Dhokra Craft is a Tribal Craft form of India. Chattisgarh is well known for the Dhokra Craft which is basically Metal Casting work of religious images, horses and elephants.
History
Dhokra Damar tribes are main traditional metal workers in West Bengal and Odisha. Dhokra metal casting is named after this tribe. The Dhokras of Central and Eastern India traveled to both South and North and they are now found all over India.
Making
Dhokra is non-ferrous metal casting using the Lost-Wax Casting method. This is a process by which a duplicate metal sculpture is cast from an original metal sculpture. Duplicates are made in Silver, Gold, Bronze and Brass. Using this process, intricate carving can be done on the sculptures.
There are two processes in Lost-Wax Casting – Solid and Hollow Casting. Solid Casting is more found in South Indian sculptures and Hollow Casting in Central and Eastern Indian ones. Solid Casting uses Solid Wax to create mould and Hollow Casting uses Clay Core. The process involves a number of steps from creating a model, mould and metal casting.
You can find details on Lost-Wax Casting here
