The Iron Art of Tribals
The tribal Bastar community of Chhattisgarh recycles household items or iron scrap into works of art, which has come to be known as Wrought Iron Craft or Bastar iron Craft. The tradition began with the ironsmith tribal communities, namely Gondi and Maria, that made farming and hunting equipment with iron scrap. Over the years, it has evolved into a valuable art form.
The Making
Made by the local lohars or ironsmiths, the tools used in iron crafting are dukhna sar (furnace), muthli (hammer), chimtas (forceps), sandasis (tongs) and chenni (chisels). The time-consuming process begins with repeatedly beating hot iron scraps and removing unnecessary portions. Later, the sharp edges are filed and a varnish is applied to create a smooth lustre. Both solid and hollow shapes are made with this process.
The Legacy
Besides Bastar, the other centres of wrought iron craft are in Kondagaon, Umargaon, and Gunagaon. The most common wrought iron creations include lamps, figurines of animals, and other artefacts. This art form has been certified with a Geographical Indication (GI) tag since 2008-2009.
Memory Vault
Bastar boasts many iron ore deposits. As a result, the tribal communities began extracting iron and became ironsmiths. They spearheaded the making of iron-wrought products, now known worldwide for their simplistic yet creative appeal.
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