Dhokra Ganesha Bastar Lost-Wax Brass

The Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-Daro was made this way, beeswax sculpted, coated in clay, fired until the wax ran out, filled with bronze. That was 4,000 years ago. The Dhokra craftspeople of Bastar, Chhattisgarh never stopped. This Ganesha is cast in that same tradition: each handcrafted figure is a mould that will never be used twice.

Dhokra casting is a lost-wax process, the wax figure that the craftsperson sculpts is destroyed in the making of the final object. No mould survives. This handmade Ganesha was formed in beeswax, coated in layers of clay, and fired until the wax drained out and molten brass took its place. The texture you see on the surface is the record of that process.

Ganesha, in this form, is not decorative in the way a mass-produced figurine is decorative. There is something specific about an artisanal object that took days to make and exists as a single thing. Sit it anywhere. It will settle in.

Dhokra Lost-Wax Cast · Bastar, Chhattisgarh · 4,000-Year Technique · Brass

Care Instructions

• Dust with a dry, soft cloth.
• Do not immerse in water.
• Polish brass figurines occasionally with a brass-cleaning cloth.
• Iron figurines: apply a light coat of mineral oil to prevent rust.