What is a xorai?
A xorai is a bell metal offering tray on a raised stand, used in Assamese homes to present betel nut, food or gifts, and central to Bihu and religious ceremony.
That sentence is the whole definition, and it is worth being precise about because the object is widely sold abroad as a decorative fruit bowl by sellers who have never seen one used.
What it is actually used for
An offering goes in it. Then it is presented, usually covered with a gamosa.
- To a guest: paan, betel nut, sometimes sweets.
- To a deity: food, flowers, in the prayer corner of the house.
- To someone being honoured: at a function, with a gamosa and often a japi.
- In Bihu performance: carried by dancers.
Between uses it sits where the household keeps its religious things. It is not stored with the kitchen vessels.
Xorai, bota, kahi: the family of objects
| Object | What it is | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Xorai | Tray on a raised stand, often with a lid | Offerings, ceremony |
| Bota | Similar stand, usually wider and shallower | Paan and betel nut, everyday |
| Kahi | Flat plate | Eating |
| Bati | Bowl | Eating, serving |
A lidded xorai and an unlidded one are both xorai. The lid is more formal.
Made in Sarthebari
Almost all of it comes from Sarthebari in Bajali district, which is the bell metal town. The alloy, kaah, is around 78 percent copper to 22 percent tin. It is melted in a charcoal furnace, poured into hand-made clay moulds, then worked with hammers over an anvil and polished with charcoal, clay and fibre.
The hammer marks are visible when you tilt a real one to the light. A perfectly uniform surface usually means it was spun on a machine somewhere else and sold as Sarthebari work.
How it is made, in sequence: bell metal from Sarthebari.
Cleaning, and the mistake that ruins the colour
Tamarind pulp, or lemon with a pinch of wood ash. Rub, rinse, dry at once. Water left standing on bell metal marks it.
Commercial brass polish works and will, over a few years, take the warm brown out of the surface and leave it hard and yellow. Most Assamese households let a xorai darken with age and only bring it up before a ceremony. That patina is not neglect.
Buying one
Weight is the test. Bell metal is dense and a real xorai feels heavier than it looks. Lightweight brass copies are common and usually shinier, more yellow, and perfectly smooth.
What we have not verified
We have not had the alloy of any piece assayed. The composition figure above is the standard published ratio for Sarthebari bell metal, not a measurement we took.
Related reading
Common questions
- What is a xorai?
- A xorai is a bell metal offering tray on a raised stand, used in Assamese homes to present betel nut, food or gifts, and central to Bihu and religious ceremony. It is a mark of respect, not a serving dish.
- What is a xorai used for?
- It holds an offering. Betel nut and paan for a guest, food or flowers for a deity, or a gamosa and gifts for someone being honoured. It sits in the prayer corner between uses, and Bihu dancers carry one in performance.
- What is a xorai made of?
- Bell metal, an alloy of roughly 78 percent copper and 22 percent tin, known locally as kaah. Most are made in Sarthebari in Bajali district, cast in clay moulds and then shaped by hand hammering.
- How do you clean a bell metal xorai?
- Tamarind pulp, or lemon with a pinch of wood ash, rubbed on and rinsed off, then dried immediately. Commercial brass polish works but strips the warm colour over time. Never put it in a dishwasher and never leave it wet.
References
Written by
Kundan GuptaWrites from Assam. Checks fares and fees in person before publishing.
Kundan Gupta runs Axomor and edits its Northeast India coverage. He is responsible for the accuracy of the guides published here, including checking permit rules, fees and travel logistics against primary sources before they go live.