WHAT IS A BANKURA HORSE?

The Lively Custom Of Folk Art In West Bengal's Region, Bakura District Produces Various Kinds Of Clay Handicrafts. The District Most Popular Craft Product Is Bakura Ghora, A Very Stylised Craft With A Long Neck & Elongated Ears, In Warm Terracotta Colours. Artisans Have Used The Same Techniques Of Hollow Clay Moulding & Firing For Series Of Generations. Sizes Vary From Minute, Palm Sized To Gigantic Creations Over 1 Metre High. Horses Are Generally High-Spirited Figures & Are Usually Kept Or Placed Infront Of Deities.

Bakura Ghora Is The Terracotta Horse, Crafted In Panchmura Village In District Of Bakura In The State Of West Bengal That Is Known For Its Rich Craft Heritage. It Has Been Characterized By “Its Elegant Posture & Unique Concept Of Basic Values. Bakura Horse Was Used For Religious Purposes During Ancient Times. This Tradition Of Worshipping The Bakura Horse Is Followed At Present Also.

Bankura Horses Are Regarded Amongst The Most Famous Crafts Of West Bengal. They Are Used For Decorative As Well As Religious Purposes. These Attractive Horses, Made From Terracotta, Can Add Class To Any Bengali Living Room. In Fact, You Will Generally Find A Pair Of Terracotta Horses In At Least One Corner Of Most Of The Bengali Homes. They Not Only Amplify The Ambience But Also Stand As A Symbolic Representation Of Artistic Skills And Craftsmanship Of West Bengal. Amazing Fact About Bakura Ghora Is, On The Packets Of Most Of The Indian Handicrafts Online Exported In Foreign Countries, You Will Find The Logo Of The Famous Bankura Horse.

Origin

The Tradition Of Using The Bankura Horses For Religious Purposes In Bengal Is Very Old. It Is Said That The Potters Of Panchmura, A City 16 Miles Away From Bishnupur (in Bankura District), Started Making The Famous Bankura Horses, A Long Time Back. Related To The Sun God In A Iconic Way, It Is Regarded As The Local God Of Bankura District, It Is Also Known As The Holy Horses Used In The Chariot Of God Dharmaraj, A Form Of Sun God Worshipped In Bankura. This Is The Reason Why The Presence Of Bankura Horses In A Home Is Thought To Be Auspicious.

Making Process

Bankura Ghora Is Called In Local Language Or It Is Known By An Another Name As Bakura Horse Are Made Up Of Using The Traditional Terracotta Making Process. The Tools Used For Shaping Them Are Made Up Of Bamboo And Stones. The Body Parts Of The Horse Are Created Separately. The Four Legs, The Neck - Comprising Of Two Separate Parts And The Face - Made Up Of Seven Different Pieces, All Are Made Individually. The Ears And Tails Of The Horse, Also Made Discretely, Are Superficially Attached To The Other Body Parts, With Clay Paste, And Smoothened To Give A Finishing Touch. Thereafter, They Are Dried In The Sun, Colored And Burnt In Kiln.

Mixing Clay

To Begin With, Base Terracotta Clay Should Be Smooth Enough To Be Turned Into Proper Shape On The Potter’s Wheel. So, Impurities Like Stones And Particles Are Removed, And The Clay Is Turned Into Powder. Dried Paddy Plants, Sand And Water Are Then Added To This Soft Clay. Mixing Clay And All Other Materials Is Done Either By Hands, Or Khumbhokars Use Their Legs To Mix The Clay, Especially If The Quantity Is More. The Time Taken For This Process Ranges From 2-3 Hours To 5-6 Hours, Depending Upon The Labour And Work Conditions Involved.

A Male Member Of The Family Then Works On The Potter’s Wheel. Most Parts Of The Horse — Legs, Jaws And The Stomach — Are Made Separately On The Wheel. Two Parts Which Make Up Its Neck, And Seven Parts Which Make Up The Horse’s Face, Are Also Set Into Shape Separately On The Wheel. The Tail And The Ears Are Molded On The Side And Attached To The Horse’s Body Later On. The Parts That Have Come Off The Wheel Are Placed In Direct Sunlight And Are Protected From Rains. Hardening The Pieces In Excess Is Avoided. Thus, During Hot And Humid Days, The Parts Are Covered With Cloth To Protect Them From Excessive Drying.

Once The Pieces Are Dried Partially, Care Is Taken To Give Basic Shape And Structure To The Horse. Small Holes Are Left In The Body For The Tail And The Head To Be Attached Later On. The Surface Of The Horse Is Then Smoothened Out With The Help Of A Small Piece Of Semi-Circular Bamboo Known As Chiari, And Additional Clay Is Used To Bringing The Horse To Shape. The Upper And Lower Parts Of The Body Are Put Together During This Process. Motif Work Is Generally Done By The Women Of The Family. All Parts Of The Horse’s Body Have Similar Motifs.

