Bastar Dhokra & Wrought Iron Craft
Forest spirits in cast brass and hammered iron, from the tribal heart of India.
The Bastar region of Chhattisgarh is home to two distinct tribal metal crafts. The Ghadwa community casts brass by the lost-wax method into figures of deities, tribal life, animals, riders, elephants, lamps, jewellery and measuring bowls, all carrying a fine wax-thread texture. The Lohar (blacksmith) community forges thin strips and rods of iron into stylised human and animal figures, wall panels, lamp stands and the jhaar — tall iron 'trees' hung with bells and birds — with a deliberately raw, hammer-marked, forge-welded look. Both are rooted in the ritual and household life of the region's Adivasi communities.
Craft at a Glance
Origin
Bastar, Chhattisgarh
Also Known As
Bastar dhokra, Ghadwa brass, Bastar iron craft, jhaar (iron lamp trees)
Craft Type
Lost-wax brass casting and forged ironwork
Practising Community
Ghadwa (Ghasia) brass casters and Lohar blacksmiths, serving Gond, Maria, Muria and Bhatra communities
Materials
Beeswax, resin and clay for dhokra models and moulds; scrap brass and bronze for casting; recycled wrought and mild iron, cart fittings and rods for the ironwork; charcoal for both forges.
Known For
Ghadwa dhokra figures and Lohar wrought-iron sculpture with a raw, welded finish
Where It's Made
Kondagaon, Jagdalpur and villages of Bastar, Kondagaon and Dantewada districts, Chhattisgarh
Time to Create
One to two weeks per figure; longer for large group pieces or lamps
GI Status
Bastar Dhokra and Bastar Iron Craft are both registered GIs of Chhattisgarh
Process Steps
Modelling the dhokra core
A clay-and-husk core roughly the shape of the object is built and dried so the casting will be hollow.
Winding the wax threads
The core is coated with wax and wrapped in fine hand-rolled wax threads that form the figure's surface and detail.
Investing and de-waxing
The wax model is packed in layers of clay with runners left open and heated so the wax melts and runs out.
Casting the brass
Molten scrap brass is poured into the empty mould; once cool, the clay is broken away and the piece is filed.
Forging the iron stock
For ironwork, scrap iron is heated in the forge and hammered into strips, rods and wire of the sizes the figure needs.
Cutting and bending
The iron stock is cut and bent hot into the parts of a figure — legs, body, horns, tools, birds and bells.
Forge-welding and riveting
The parts are joined by hammering them together at welding heat or by riveting, the joins left visible.
Finishing
Brass castings are filed and lightly polished; iron pieces are wire-brushed and sometimes oiled or lightly lacquered against rust.
Technique Glossary
Ghadwa (Ghasia)
The lost-wax metal-casting community of Bastar.
Lohar
The blacksmith community whose forged-iron figures are a signature Bastar craft.
Cire perdue
Lost-wax casting: a wax model is replaced by metal inside a clay mould that is broken once.
Jhaar
A tall iron lamp-tree or votive tree hung with forged birds, bells and figures.
Forge welding
Joining two pieces of hot iron by hammering them together until they fuse, without solder.
Wax-thread modelling
Building the surface of a wax model from many fine coils, which print as ribbing on the finished brass.
Deepa / diya
Oil lamps, a staple product of both the brass and iron traditions in Bastar.
A Craft Through Time
Pre-modern
Ritual and household metal
Ghadwa and Lohar families make shrine images, lamps, tools and votive figures for Bastar's tribal communities.
1960s
Craft development at Kondagaon
Government programmes and a craft complex introduce Bastar metalwork to national and export markets.
1970s–80s
Iron as art
Bastar wrought-iron sculpture is embraced by galleries, designers and public art commissions as a contemporary form.
Late 20th century
Master recognition
Bastar metal artisans receive national awards, and named workshops build reputations of their own.
2000s–2010s
Geographical Indications
Bastar Dhokra and Bastar Iron Craft are both registered as GIs of Chhattisgarh.
Present
Tribal craft with a market
The two crafts are promoted together as Bastar's distinctive metal traditions, sold through emporia, fairs and galleries.
Did You Know?
Bastar's iron figures are made almost entirely from scrap — old tools, cart parts and rods reheated and reshaped — so the craft was a recycling tradition centuries before the word existed.
Every craft has a story. Every story begins with tradition.