Dhokra art is one of the earliest known methods of non-ferrous metal casting known to human civilization. It was used for making everything from making jewelry to vessels to images of Gods and Goddesses. The few art metal objects found in Mohenjadaro and Harappa have a very strong resemblance to the dhokra figures and objects created by craftsmen today. The tribal art of dhokra is an ancient process of producing metalware by the wax casting process. A wax pattern is made and then covered with a thick layer of clay keeping a hole on top. Molten metal is poured into the mould to replace wax layer. The cast is then taken out to give finishing touches. The traditional themes of these cast metal sculptures. This Brass Dhokra (lost wax casting) item depicts Goddess Durga as Mahishasuramardini - the slayer of the evil Asura (demon) king Mahishasura. She is depicted as having ten hands and as standing on her divine vehicle - the lion, while she slays the evil demon with a spear.
...Sri Mahavishnu descended Himself as a gigantic Kurma (tortoise), bearing the mountain, Mandara, on His back, so as to help the Devas acquire the divine Amrita or the Nectar of Immortality... The Samudra or the Ocean of Milk actually represents the human Consciousness or the Jeevatma. The Churning of the Ocean embodies the journey of life undertaken by this Jeevatma during its tenure on earth... The Mandara mountain represents the virtues of steadiness and concentration... the tortoise symbolizes the spiritual withdrawal of a person into his own Consciousness... Samudra Manthan teaches us how to maintain harmony between our material and spiritual lives, by placing complete and unshakable faith in our Creator and accepting both the good and the bad in our lives...
