Lohar Shilp~ Wrought Iron

Origin of the craft

The wrought iron craft of Chhattisgarh is centuries old and was practiced by the Muria tribes. Wrought iron was traditionally used by the tribal people to make tools such as ploughs, knives, axes and also candleholders. While their ancestors themselves extracted the iron from the ores, todays artisans use recycled scrap iron.
Over the past few decades, the artisans have adapted to the urban market demand and their traditional craft has adopted newer designs and products. The products depict typical village scenes and lifestyle.

About the artisans 
The artisans belong to the Lohar (blacksmith) community in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district

State(s) it is practiced in

Chhattisgarh (While wrought iron handicrafts are found in many states in India, notably Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh’s is the more traditional tribal craft)

Input materials

Iron from the rich ore mines of Chhattisgarh/Recycled scrap iron, Red oxide, Chalkboard paint

Process

First, the iron sheets are cut into smaller strips and a coal furnace is prepared.

 

The iron is made malleable by heating it in the coal furnace, and then beating it over a metal anvil using a hammer and tongs.

 

This heating and beating process is repeated until the sheet takes the intended shape. The artisans work tediously in the heat, first creating the shape and then finely detailing the product. (This forging process usually halts around noon as it becomes unbearably hot for the artisans to work due to the heat from the furnace and the asbestos roof.)
It’s a rather tedious process; for example, forging the flat peacock outline below took around 20-30 minutes of heating and hammering.

             

Each product is entirely handmade and no machines are used in the process. The fine craftsmanship is evident as each figurine is created from a single sheet and has no joints. Decorative additions such as clothing/adornments for the figurines are made separately and attached to the product without using any welding technique or machinery. Finally, a coating of red oxide is applied to prevent rusting and then a coating of chalkboard paint is applied for lustre.

Caring for the Product

Avoid contact with water and wipe the product with dry cloth. You can smear mustard oil/coconut oil over the product for lustre and to avoid rusting.

Problems plaguing artisans

Marketing their products can be a challenge for smaller artisans, as they stay in the interiors of Chhattisgarh (around 300kms from the state capital, Raipur) and may not have much exposure to the outside world. Transportation of products can be a tedious task as they often have to travel to Raipur and back to courier products.