Identify the correct options from the following:

(A) Dhokra is a modern sculpture technique.

(B) This craft belongs to Rajasthan.

(C) Lost wax technique is used in Dhokra sculptures.

(D) Dhokra sculptures are made of cement.

(E) Black soil is used in Dhokra casting.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

(C) and (E) only

The correct answer is Option 1- (C) and (E) only

Among the popular sculptural traditions, Dhokra or metal sculptures made from lost wax or cire perdue technique is one of the most prominent metal crafts of Bastar, Chhattisgarh, parts of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Midnapore in West Bengal. It involves casting of bronze through the lost wax method. The metal craftsmen of Bastar are called ghadwa. In popular etymology, the term ‘ghadwa’ means the act of shaping and creating. It is probably this that gives the casters their name. Traditionally, the ghadwa craftsmen, besides supplying the villagers with utensils of daily use also made jewellery, icons of locally revered deities and votive offerings in the form of snakes, elephants, horses, ritual pots, etc. Subsequently, with a decrease in demand for utensils and traditional ornaments in the community, these craftsmen began creating new (non-traditional) forms and numerous decorative objects.

Dhokra casting is an elaborate process. Black soil from the riverbank is mixed with rice husk and kneaded with water. The core figure or mould is made from this. On drying, it is covered with a second layer of cow dung mixed with clay. Resin collected from saal tree is, then, heated in a clay pot till it becomes liquid to which some mustard oil is also added and allowed to boil. The boiling liquid is, then, strained  through a cloth, collected and kept in a metal vessel over water. As a result the resin solidifies but remains soft and malleable. It is, then, taken apart in small pieces, heated slightly over low burning coal and stretched into fine threads or coils. Such threads are joined together to form strips. The dried clay form is, then, overlaid with these resin strips or coils and all decorative details and eyes, nose, etc., are added to the figures. The clay form is, then, covered with layers — first of fine clay, then, with a mixture of clay and cow dung, and finally, with clay obtained from ant hills mixed with rice husk. A receptacle is, then, made from the same clay and fixed to the lower portion of the image. On the other side, a cup filled with metal pieces is sealed with the clay-rice husk mixture. For firing in the furnace, saal wood or its coal is preferred as fuel. The cup, containing metal, is placed in the bottom with clay moulds over it, and covered with firewood and potshards. Air is blown continuously into the furnace for about 2 to 3 hours till the metal turns into a molten state. The moulds are, then, taken out with a pair of tongs, turned upside down, given a brisk shake and the metal is poured through the receptacle. The molten metal flows exactly into the space once occupied by resin, which would by now have evaporated. The moulds are allowed to cool and the clay layer is hammered away to reveal the metal image.