Our Object in Focus this month is a figure of Danteshwari Mata, a goddess worshipped in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh in India. Shown seated on an elephant with guardian figures beside her, this figure of Danteshwari Mata has been made using the lost wax casting technique and is part of our latest exhibition/display called, Dhokra: The Art of Lost wax Casting. The object has several parts that are cast separately and assembled together.
Danteshwari Mata
Danteshwari Mata is the guardian goddess of the royal family of Bastar in Chhattisgarh. Whilst the main temples are in Dantewada and Jagdalpur Palace, there are temples dedicated to her in all the major villages. She is believed to have 32 sisters who are all worshipped in the region of Bastar making the iconography of deities varied and many. Whilst each village and community in Bastar have their own ritual practices and deities, Danteshwari Mata is worshipped across Bastar. She is always depicted as being seated on an elephant with a chhatri (umbrella/parasol) covering her.
The Craft Process
Lost wax casting is a type of craft technique practised in India in present-day West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. Lost wax casting was originally used to create bronzes for ritual use and objects for utilitarian purposes. More recently, the craft is primarily used to create wall art and decorative items. There are regional variations in design and symbolism of objects.
The raw materials required for Dhokra casting include clay, rice husk, cow dung (to mix with clay to form an admixture), beeswax or paraffin wax, and metal. A combination of metals but primarily brass including discarded scraps found at utensil shops are used for the casting. The tools include hammers, chisels, files, pliers, knives, a wire brush and a tool for extracting wax threads. This tool is usually in the form of a press which extrudes wax threads of different diameters. The craft process involves five main stages:
- The design is first modelled in clay.
- Wax (most commonly beeswax) threads are used to create the fine designs on the clay model.
- This is then encased in another clay mould. A separate clay funnel is created at the top of the mould to hold pieces of metal and then covered.
- The mould is fired in a kiln that melts the wax and fires the clay. The molten metal flows in through the clay funnel and takes the shape of the design when it sets. The fired terracotta encasing is then broken.
- Traces of clay and ash are removed, and the metal object is buffed and polished to give it the final finish.