“Dhana Murti” from the land of the Bhottada Tribe in Odisha!
Bhottada is a tribe that belongs to the Koraput, Kalahandi, Balasore, Nabarangpur and Balangir district of Orissa. Their surname is Munda. So, they are also popularly known as the “Mundas”. The tribal in these areas are mainly dependent on agriculture. The unhusked grains are used in the “Dhana murti”..
“Dhana murti” known to many as paddy craft has a ritualistic evolution. The craft were mainly deity centric and was made with an aim to please some God. The villagers made Goddess Lakshmi idol immediately after the harvest in order to invoke her blessings for wealth and prosperity. Now a days, this community also makes Lord Ganesh and Goddess Saraswati idols, animals like elephants, chariots, turbans for marriage, lamps etc.
The idol making is mainly done during the lean season of the year for commercial purpose. This craft doesn’t require any special tools or equipment. The women folk and children make the paddy sticks during leisure time. Grains are fixed between bamboo shafts and held tightly in place with the help of thread. Colourful threads are used to tie the grains to the bamboo shaft. Long grain sticks are made in this way. After the sticks has been made, the whole family sits together to make the idols. These grain sticks are twisted in different ways to get the required shape of the idol. They sell these in local markets to make some money.
The demerit in this craft is that the product is very fragile and cannot be transported. It requires utmost care in handling. A little pressure and the idol breaks. Government of Orissa is trying to save this craft form by giving assistance in training and marketing of these products.
Copyright@ Nirguna Trust, Bhubaneswar
