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Running on cottage and modern lines, pottery can be traced back to Neolithic age. Different types of colourful bowls, jars, vessels are made out of this creative art of pottery. This creative art of pottery can also be traced back to Harrappan and Mohanjodaro cultures, when Muslim rulers encouraged potters from the Middle East to settle in India. The pottery in India is made out of clay. Hundreds of big and small-scale factories have kept this old tradition alive. Sir S Deb in Calcutta ran the first pottery industry in India and subsequently other pottery industry was set up in Gwalior.
The attractive clay pots, which we buy from markets, are the end product of hard work of many potters. There is a long process behind the story. We see many potters working on the wheel. The wheel is spun around with the stick hands are moved accordingly. The potter pours water over the cone of clay and clay is moved in circular motion, the circular motion helps to create a circular pot. Slowly and steadily the shape is given and the pot is separated from clay cone with the help of thread. These circular pots are used in villages and in most of the towns to keep water-cool. These pots are given different names such as gharas, long necked surahi, braod and narrow handi for cooking. So it is confirmed that pottery and clay objects are not only used for decoration purpose but to satisfy household needs too. The most common object is kullar (cup-like container) used for keeping water or tea and is sometimes decorated with geometrical and floral designs. There are immense variety of objects specially produced for the occasion like lamps for Diwali, toys for Dussehra, pots for seedling at Sankranti and the gaily-painted pots for marriages. Ashtrays, flower-vases, tea sets, paperweights, decorative animal figures are a few examples of Karigari pottery. |
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Each area has different styles of pottery and each pottery is created for its unique purpose. There appear to be three distinct styles in this pottery: the first variety is the paper-thin, biscuit-colored pottery styles. The second variety is more sophisticated in character. It is polished and painted with white and red slips into intricate patterns while the outline is incised. This technique known as scrafito, reveals the ground color. The third variety is unique in its treatment. In this, a very fine and highly polished pottery is given strong, deeply incised, stylized patterns of arabesques. The remaining area is covered with rows and black dots. The contrast in color and texture brings the incised area into greater prominence. |
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Each area has different styles of pottery and each pottery is created for its unique purpose. There appear to be three distinct styles in this pottery: the first variety is the paper-thin, biscuit-colored pottery styles. The second variety is more sophisticated in character. It is polished and painted with white and red slips into intricate patterns while the outline is incised. This technique known as scrafito, reveals the ground color. The third variety is unique in its treatment. In this, a very fine and highly polished pottery is given strong, deeply incised, stylized patterns of arabesques. The remaining area is covered with rows and black dots. The contrast in color and texture brings the incised area into greater prominence.
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Kangra, Andreta in Himanchal Pradesh, Jhahhar in Haryana, Pokhran in Rajasthan, Meerut and Hapur in U.P., Khanpur in Maharashtra, Kutch in Gujrat, Birbhum in Bengal and Manipur are well known centres producing and marketing the pottery objects for domestic use. Listed below are different types of distinctive pottery made in different areas.
- Andreta creates a variety of forms in black pottery such as dishes and containers for domestic use.
- Pokhran has stylized and traditional spherical bottles with narrow mouths as oil containers. Lotas with long spouts for pouring oil.
- Meerut and Jhajjar make slim-necked water-containers known as surahis, for pouring drinking water.
- South Gujrat has very fine potters, who create a range of pots and also ritual objects such as terracotta horse, elephants and dome-like resting places for their ancestral spirit.
- Another special variety, was developed in Kutch, and is now found only in Nizamabad in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh. This variety is none other than the black pottery, with the patterns worked in silver.
- Delhi, Amritsar in the Punjab, Jaipur in Rajasthan, Khurja, Chunar and Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, and Karigari in Tamil Nadu developed style of pottery Called glazed pottery.
- Delhi, Khurja and Jaipur produce the well-known blue pottery. Traditionally, this form of pottery did not involve the use of clay. The basic shapes were made of ground quartz mixed with glue. Forms were created by the use of moulds. Later, they were coloured a turquoise blue, either by dipping them into copper oxide made from copper scraps or by painting them on the surface. The pottery was than covered with finely ground glass and fired. Since clay was not used, the pottery did not crack and was therefore considered hygienic for use as eating vessels.
- Karigari in Tamil Nadu developed yet another style of pottery. Here biscuitware was created with incised patterns and given a blue or green glaze. This developed a distinctive style.
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Potters in craft tradition of India occupy a very significant place. Men and women are both exquisite masters in their field. Despite of high technology and variations, it is doubtful that potters creativity will ever destroy. And how one can forget that this traditional art of pottery has religious importance too. |
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