West Bengal - Art, Culture & Heritage @ whatisindia.com

DOKRA METAL CRAFT
The metal smiths using the lost wax process of metal casting or hollow casting method in West Bengal, are known as Dokra Kamars. The ironsmiths are known in Bengal as Kamars or Karmakar and other metal smiths as Sekras. The word Dokra in Bengali is used with contempt for those who are socially low and despised. Of all craftsmen in West Bengal, these metal smiths are socially most persecuted and are being treated as social outcasts. Hence they are called Dokras.

The Dokras are now dispersed over the western part of West Bengal in four districts namely Bankura, Purulia, Midnapore and Burdwan and are mainly concentrated in Bankura and partly in Purulia. The Dokras who lived in a small suburb called Rampur on the fringe of Bankura town have shifted to Bikna. These Dokras make various kinds of images and figures of gods and goddesses, birds and animals, like Lakshmi, Lakshmi-Narayan, Siva-Parvati flanked by Ganesh and Kartik, elephants, horses, owls, peacocks etc.

The Dokras of Netkamla and Bindhyajan do not make ritual objects, like images of deities and animal figures. Their main items of production are measuring bowls or paikona of different sizes and mal or anklets and ghunghru or tinkling dancing bells for the Santhals. The Dokras of Lakshmisagar make images of deities and figures of animals and sell their products in local markets and fairs.

In Purulia the Dokras are widely known as Mals or Malhars to common people, although the Dokra artisans are considered lower in social rank. In Purulia, there are some semi-nomadic Malhars, who move about from village to village, take shelter in community houses, outhouses or temporary camps under trees and make various kinds of metal products by the lost wax process. They make paikona, dhunuchi, pancha pradeep, anklets, ghunghrus with mixed aluminium by the lost wax process but do not make any images or figures.

Process: First the craftsman start preparing the casting furnace and the wax image. The wax and the resin (dhuna) should be correctly mixed with oil to make the necessary lump. The image to be made must be vividly visualized by the craftsman through meditation, until it is ready to be modeled in the prepared lump of wax. When the wax-image is done it has to be purified with pancha- varna or the five powdered pigments. The joints of the component parts of the wax model should be reinforced with copper rods or nails before being covered by the clay mould. These supports may be chiseled off after the wax model melts away in the heat of the furnace.

The craftsman sculptures a wax model of the metal object desired, makes a mould of clay, pours molten metal into a hole in the mould, breaks away the clay, brings out the object and finally smoothes and polishes it. The most important rule, in this metal craft is played by non-metals like wax, resin and clay and the artistic work is done with them. The chief function of the metal is to get transformed into liquid under heat and then to get solidified again inside the mould. The deities and the animals which are now made by the Dokras either under governmental patronage or independently are definitely much inferior in quality and craftsmanship to the older ones.

THE PATUAS (SCROLL-PAINTERS)
A scroll-painter is known in West Bengal as Patua, Chitrakar, Patikar and Patidar. In North-West Bankura and Purulia the Patidar name is more popular, in Birbhum and certain areas of Midnapore the Chitrakar name is more current and in south-west Bengal the Patua name is more widely known. Birbhum and Midnapore districts have the majority of Patuas in West Bengal, distributed over a large number of villages. The Patuas are generally very poor and socially outcast.

The Patuas in West Bengal may be divided into three groups, according to the theme or subject they represent on their scrolls.

1. The Patuas who represent mainly Hindu mythological themes.

2. The Patuas who represent the conception of Heaven and various kinds of tortures inflicted by Yama the Lord of Death, on the sinners.

3. The Patuas who represent the theme of the origin of a tribe (which is mainly the Santhals in Western Bengal) and the passage of the Dead from this mortal world to life beyond death.

The first group of scroll-painters who deal mainly with Hindu mythological themes, constitute the most advanced' Hinduized' group. The terms 'Hinduized ' here does not mean their actual Hinduization, but their more frequent contact with and economic dependence upon the surrounding Caste-Hindus who dominate their social environment. The second group of scroll-painters are Yama-Patuas. The Yama-Pat is an adaptation of the Chakshu-dan pat for the consumption of the Hindu. In the Yama-Pat popular Hindu morality tales are included and 'magic' is totally excluded.

