Dhokra Craft

Bengal village Lalbazar is becoming a hub for an ancient metalcraft, dhokra.

About Dhokra Art

• It is a metalcraft popular in Bengal.
• In its original form, no painting or polishing is done.
• Most Dhokra artefacts are human or animal figurines.
• The term “Dhokra” has been named after the Dhokra Damar tribes, the traditional metalsmiths from West Bengal and Odisha.
• The Dokra tradition’s documented history is about 5,000 years old.

Process of making Dhokra

• Dhokra uses the traditional Indian technique of bronze casting using the ‘lost wax’ method, i.e. casting in moulds.
• The technique is based on annealing, where the metal extract is heated to reach ....