Potter's Magic in Delhi

Known as the “lyric of handicrafts”, pottery has always supplied writers and poets with the metaphors they have needed. It was probably the Pathan potters from Afghanistan who introduced the glazing techniques to the Mughal court in India. Today, Khurja, an old town about 80 kilometers from Delhi, is full of Muslim potters, engaged in this ancient craft. They use inky blue color known as Jaipur blue as background for floral designs. They also make tiles and do pottery cutwork.







Khumba Matkas

The pretty, unglazed khumba matkas(water pots of clay), piled high around New Delhi railway station, are made locally. According to a Hindu legend, the first pot was made to store amrit (the nectar of immortality) thrown up during the great churning of ocean. Thus the Khumbas, the name also given to the potters’ community, were held in high esteem. There is a thriving workshop opposite the station, tucked behind the main road. Here, after drying the pots in the sun, the women fire them in the kilns and then sell them across the road.

Blue Pottery

Delhi is famous for its distinctive blue pottery. The base for this pottery is made by mixing powdered quartz with gum. This soft, semi-transparent paste with a penetrating blue color is then molded.

History The potter’s craft dates back to antiquity in India, as excavations of pottery in Mohenjodaro (2500 B.C.) show. The artistic work both in the delicate shapes and the fine black and red designs on these articles indicate that they are pieces of excellent craftsmanship.

Artisans at Work

The craftsman in this creative work, whether the potter with his simple articles of unpolished earthenware in natural colors of terracotta, or the more skilled artisan with his glazed ceramics with intricate motifs, has played a vital role in everyday life in India. He has been the enduring link between the individual and his household needs. The potter’s jars, cooking pots, water pitchers, plates, incense burners, vases and bowls are all items of daily use.

One can see the potters at work, revolving their wheels beneath the shade of trees, whizzing the clay to turn it into miraculously symmetrical shapes.

The wheel is of the common kind, thick with short spokes, and turns on a pivot of hard wood or metal, provided with a large hub that acts as a revolving table. The potter throws the kneaded clay into the center of the wheel rounding it off, and then spins the wheel. As the whirling gathers momentum, he begins to shape the clay. When it is over, he severs the shaped bit from the rest.

The Indian potter has always laid stress on the basic form and texture of his articles. Harmonious color blending, the perfect all-over effect of design with shade and tone, mark his unity of purpose.