One of the most enduring metal traditions in India is Dhokra. It uses a unique technique called lost-wax casting to fashion objects from bronze or bell metal.

The Dhokra Damar tribe are generational metal smiths who are the original practitioners the craft. The craft has also spread across communities in West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. One also finds examples of Dhokra art in Telangana.

Aditi Ranjan, a textile designer, educator and author of the book Handmade in India: Crafts of India, traces the history of Dhokra to nearly 5,000 years ago, to the Indus Valley Civilisation. An early example is the iconic statue of the Dancing Girl, excavated from Mohenjo-Daro.

To make a Dhokra sculpture, artisans first create a clay core. Next, they skilfully wrap the core in threads made of beeswax, tree resin, and oil. This gives the sculpture its distinctive threaded texture. After covering it with another layer of clay, the artwork is baked, and molten metal is poured in the mould. The wax melts away, and the clay is chipped to reveal the metalwork.

Popular Dhokra figures include deities and mythological figures, as well as jewellery and décor objects.

Dhokra craft from Bastar and Adilabad is certified with a Geographical Indication (GI). This means that only Dhokra craft made in these two regions can be called Bastar Dhokra and Adilabad Dhokra, respectively.

During the G7 Summit in 2022, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi presented Dhokra artefacts as gifts to various world leaders. He gifted the South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, artwork based on the Ramayana, while the Argentinian President, Alberto Fernández, received a figurine of Nandi – the meditative bull.

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