Eathen Pottery

Eathen Pottery

Pottery has a wide universality and its tradition goes back to span of five millennium. This craft came via Persia, when Mongal Chengiz Khan had conquered China in AD 1212. The remains of the terracotta objects from the early historical sites of Mathura, Rajgaht, Kanauj, Kaushambi and Ayodhya reveal the existence of terracotta art in ancient past.Meerut is famous for its turned and moulded water containers with striking designs of flowing lines and floral patterns. Gorakhpur has continued the age old Tradition by making decorative and ritual terracotta objects. Amroha pottery used to be thin and brittle white in colour and ornamented with colours and with gold and silver leaf.In Mathura-Vrindavan, the art of working in terracotta is of greater antiquity. These terracotta are not only documents of religious sculpture but are important as documents of early history of art, expression of the artisitic urge of man.

The art and technique of blue pottery were brought to Jaipur, Rajasthan, by the Rajput king Man Singh. It later flourished under the patronage of his great grandson Maharaja Sawai Jai Sing II.While blue pottery itself originally came to India from Persia and Afghanistan.

Pottery -The most ancient craft known to India for centuries, it has become an inseparable part of the cultural fabric of India. Besides its immense utilitarian value in an Indian household, Pottery enjoys a divine origin and hence a much deeper significance.
A potter can boast of the exalted association with ‘Prajapati’ (one of the titles of Brahma – the creator), who created humankind from clay. According to another legend, during the marriage ceremony of Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati, an earthen pot was required for the ritual. So, Lord Shiva created a man from a bead of his necklace, who moulded the first pot or ‘Kumbh’. His succesive generations came to be known as ‘Kumbhar’ – a synonym for Potter.
Pottery is one of the fewer Indian crafts that have retained the ancient charm and skills. The craft remains untouched by the influence and advancements of the modern world. The potter through his patient creativity gives a myriad forms to the earth – right from household articles to decorative and religious items.
The utilitarian domestic pottery is simple yet attractive. and is available in varied shapes and sizes, evolved to match a specific use. Some of the pleasing utilitarian pottery can be found in regions like Kutch (Gujarat), known for its range of cooking and food storage pots painted in red, black and white with geometric floral and animal patterns. Nizamabad (Uttar Pradesh) and Dausa (Rajasthan) are famous for the lustrous black finish of their tall oil and water jars.
A variety of colourful earthenware like gaily painted lamps, earthen pots, drums, flower vases, toys and figurines of deities, form an indispensable part of the religious ceremonies and festive occasions. The potters of Calcutta (West Bengal) and Bihar devote themselves exclusively to the making of clay sculptures of popular deities like Durga, Kali, Lakshmi and Saraswati.