Dantewara Bastar Dhokra Bell Bronze Chhattisgarh

The Dhokra bell-metal and bronze craft of Dantewara in Bastar district, Chhattisgarh, is distinct from the mainstream Dhokra animal figurine tradition in its specialisation in ritual bells and ceremonial objects for Gondi and Halba tribal shrine worship. Dantewara Dhokra artisans (Ghasia community) cast ceremonial bells (ghanta), deity masks (murai), and spirit horse figures (ashwa) for installation at the sacred posts (manche) of Gond village deities. The lost-wax casting uses alloy proportions that produce a distinctive clear resonant tone in the bells — the Ghasia families guard the alloy recipe as hereditary knowledge. The Dantewara bell tradition is embedded in the living tribal religion of south Bastar; new ghanta are required for every new manche installation when a village spirit is re-consecrated, generating continuous demand from the tribal community. The Chhattisgarh Tribal Welfare Department and Crafts Hub Jagdalpur support Dantewara Dhokra through cooperative credit, raw material supply, and craft fair marketing. Urban collectors and NGO fair-trade buyers have also created an exterior market for Dantewara Dhokra bells as decorative objects. The craft is practiced in Dantewara town and surrounding Ghasia hamlets of south Bastar.