The word ‘Lakhera' is derived from the Sanskrit word lashka kuru, meaning, a worker of lac. Also, Lashsha represents the number Lakh, because, of the large colony the lac insect, kerria lacca, produces. This caste is known by many names like Lashkar, Lakhpati, Lakshkar, Lahkaar, Lakhara, Lakshakar, Lakhera, Lakeri, Laheri and so on. In India, Lakhera community is distributed in Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Bihar, and in Maharashtra.In Bihar, the community is mainly distributed in the districts of Patna, Madhubani, Samastipur Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Siwan, and Gaya. The Lakhera can trace back their ancestry to the Mahabharata period. According to an elderly informant, the people of this community use the highly inflammable material – the lac to build the house, lakshagriha, where Duryodhana made a plot to burn the Pandavas alive by setting fire to the lac house. Therefore, as a punished for such unethical act, they were degraded and cursed to work eternally in lac or glass. The structure of laksha griha is located in the present day, Bhagpat, situated in U.P. The traditional occupation of Lakhera is declining due to the introduction/replacement by more ornamental glass bangles. Moreover, the price of lac has increased. Deforestation has greatly affected the lac reserves in many parts of India resulting in an increase in the cost of raw materials. The lac procured from the forest costs about Rs. 300-400 per kg and the red tikia is Rs. 1000.00 per kg. It takes two artisans 15 to 20 minutes to make one dozen bangles. The educated members of the community feels that bangle-making is a degraded profession and they are ashamed of continuing the age-old traditional art. There are also some members who feels that, they should be given due honour as artist/craftsmen and to introduced them as lahkaar.
