Dhokra art

Dhokra Art
History has always been the greatest treasurer. It holds some of the greatest wars and some
of the greatest revolutions. Its kingdoms are bejeweled with lost diadems and jewels. Its
walls are covered with some of the greatest mysteries of all time. Its hallowed walls echo
with the great stories of emperors and empresses. It's decorated with lost art forms from all
ages. Amongst these lost art forms, today we are going to take a dip in one of their almost
extinct art forms: Dhokra.
The History and Significance of Dhokra Art: A Treasure of
Indian Culture.
Dhokra or dokra are one of the unique lost art forms of the world. Its existence dates back
more than 4500 years, and we can trace it back to the Mohenjodaro city of the Indus Valley
Civilization. The term "Dhokra" refers to magnificent artifacts that are shaped and
decorated brassware products. Dhokra or Dokra is pronounced as Dhouk-ra. The name
Dhokra comes from the name of a nomadic tribe called the Dhokra Damar Tribe, who were
the original artisans in West Bengal, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and also Kerala.
The references can also be found in Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and several regions of
South East Asia.
Dhokra or Dokra art is made by what is
known as the "lost wax technique". It
uses one of the earliest but, at the same
time, an advanced technique of using
non-ferrous metal for metal casting,
which is the oldest form of metal casting
known to human civilization. This
technique was often implemented
under the tutelage of the greatest
masters in the trade. There exist several
ancient scriptures, such as

"Manasollasa" (12th century) and "Silparatna"
(16th century), that mention this technique of casting
hollow and solid wax. With this technique, these artisans
could create several figurines of Hindu gods and
goddesses, along with depictions of nature and animals
alike. Because of the religious significance of metals in
Hindu mythology, this art form enjoyed its existence in
Hindu society for quite a long period of time. This art
form is especially unique because the designs and the
fabrications are not separate. They are intertwined with
each other in a wonderful design and pattern that rates
this art form as extremely unique. Especially, this art
form saw a sudden rise in popularity in the 20 th century's
global markets as well.
So how is this great art form made?
This great journey begins with the piece of base that is made out of termite or ant hill soil,
which is mixed with rice husk and barn. Then this is sun-dried. Once it is completely dry, red
sand is mixed with goat droppings and applied on top of the wet form, then dried again. If
there are gaps in between them,
it is dried again by leaving it
under the sun. Once dried, the
cracks are smoothed over by
leaves. The wax is made from
bee’s wax, resin, and nut oil. Once
cooled, it is strained first and then
mixed with water. This mix is then
heated to an exact temperature
so that wax can be collected from
it. These wax wires are then
moulded to a pattern across the
sculpture. As the wax hardens to
a form, another layer of clay is
put over this form and put it to
dry. After that again a layer is
poured but this time, holes are
constructed through which the
wax shall be poured. The hot
metal mix is poured next, and it is
then put into a furnace and left to bake until it is dry. After cooling, the cast is removed by
gently hammering, and then the magnificent metal sculpture comes out. It is then sent for
final polishing. This process of making dhokra art takes a long time to complete. Since it’s a
long process, it takes several weeks to get the final product. The every famous dancing girl

of Mohenjo-daro (2300–1750 BC) is one such example and is kept securely in the National
Museum, New Delhi. The artwork measurement is 9 cm in width and 30 cm in height.
The Dhokra/Dokra artifacts are mainly human and figurines, often depicting Gods and
Goddesses. Sometimes the artisans also mold them into handcrafted bowls, lamps,
jewelry, etc. Dhokra art is in high
demand. But the artisans and their
families are sometimes too poor to carry
out the intensive processes. Moreover,
the age-old methods are still followed.
In one way, it is extremely great that the
old practices are preserved, but care
should also be taken to hasten the
process of this almost extinct art form.
Moreover, the materials are still quite
expensive, which also acts as a barrier to
the revival of the art form. To help
revive this almost extinct art form, the
governments of the particular places
should take out initiatives and financial
help so that the artisans are not
deprived of the opportunity to showcase these rare talents in abundance. What I do believe
is that there should be more awareness about this rare art form, and the spread of proper
knowledge will undeniably work wonders to breathe life into it again.