National Honour for Bharewa Craft

• 10 Dec 2025

Why in News? 

Madhya Pradesh’s Bharewa tribal metal craft gained national recognition as President Droupadi Murmu honoured Betul artisan Baldev Waghmare with the National Handicraft Award. 

Key Points 

• Origin: The craft belongs to a Gond tribal sub-community, where metal-casting skills are transmitted across generations. 
• Tradition: Bharewa artistry is closely tied to Gond rituals, blending tradition with craftsmanship. 
• Creations: Artisans produce symbolic deity idols, traditional jewellery, and ritual accessories used in Gond ceremonies. 
• Craftwork: Decorative items such as peacock lamps, bullock carts, bells, anklets and mirror frames have gained international appeal. 
• Community: Bharewa families are mainly located in the Betul district, around 180 km from Bhopal. 
• GI-Status: Bharewa metal craft recently received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, further strengthening its cultural significance. 
• Legacy: Awardee Baldev Waghmare revitalised the dwindling artisan community by transforming Tigriya into a craft hub, preserving the Bharewa art form passed down from his father and sustaining his family’s livelihood.

Gond Tribe 

• Large Tribal Group: The Gonds are one of the world’s largest tribal communities and the largest Scheduled Tribe in India. 
• Geographical Spread: They primarily live in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with smaller populations in several other states. 
• Subgroups: Major Gond subdivisions include Raj Gonds, Madia Gonds, Dhurve Gonds and Khatulwar Gonds. 
• Culture & Beliefs: Their food staples are kodo and kutki millets; rice is reserved for festivals, and their belief system centres on nature deities governing earth, water and air. 
• Language: They mainly speak Gondi, a Dravidian language traditionally unwritten, though it is now recognised with emerging scripts.