बस्तर लौह शिल्प (Bastar Lauha Shilpa)
Bastar iron craft is the traditional blacksmithing and decorative metalwork tradition of the Lohar (blacksmith) community of Bastar division, Chhattisgarh, practiced in the dense forested region historically governed by the Bastar kingdom. The craft produces functional and ritual objects — agricultural tools, ceremonial weapons, ritual figures, deity mounts, and symbolic decorative pieces — from recycled and primary iron using forge, hammer, and cold-work techniques. A distinct feature is the production of intricate decorative ironwork where flat sheets and wire are worked cold into complex openwork screens, figurines, and shrine objects without casting — an approach quite different from Rajasthan iron craft or Bengal blacksmithing. The tradition is deeply embedded in Bastar's Adivasi (Gond, Muria, Dhurwa) ceremonial life.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Not inscribed
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