Exquisite Black Dhokra Craft "Representing Kandha Tribal Family" Home decor

In Barkhama, a small tribal village tucked into the hills of Baliguda block, Kandhamal — home to fewer than 20 artisan families of the Kandha community — Surendra Nayak casts brass using a technique found almost nowhere else in India.

Most Dhokra work carries the warm golden sheen of raw brass. This piece doesn't. It's finished in the deep, matte black that is Barkhama's own signature — a technique unique to this one cluster of villages, developed and passed down only among the Kandha artisan families here. The process still starts the same way all Dhokra does: a clay core, fine threads of beeswax laid entirely by hand, a clay outer mould, and molten brass poured in once the wax is melted out. But it's what happens after casting that sets Barkhama's work apart — a slow, deliberate patination process, done by hand, that turns the raw brass into the deep ebony-black finish this village is known for. It's a closely-held skill; even other Dhokra artisans elsewhere in Odisha don't work this way.

Surendra Nayak has been casting in Barkhama his whole working life, in a village where this craft is still one of the primary sources of household income — and one that's slowly shrinking as fewer young people take it up.

Why it's more than décor:

• From one of India's smallest craft clusters — Barkhama is home to a small number of artisan households, not a large workshop or factory. This piece was cast, and blackened, by hand by Surendra Nayak.
• A finish you won't find elsewhere — the black patina is specific to this Kandhamal cluster, not a generic Dhokra colour choice.
• Bought directly from the source — fair pricing goes straight to the artisan, without layers of middlemen.
• One-of-one, always — the clay mould is broken after every single cast. No two pieces, even from the same artisan, are identical.

Details

• Material: Solid brass, lost-wax cast, hand-blackened finish
• Finish: Signature Barkhama black patina (matte, not painted — the colour is a result of the finishing process, not a coating)
• Care: Wipe with a dry, soft cloth only. Avoid water and chemical cleaners, which can affect the natural patina.
• Artisan: Surendra Nayak, Barkhama Village, Baliguda, Kandhamal District, Odisha

A note on authenticity: Because the black finish is hand-applied and the mould is destroyed after each cast, expect small variations in tone and surface — this is proof of genuine hand process, not a defect.