maria, Munia Doria, Dhruva, Bhatra and Halba tribes. Other communities carrying out specific occupations are also found in the district, such as the Ghadwas, who are engaged in the Dhokra craft.

The city of Raipur in Chhattisgarh is the most convenient place from where one can access Baster. The clusters in Bastar for the Dhokra craft are Kondagaon and Jagdalpur, which are situated 225 kms and 298 kms respectively from Raipur        Dhokra art is the characteristic feature of Chhattisgarh art. Each piece of Dhokra art is characterized by intricate attention of the artist to provide its authenticity. It is an ancient method by which metal arty-crafts are made through wax casting techniques. It is an ecofriendly craft as it uses scrap useless metal. 

Dhokra is a non- ferrous metal that is cast into various products by using the lost- wax casting technique. This sort of metal casting has been undertaken in India for over 4,000 years and the same method is still being used. One of the earliest known lost wax artifacts is the dancing girl of mohenjo-daro.Dhokra is the oldest form of metal casting and popular because of its simplicity. It is the specialty of Chhattisgarh. It is very important handicraft because of it labour extensive and largely exclusive folk character. Bastar district of Chhattisgarh provides the most distinct Dhokra crafts.    Dhokra crafts are made manually by casting of brass and bronze metal with the help of wax vanishing technique. The process of making Dhokra craft is very old however; it provides such intricate works of the local deities, sun, moon, jungle, flora and fauna etc. to provide a decorative look on it. 

The Famed Dokra Art of Bastar

Watch the artisans carve out the delicate masterpieces 

history of dokra art

The Dhokra craft has been discovered in the relics of the mohenjidaro and Harappan civilizations, which proves the historical and traditional importance of the industry. The statue of the dancing girl, unearthed at mohenjodaro is proof of the origin and continuity of the craft. It is this continuity of tradition, coupled with the intrinsic starkness and vitality of the art form, which makes Dhokra products coveted collectors’ items in India and Abroad for connoisseurs, scholars and laypersons alike.   The Dhokra art is a major attraction in Bastar. The Ghadwas are small artisan groups who produce brass or bell metal objects. In Bastar, many folk stories are told about the origins of the Ghadwas, the foremost among which is the following tale:  three hundred years ago, the ruler of Bastar, Bhan Chand was presented a gift, a necklace crafted in Dhokra craft for his beloved wife, which made him aware of the beauty of the craft.                          
To honour the craftsman, he decided to bestow the title of Ghadwa on him, which is derived from the word ghalna, meaning to melt and work with wax. Therefore, since these people prepare the craft items by melting the metal through the use of the lost wax technique, they are given the name ‘Ghadwa’. Another derivation of the name comes from the word gadhna, which means to make. Ghadna means the act of shaping and creating, and it is probably this term that gives the artisans, who cast the objects, mainly made of brass and copper, their name. In some regions, the craftsmen are also called Ghasia, Khaser, Mangan, and Vishwakarma.
In the craft production process of Dhokra, it is bees-wax and not metal that gives material shape to the creative images that are formed. In Chhattisgarh, these artists, rather craftsmen, are clustered in Bastar district, wherein they are concentrated in the region around Kondagaon and Jagdalpur.    1. Raw Materials: The basic raw material used for making Dhokra articles is brass, which is procured in the form of used brass utensils or any other brass scrap. The brass scraps are available locally from traders who either collect them locally or source them from Dhamtari and Raipur. The brass scrap is available for Rs. 220 to Rs. 250 per kg of scrap, depending on the availability and market conditions. The other raw materials required are:
  • Aari Mitti/Chikti Mitti (Black Soil)
  • Bhoosa (Rice Husk)
  • Rui Mitti (Riverside Soil)
  • Gobar (Cow-dung)
  • Lal Mitti (Red Soil)
  • Sem Patta (Bean Leaves)
  • Mome (Wax)
  • Jalawan (Fire Wood)
  • Koyla (Wood Coal)

Tools

Almost all the tools are made by the artisans either themselves or with the help of the local blacksmith or carpenter. The tools used in Dhokra craft are: 
  • Hammer
  • Wooden mallet
  • Pichki-pharni
  • Chisel  Pliers
  • Tongs and
  • Wire brushes

Process

There are two main processes of lost-wax casting: solid casting and hollow casting. While the former is predominant in southern India, the latter is more common in central and eastern India. In solid casting, instead of a clay core a solid piece of wax is used to create the mould; hollow casting, on the other hand, is the more traditional method and entails the use of the clay core.    The entire process can be broadly divided into the following five major parts: 
 Modelling
Moulding
 De-waxing
Casting and
Finishing.

Product Range

Now-a-days, the common Dhokra products made include images of Ganesh, Durga and the Nandi bull, lamps, lamp-stands, candle-stands, ash-trays, pen-stands, human forms, figures of Maria and Mareen (tribal figures), door handles, flower vases, mobile holders, face masks, water jugs, and key rings. The artisans practising the Dhokra craft are Ghadwas, who fall under the Backward Classes, and are not tribals. But the artisans claim that their ancestors were tribals who migrated from Maharashtra and settled in Bastar centuries ago. Hence, the tribal imagery of the Dhokra craft can be traced back to the ancestral lineage of the craftsmen.  
 The clusters of Dhokra craftsmen are spread in and around Kondagaon and Jagdalpur.  More than 600 Dhokra artisans are reportedly working in this area. Only a handful of these artisans have, however, organized themselves under self-help groups (SHGs) or societies, most of which have become defunct now. Due to the demand for and popularity of Dhokra products, work is always available.  Hence, the locals have started migrating from other daily wage jobs to Dhokra work. Various training programmes are also being organized by the Government to induct and train new craftsmen in this industry.
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