Metal craft of Puri is one of the most beautiful handicrafts of Puri. Bell Metal Craft and Brass or Dhokra are among the notable metal crafts of Puri. Metal craft in Puri is practiced by the people belonging to the Kansari caste. A particular variety of metal craft known as 'dhokra' is practiced by the 'sithulias'.
Metal Craft at Puri is classified into three major groups, viz.:
The items produced by beating
The Residual items and
The items produced by casting.
The workshops where the metal works are produced are known as 'sala' or 'shed'. The 'sala' has a large platform on which beating is done. The 'sala' also contains a 'bhati' (a heating furnace) and raised platform for polishing the finished items. The craftsmen of Puri use tools like hammers, pincers, hand drills, files, anvils, scrapers, etc, for shaping the metal crafts.
Among the metal crafts of Puri are:
- Thali (plates)
- Handi
- Baltis (buckets)
- Gina (tumblers)
- Pots and pans
- Ladles
Moreover, the metal craft of Puri can be divided into dhokra and brass casting. In Puri, dhokra casting is done by the 'sithulias'. The 'sithulias', instead of using brass, use scraps of metals to make the dhokra castings. The motifs of the dhokra castings basically contain the elephant and other designs. One can also find the images of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Durga cast on the metal crafts.
Brass casting is another form of metal craft in Puri, Orissa. The brass casting of Puri is made by the Kansaris. The brass casting of Puri includes the items such as:
- Krishna
- Radha
- Ganesha
- Gurundi Gopal
- Laxmi
- Bells
- Lamp stands
- Lamps
