CLAY beyond pots

Clay

- beyond pots

First Editon 2014 Copyright Š by Shilpa Sharma All rights reserved.

Cover design by Shilpa Sharma Book design by Shilpa Sharma No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

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Contents 1. Kiln & Clay 2. Storage & Clay 3. Health & Clay 4. Art & Clay

4 10 16 22

kiln&clay In order to save fuel and reduce the drudgery of women a national programme on improved ‘chulhas’ was initiated in december 1987. it is westimated that improved chulhas can save upto 100 lakh tonnes of fuel wood annually . Beside conserving energy , an improved chulha also help in eliminating smoke from the kitchen.

4 Clay - beyond pots

Chulha is the primary traditional cooking stove used for indoor cooking. Angithi is a secondary cooking stove. Chulha may be spelled as Chula, Choolah, Chullla, or Chullah. Angithi may be spelled as Angeethi. The cooking stoves have evolved with available fuels.

Indian kitchen is a very special area with its own code of conduct. One must remove shoes before entering kitchen. To cook on traditional stoves, one must squat on one's haunches or sit on the floor. Burning of cow dung is supposed to purify the the stove. A mixture of clay and cow dung is routinely prepared to coat the cooking surface of the stoves.

Tandoor and Bhatti are not used for indoor cooking at homes. Tandoor is a community clay oven used for fee in the neighborhoods. Bhatti is a large stove made with bricks and clay to cook foods in bulk. Bhatti is used by professional cook (Halwai) for large gatherings such as wedding. Most of the cooking over Bhatti is done in very large Karahi.

Wood, Upla. and Charcoal are used for fuel. Most of the restaurants use a combination of Tandoor and Bhatti..

Chulha was developed eons ago somewhere along when population started to live indoors. Chulha is a U-shaped mud stove made from local clay. After the clay formation is complete, it is finished by a coat of clay and cow dung mixture. The thickness of the walls is not important, but the dimensions of the fire-side are very important. There are no standard measurements. Over centuries, they have been optimized by word of mouth. A typical fireside cavity winds up with following dimensions Width of the fire-side cavity = 7.5”. This prevents cookware larger than 7.5” diameter from dropping in to the fire-side.

Height from the floor of the fire-side to the bottom of the cookware = 7” approximately.

The depth is approximately 11”. The depth gives enough room for ventilation.

In the front there is an apron about one inch high and 5” deep. This apron helps hold the wood and later remove the ashes. The top of the apron is flush with the bottom of the fireside cavity. As a matter of fact, the Chulha is constructed on a platform. A 3” wall Chulha will require a platform of 1” high, 14” wide, and 19” deep.

The mud chulhas of India

Chulha is a traditional Indian cooking stove used for indoor cooking. Chulha is a Ushaped mud stove made from local clay. After the clay formation is complete, it is finished by covering it with a coat of clay and cow dung mixture. The thickness of the walls is not as important as the dimensions of the fire-side are. The front of the chulha has an apron. This apron helps hold the fuel to be burnt (usually wood, sticks, cow dung pat-

Mud chulha in bihar

Mud chulha in Andhra Pradesh

Mud Chulha in Punjab

Chulha in Natai village ,Rajasthan

'Metal meets mud' chulha, Maharashtra

Mud chulha inchandigarh Due to many disadvantages of open fires gradual improvements were made to the open fire cooking and evolution of cookstoves took place. The most simple one of which is the horse - shoe shaped single pot cookstove that is traditionally used in the villages of India and other countries.

Chulha in Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh

Multi-burner chulha in Ukhrul, Manipur kiln & clay 5

The Chulha features two potholes and an easy-to-clean chimney.

Photo courtesy Philips Design

ties, straw, crop waste etc). Once the process of cooking is complete the apron holds the ashes, which are removed later.

To cook on such traditional stoves, one must squat on one’s haunches or sit on the floor. Burning of cow dung is supposed to purify the stove. A mixture of clay and cow dung is routinely prepared to coat the cooking surface of the stoves. The Greenway Grameen Infra crew has done a fair amount of market research and have amassed a veritable photo collection that shows the diversity of mud chulhas (stoves) being used in different parts of India.

