Bangladesh · Metal Casting / Bronze
ধামরাই কাঁসা (Dhamrai Kasa)
Dhamrai (ধামরাই) is a township 35km west of Dhaka that has been Bangladesh's primary center of bell metal (kasa — an alloy of copper and tin at approximately 78:22 ratio) and bronze casting for centuries, producing household vessels, musical instruments (cymbals, dhol fittings), and Hindu religious figures using both lost-wax and sand casting. The Dhamrai tradition is distinct from other South Asian bronze traditions in its 78:22 copper-tin ratio — higher tin than Indian bell metal — which produces a harder, higher-pitched vessel sound. The defining technical knowledge is the alloy sound test: a completed kasa vessel is struck with a specific 'striker rod' and the tone assessed — 'correct alloy: the tone lasts for exactly the time it takes to say om three times.' Three-om sustain is the quality standard.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Bangladesh national ICH list
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