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Dokra Metalcraft

Why in News?

West Bengal’s Lalbazaar is not just an art hub, but is also becoming a center for dokra, a popular metalcraft.

In 2018, Dokra craft from West Bengal was presented with the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

What is Dokra?

The Ojha metalsmiths who live in places like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal, and Telangana practise a sort of ancient bell metal craft known as dokra.

However, this artisan group varies per state in terms of both style and quality of work.

Additionally referred to as bell metal craft, dhokra or dokra.

The Dhokra Damar tribes, who are the historic metal smiths of West Bengal, are the source of the word “Dhokra.”

Dhokra metal casting is their lost wax casting method, which bears the name of their tribe.

The Dokra artefacts are crafted of brass and are distinctive in that there are no seams between any of the pieces. The process combines metallurgical expertise with wax techniques using the lost wax technique, a special type of art that uses a mould just once before being destroyed, making it the only one of its kind in the entire world.

The tribe’s territory reaches as far ahead as Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, and even Kerala, from Jharkhand to Orissa.

Making one figurine takes roughly a month.

One of the earliest dhokra artefacts that is now known is the dancing girl from Mohenjo-Daro (Harrapan Civilization).

Jewelry, kitchenware, accessories, and artefacts are still made using the Dokra Art technique.

What are the Other Crafts?

Bronze Crafts:

Rare Jain imagery and icons (Karnataka)

Pahaldar Lamps (Jaipur and parts of Uttar Pradesh)

Pembarthi craft (Telangana)

Other Metal Crafts:

Marori work of Rajasthan

Tarkashi (Rajasthan)

Bidri Craft (Karnataka)