The third group of Patuas are largely found in Jhalda, Barabazar, Manbazar, Jaipur, Raghunathbari and other areas of Purulia district, in some villages in north-western part of Bankura, such as Bharatpur near Susunia Hills, in Kalipahari and Geramdi and Salberia. This is predominantly a tribal zone and among the tribes the Santhals are in majority. In the past, they used to paint scrolls on the theme of the origin of the Santhals. The story of the origin of the Santhals was pictorially depicted through stages on the scroll. The Patidars of this region also demonstrate a kind of scroll, known as Chakshudan Pat (eye giving scroll), after the death of a person, before the members of the deceased's family. The Patidar here performs the role of a tribal magician-priest.

In the traditional style of the Patuas, a fresh spontaneity of conception and execution can always be discerned. They are never drawn with the meticulous perfection. It seems there is some influence of Muslim Calligraphy on the bold and vigorous brush lines of the traditional Patuas. Pat-Painting can be traced back to the Buddhist and the Jain tradition. It the richer among the Jains than among the Buddhists.

The Patuas are dying group of folk artists. Those who are still clinging to the traditional profession are not painters and do not know the art of painting. They are simply wandering minstrels, roaming and begging from village to village by entertaining the poor illiterate villagers with Hindu mythological songs, illustrated on scrolls. These illustrations or paintings were done by their fathers and grandfathers. The traditional myths of Krishna Radha, Kamalay Kamini, Manasa etc, represented in the scrolls were being replaced by newly created myths of British rule generated by the babus and babu-culture. There are also studies of birds, animals, snakes and fishes.

A large number of Patuas from the western districts of Bengal started migrating to the city of Calcutta from the beginning of the 19th century and small settlements of Patuas (like Patuatola of central Calcutta, Patuapara of Kalighat) sprang up in the neighbourhoods of important centres of pilgrimage. In these new centers of pilgrimage in Calcutta a new hybrid style of Patua-painting originated and developed, mainly under the influence of European artists and their art-works. One of such notable centres was Kalighat, the most important centre of pilgrimage in Calcutta.

THE MASK-MAKERS (WOOD-CARVERS)
The masks made of clay, paper and cloth are found only in the Purulia district of West Bengal. The mask-makers who are Sutradhars or wood-carvers by caste, are located in two or three centres in Purulia and practically originated from one centre. They were also known as Dutta and Seal. This art depend fully on the local Chhau dance of Purulia found only in west Bengal. Chhau dance is a mask-dance. There is no chhau without mask. The dance and the mask are inseparable. Chhau-dance of Purulia has some characteristics of primitive ritualistic dance in its vigor, style and musical accompaniment. And the Chhau-masks also, even in their representation of Hindu Puranic characters reveal some characteristics of primitive ritualistic masks in their stylization and symbolization.

Chorda is the principal centres of Chhau-mask makers. Chorda is a village in Baghmuni P.S, not very far from the Dak Bunglow and the Ajodhya Hills. The Sutradhars occupy a distinct rank in the caste-hierarchy of the Hindus. Making clay-images of idols is an important occupation of Chorda Sutradhars, along with mask-making. The masks were first made of Simul wood and considering the poverty of local dancers, the cheap materials were introduced later.

Various types of Puranic characters, gods and goddesses, birds, animals and demons etc. are made, such as Ram, Ravan, Jambubab, Jatayu, Mahisasur, Kirat, Bhim, Arjun, Ganesh, Lakshman, Sita, Abhimanyu, Surpanaka, Kumbhkarna, Siva, Durga, Kali, Saraswati, Krishna, Radha, Balaram and Peacock, Dog, Beer, Deer, Horse, tiger, Lion etc. There is a mask-making season. It starts from Falgun (January-February) after Saraswati Puja, aiming at Chaitra-Baisakh Gajan festival, which is the peak season of Chhau-dance in Purulia.

There were mask-dancers and mask makers in Domordi village. They are Bhatta Brahmins. These dancers has a liking for refined Puranic and Vaishnava themes. The Sutradhars used to carve doors, house-posts or temple-terracotta's. The entire temple-architecture of Bengal is a terracotta art-work done by the Sutradhars or wood-carvers. These declined by the last quarter of the 19th century. After that wood-carvers of Bengal mainly thrived on making Ratha, carving images of Vaishnava deities and saints and wooden figures of Puranic characters for exhibiting at Vaishnava and other festivals. In Calcutta, the Sutradhars of Bengal are now either making clay-images of deities and furniture or turning to other trades.

THE BHASKARS
The stone-carvers were known as Bhaskars. Burdwan is the most important centre of Bengal school of stone sculpture. Patun and Dainhat near Katwa are the two most important centres of Burdwan school of Bengal Sculptors.

References:

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