The Process of Making Dhokra Products

A Look at The Process of Making Dhokra Products in Pundi Village in Jharkhand

Dastkari Haat Samiti

Dastkari Haat Samiti

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Shaping Moulds Using Local Materials

For the Malhore or Malhar tribals of Pundi village in Jharkhand their lives consist of living off their own environment with all the material they can acquire from local sources. Their lives are so simple and undemanding that the raw material and modes of production for their crafts in a truly ancient skill functions at the simplest of levels. The main ingredients of the process involve acquiring metal sheets or pieces, clay and chaff for the mould, wood for the furnace to heat the wax. Local clay and chaff collected from agricultural waste is mixed and shaped to form a mould in the form of the intended object.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Refining the locally available mud for making the mould is a first step in the process in dhokra craft

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The mud is then mixed with rice chaff. This mixture is used to make the moulds.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The mould is shaped by hand using the mixture made of local clay, and rice chaff.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The mud mould are put to dry in the open areas outside the house.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The mud mould is further dried under the open sun until it hardens.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The mud mould needs to be fully dry before it can be covered with tar.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Preparing the Layer of Tar

The metal smiths of Pundi use tar instead wax, which is easier to acquire from roadside construction projects nearby. The clay mould is  covered with heated and filtered tar. While the tar is still malleable, any decoration can be done on it.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Water is filled in the container, in which the molten tar is slowly poured. The tar acts like a wax when cooled.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Molten tar heated till boiling point is used like wax to model the desired design of the dhokra item.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The tar is slowly poured into a container with water. The molten tar is not directly subjected to the water below.

It is passed through a cotton cloth, which helps in keeping the tar away from any impurities like sand particles or stones.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The mud mould is further wrapped up in tar threads.

The tar which acts like a wax in thread form, is twisted in the desired shape and design.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Small designs are first made in tar and later are glued onto the mould.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

A layer of tar comes on top of the mud mould on which an intricate design is etched by hand using a small metal piece which is like a blade.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Small intricate designs, which are mostly inspired from nature around the artists are designs are first made in tar and later glued onto the mould.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Once the mud moulds is wrapped up in tar threads, smaller designs or motifs made from tar are glued onto the layer.

This is point when intricate motifs that are made are mostly birds, small insects, animals etc.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Layers of tar threads are creatively used to decorate the outer portion of this container

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Creating a Second Mud Mould

Once the mould is covered and decorated with tar, another layer of clay is used to cover it. This outer clay mould takes the shape and formations of the tarred piece and becomes the receptacle to receive the moulten metal.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

A mixture of mud and rice chaff is prepared by artisans to cover the tar layer.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

After the layer of tar is done, it is then covered with the final layer of prepared mixture of mud and rice chaff.

This layer ensures that the tar is sandwiched between two layers of mud.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

This layer ensures that no leakage occurs when the molten metal is poured inside the mould.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Filling Up With Metal

The artisans buy their mixture of metal substances using damaged metal vessels and scrap metal from vendors in the city. Lost wax processes use an alloy of metals like zinc, lead, brass, tin and aluminum.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Artisans often hammer down old metal containers into pieces, to be used in the casting process.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The broken pieces of scrap metal have to be weighed on simple hand held weighing scales, depending on the size of each dhokra item, before they undergo the firing process.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Broken metal scrap pieces are placed inside the mould, before they can be cast.

Due to the high temperature inside the pit, the metal pieces melt and take the shape of the mould.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Once filled in, the final mould is formed with another layer of the mixture made of mud and rice chaff.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Firing process

Ducts allow the tar to melt, drain away and be replaced by the molten metal when heated over a strong fire. Once the inner metal hardens, the outer layer of clay is chipped off, leaving the metal object ready for rubbing and polishing till it shines like old gold or dull silver, depending on the alloy.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The firing pit is an immensely hot place to work, particularly in the additional heat of summer where temperatures rise above 45 degrees centigrade.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

The molten metal can be seen inside the mould during the casting process.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

After the first firing, the tar inside the mould melts, and flows out.

It is collected in a container for further use.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Soon after the firing process is done, the mould are carefully taken out from the fire and are placed inside a container filled with water, as the mould is really hot.

The outer layer of the mould which is mud is broken and the final metal piece is taken out.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Once the clay is broken, the dhokra items are ready to be polished.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Making Miniature Dhokra Figurines

The metal smiths from Pundi also make dhokra figures, in the same way as containers. Dhokra figures are made after moulding the clay into assorted animal, bird or human shapes according to the creativity of the artisan.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Apart from containers, dhokra figures are made after moulding the clay into assorted animal, bird or human shapes according to the creativity of the artisan.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Tar is shaped into desired designs before it is covered with clay.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

A small tar figure of a quaintly elongated Lord Ganesha emerges, once shaped.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Finishing Process

The last step of dhokra production process is the finishing process. The metal casted items are subjected to a manual grinding process which ensures that there is no trace of mud or tar left. This is done manually by the artisans.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

After the metal casted items are out of the moulds, they are subjected to manual grinding process which ensures that there is no trace of mud or tar left.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Process (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Grinding the cast dhokra piece is a part of the finishing process. It is done manually by the artisans.

Dhokra Craft in Jharkhand: Products (2019)Dastkari Haat Samiti

Read more about Dhokra craft here:
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Credits: Story

Text: Jaya Jaitly
Photography: Chirodeep Chaudhuri
Artisans: Madhav Malhar, Moti Malhar, Dilip Malhar
Ground Facilitator: Ankit Kumar
Documentary Video: Chirodeep Chaudhuri
Curation: Ruchira Verma

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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