Dhokra The Traditional Art of Metal Casting

The name 'Dokra' or ‘Dhokra’ was used originally to indicate a sect of metal craftsmen who well were known for their metal craft. Dokra now refers to a metal craft which is tribal in origin. It is mainly found in the tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. In this metal craft the craftsman firstly subcultures a wax model of the object he wants to make. Then he makes a mould of clay and pours molten metal into a hole in the mould, then the wax melts and the clay is broken away to bring out the metal object which is then smoothed an polished to perfection. This is also know as the lost wax procedure or “cire perdure”. Dokra art mainly produces figurines of Gods, Goddesses and religious animals and birds. Dokra art has a rustic and antique finish which makes this unique and appealing. Though the Dokra artists are untutored in traditional institutions the Dokra craftsmen posses huge repertoire of creativity and artistic sagacity. Dokra art is revered all over the world for its primeval plainness and enthralling folk motifs.

The Dokra art is mainly an assortment of imagery and figures of God and Goddesses and birds and animals. It is well appreciated all over the world due to its rustic beauty and enticing folk motifs. Wonderfully crafted and decorated Dokra artifacts are prized possession of art collectors all over the world. This site lucidly highlights the quintessential characteristic of Dokra art. 

Dhokra craftsmen are artists first and metal workers later. It is bees-wax and not metal that permits them to give material shape to the creative images they form in their mind. The actual process can be summed up in six essential steps:

 Step 1 Using rather coarse clay the shilpi makes a core vaguely resembling the end product. The clay core is hardened either by drying in the sun or by mildly firing in an oven. 

Step 2 determines the artistic quality of the work. Drawing the bees-wax into stripes and thin wires, the artist wraps them around the clay core to produce a replica that is smooth and expressive. Bees-wax is often mixed with dhuna, that is the resinous gum of the sal tree (Shorea robusta), and boiled in mustard oil. The mixture also is called dhuna.  

Step 3. The replica is coated with a very thin layer of very fine wet clay. All the fine details of the wax replica are now impressed upon clay. This layer is sun dried and further layers of clay added. The mould is now ready. The artist must now become a metal worker. A clay funnel is added for molten metal to flow inside the mould. 

Step 4. The mould is carefully heated so that the wax melts and is lost (hence the name lost-wax technique) leaving behind a cavity. 

 Step 5 involves actual casting in a furnace. The cavity is filled with molten metal, and the mould left to cool.

 Step 6. The clay mould is broken and the artifact taken out for cleaning and polishing. A new artifact has been created out of metal scrap.  

The Dhokra shilpis often work with brass (copper + zinc) or bronze (copper + tin). If the tin content is high, the alloy is called bell metal. Unlike in the case of potters, where traditionally the turning wheel is reserved for men, all parts of Dhokra work can be done by either men or women. Children learn the craft through imitation and instruction.

 The technology of the Dhokra shilpis is essentially a throwback to times of their nomadism. Till very recently, every time a family wished to do metal casting, it would hastily set up an open furnace. The shilpis were fully aware of the shortcomings of the arrangement. The furnace was fuel inefficient and caused air pollution. In addition it restricted the casting to small objects. What hurt the shilpis the most was the evaporation of metal which pushed up the input costs by as much as 20 percent. Also,
because of the non-uniformity of temperature the rejection rate was unacceptably high. However, it was not sufficient merely to point out the solution to then shilpis; they must be gently led to it. Under its TARA programme (Technological Assistance to Rural Artisans), NISTADS has been working since 2000with all of 35 Dhokra families in Bikna (near Bankura) and 22 families in Dariapur (district Bardhaman). Bikna, just outside the Bankura town, is new on the Dhokra map. Dhokra families from Rampur (within bankura) and elsewhere  were settled here in 1983. Both Bikna and Dariapur have been provided with a number of pucca community furnaces where the shilpis can monitor the temperature. Shilpis have been trained to modify the composition of the brass alloy as also in brazing (soldering with brass itself). More fundamentally, they have been introduced to the concept of levelling and measurement.  

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