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Metal craftsmanship in India has a history of over 5,000 years. The tradition spans bronze, brass, copper, iron, silver and other metals, with different regions specialising in distinct techniques and art forms. Indian sculptors had mastered the bronze medium and the casting process, including the cire-perdu or 'lost-wax' process, as early as the Indus Valley Culture. Bronze sculptures were primarily used for ritual worship of Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain icons, but the metal-casting process also created articles for daily use like utensils. This refined classical style, especially from the Gupta and Vakataka periods, spread across India and overseas due to the portability of bronze images. **Bronze Craft:** One of the oldest art forms in India — the bronze statue of the Dancing Girl from Mohenjo-daro is dated around 3500–3000 BCE, representing the earliest known Indian bronze work. The earliest non-ferrous metals used by humans were copper and tin, mixed to form bronze. The earliest literary evidence of different methods of bronze casting appears in the Matsya Purana. Later texts like Nagarjuna's Rasa Ratnakar also mention metal purity and zinc distillation. Major bronze craft centres include: - **Uttar Pradesh** (Etawah, Sitapur, Varanasi, Moradabad): Decorative items like flower pots, images of gods/goddesses; ritual objects like tamrapatra, kanchantal, panchpatra - **Tamil Nadu**: Beautiful statues in Pallava, Chola, Pandyan and Nayaka styles **Brass Work Traditions:** | Craft | Location | Details | |---|---|---| | Gaja Tandava (Shiva dancing) | Kerala | Shiva in Tandava position | | Rare Jain imagery | Karnataka | For ancient Jain pilgrim centres | | Dokra Casting | Odisha and West Bengal | Ornaments made of brass; lost-wax casting | | Pahaldar Lamps | Jaipur and parts of UP | Copper and brass lamps in different styles | | Pembarthi craft | Warangal, Telangana | Exquisite sheet metal (brass) art for chariots and temples | **Other Metal Craft Techniques:** **Marori Work (Rajasthan):** Uses metal to create etchings on the base metal; gaps filled with resin. Creates intricate surface patterns. **Tarkashi (Rajasthan):** Fine copper or brass wires used to create patterns in finely chiseled grooves in the metallic base. A type of wire inlay work. **Koftagiri/Damascening (Jaipur and Alwar, Rajasthan):** Inlaying a light metal on a dark metal base. Also called damascening. **Bidri Work (Bidri village, Karnataka):** Uses silver inlay work against dark backgrounds (made from Bidri alloy — primarily zinc). Creates stark contrast between shining silver and dark background. Famous technique of silver jewellery inlay. **Nakashi/Baarik Kaam (Moradabad):** Delicate engraving style. Moradabad perfects the technique of Baarik Kaam (delicate work) using the Nakashi (engraving) style for pots. **Repousse/Embossing:** Creates raised designs in relief. Used across most metalwork traditions. **Badla (Marwar, Rajasthan):** Semi-circular or rounded pots made of zinc in the Marwar region. **Silver Filigree Work (Odisha):** Odisha is known for silver filigree work and unique silver ornaments like painri and paijam (silver anklets) and gunchi (uniquely knitted silver ornaments).