Natural Drying

The Pieces Are Then Dried In The Sun For A While, After Which Appropriate Holes Are Made In The Body Of The Horse. This Is Done To Enable Uniform Drying Of The Inner And Outer Parts Of The Horse, Or Else Cracks May Develop Due To Incomplete Drying. Complete Dehydration Is Then Done In A Closed Room For 6-7 Days.

After Being Brought Out Of The Room, They Have Dried In The Sun Again, And Colouring Is Done Before The Terracotta Horses Go Inside The Kiln. The Colours Used Are Of Three Varieties — Khadigad Which Is Chalk White; Bhalogad Which Has Yellowish Tones, Is Glazy And Oily; And Banak Which Is Brownish, Oily And Glazy. The Three Pigments Are Mixed In Water And Applied On The Animal Figurines.

These Coloured Figurines Are Then Fired In The Kiln, A Process Which Takes About A Month. Red, Which Is The Natural Terracotta Colour For Bankura Horses, Is Obtained By Allowing The Smoke To Come Out Of The Kiln, And Black Is Obtained By Sealing The Vents And Keeping The Black Smoke In.

Physical Properties

Bankura Horses Are About 6 Inches To 4 Feet In Height. They Have Exceptionally Erect Neck And Ears And Look Dynamic With Their Wide Jaws. The Eyebrows Sketched On The Forehead Of The Horses Are Decorated With Chandmala, Making Them Look More Interesting. Due To Their Growing Popularity, The Modern Form Of Bankura Horses Has Come Up In Dokra And Wooden Forms. Apart From Bishnupur, You Can Also Get These Unique Horses In Biboda, Kamardiha, Jaikrishnapur, Nakaijuri And Keyaboti Cities Of West Bengal.

Problems Of Artisans

Bakura Horse Depicts About The Saddening Story Of Bakura Artisans. However, Bankura Horse Has Been Part Of A 300-Year Old Tradition Of Panchmura Village And Has Gained Entry Into Drawing Rooms Across The Country And Various Parts Of The Universe. Though Bankura Horse Has Travelled Too Far Off Places, The Craftsman Who Have Been Making It For Generations Are Struggling To Survive. It Is Unusually Quiet For An Artisan Village. And, The Premises Of Most The Dwellings Draw Attention To Terracotta Horse Figurines Staring Out. There Is Hardly Any Activity Here These Days Except A Few Artisans Dusting Their Stock. The Gloomy Picture Of Artisans' Condition Bespeaks A Dying Cottage Industry And Sounds The Death Knell For A Once Thriving Art Form Here. Time Changed But The Process To Make These Pottery Pieces Remained Traditional. The Tools Used For Shaping It Are Made From Bamboo And Stones.

However, Now This Cottage Industry Is Mired In Problems. For Almost Two Months During Summer There No Work. Over 300 Individuals From 100 Families Involved In This Business Are Finding The Whole Situation Going From Bad To Worse Every Year. Be It Fairs, Exhibitions Or Markets Are Held In Winter. With No Tourists Around, The Local Markets At Bishnupur And Bankura Are Left With A Few Takers For The Terracotta Artefacts. The Old Stock Has Piled Up Considerably. The Problem Looks Grave When One Finds Almost Everyone In Panchmura Is Employed With This Cottage Industry. Be It Women Or Children Besides Men Folk, Everyone Is Participate In The Work Process.

Conclusion

Bakura Horse Is The Symbolic Handicraft For The District Of Bakura And Also For West Bengal. A Horse Is An Animal Who Represents Energy And Movement, Known To Mankind For Ages. The Horse Is A Companion And An Useful Animal For Various Purposes And Has Been Used Extensively To Drive Chariots, Carts And As The Cavalry Force Along With Its Rider In Battles Of Yore. Swift And Reliable, The Horse Is Revered And There Have Been Many Famous Horses Known To Have Even Saved Their Riders Life. Such Is Their Loyalty. In Bankura District Of West Bengal, The Horse Is Depicted As An Art Object With Some Ornamentation.

With The Passage Of Time, This Form Of Craft Is Losing Its Significance In Our Modern Living Space. The Reasons Are Many It May Happened Due To Emergence Of Modern Lifestyle It Has Lost Its Traditional Glory &Another Reason, Due To Appearance Of New Technology In Production Of Handicrafts Old Skilfull Artisans Are Losing Their Prominence In The Modern Market Of Indian Handicrafts Online. Government Should Take Initiative To Resolve This Artisans Problems Along With That United Cooperative Community Should Come Infront To Save This Unique Handicraft. Otherwise, This Craft Will Die Its Natural Death With The Passage Of Time.