Dhokra Brass Owl Bastar Lost-Wax Casting

In Bastar, Chhattisgarh, a 4,000-year-old method survives: a wax figure wrapped in clay, fired until the wax melts away, leaving a hollow form that is filled with molten brass. This owl emerged from that same process, the same one that produced the Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-Daro. Hold it, and you feel the weight of that lineage.

The Dhokra artisans of Bastar have never needed a mould. Each figure begins in beeswax, sculpted by hand, then encased in clay and fired, the wax runs out, the brass runs in. No two pieces are identical. This owl, with its textured surface and slightly rough finish, is the direct imprint of that process.

In Hindu tradition, the owl is Lakshmi's vahana, her vehicle, her companion. Place it on a bookshelf, a mantle, or a corner of your desk where something needs watching over. It is not decorative in the passive sense. It has presence.

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.