The major problem with Chulha is that a lot of smoke is produced inside the house by burning wood, dung, and crop waste. The smoke may cause acute respiratory, ear, and eye infections. Smoke also causes breathlessness, chest discomfort, headaches and this can be fatal for children. In urban India, Chulhas are built under a chimney so the smoke rises naturally and escapes through the chimney. Newer designs are being tried to trap toxic particles by using filters etc. the following is an article to show that the Chulha is a very important and essential item in the kitchens of the masses in India and an attempt to redesign such an iconic stove, to solve all its inherent problems is one of the social concerns of a design company Philips.

For millions of low-income people in developing countries, a stove is a pile of stones heated by an open wood- or cow-dung-burning fire in their homes. This method of cooking poses a serious health hazard: indoor air pollution resulting from the burning of biomass fuels is a leading cause of respiratory diseases. In fact, the World Health Organization estimates that 1.6 million people — mostly women and children, who are more likely to cook or to be confined in the home while cooking is done — die annually from indoor air pollution; India alone accounts for 25 percent of such deaths. That’s why Philips’s Philanthropy by Design unit, working with the company’s Indian office and the organization ARTI (Appropriate Rural Technology Institute), chose for its first project to create a stove that wouldn’t taint the air. “The goal was a low-tech, low-cost, low-smoke device that respects local traditions and culinary habits,” says Simona Rocchi, senior director for sustainable design at Philips and a member of the core design team for the Chulha project, which won the 2009 INDEX Award in the Home category.

The Chulha is a simple, modular concrete-block stove covered in brown clay. It features two potholes: one for circulating hot air for steamed foods such as rice, and the other for heating flat pans holding chipati (fried bread) and similar dishes. The modular format was chosen to facilitate production, assembly, installation and the replacement of parts. As the design progressed, two models of the Chulha emerged to accommodate different income levels: one version priced at 9 to 11 Euros ($13.10 to $16) has a double oven and hotbox; a pricier model, at 13 to 15 Euros ($18.90 to $21.80), includes a steam-

Chimney based chulha 6 Clay - beyond pots

Working model of chimney chulha

er. Both stoves feature a decorative pattern common in India, which could be described in marketing terms as a lifestyle upgrade. After all, notes Rocchi, “Design solutions for poor people don’t have to be ugly.”

A critical design element of the Chulha is a chimney fitted with a special filtering device made of slotted clay tablets to trap toxic particles. Many stoves currently in use don’t have chimneys at all, and those that do are often cleaned from the domicile’s roof, an onerous and accident-prone task usually undertaken by women. The Chulha’s chimney is equipped with a small trap door that affords easier cleaning from within the house.

Initial tests suggest that the Chulha reduces indoor air pollution by up to 90 percent compared with indoor open cooking-fires.

Another goal of the project is to enable local people and entrepreneurs — especially women-run enterprises — to produce and sell the Chulha, based on a special training kit and open-source manufacturing plans made available by Philips. An estimated 1,000 new stoves will be distributed over the next year in Pune, India, to test the product and its social impact, and a second pilot project will begin soon in Bangalore. Rocchi says reduced-smoke stoves could be applied in Bangladesh and Pakistan — countries that have culinary traditions similar to India’s, but substantial adaptations would be required to fit the particular cuisines and rounder house shapes (necessitating a different kind of chimney) of potential users in Latin America and Africa.

Unmesh Kulkarni and Praveeen Mareguddi from Philips Design team India were awarded the INDEX award for the home category in 2009 for their design of this Chulha.

Tandoor: A tandoor is a traditional Indian clay oven, with rounded sides, standing

about 5 feet high, used in cooking and baking. The tandoor is used for cooking in a number of countries other than India like Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Bangladesh etc.

The oldest examples of a tandoor were found in the Harappa and Mohenjo Daro settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization. In Sanskrit, the tandoor was referred to as kandu. The tandoor was popularised during Muslim reign in South Asia.the tandoor oven relies on the natural cooking medium - “charcoal”. The intense heat inside, created by the hot coals cook the meat, seafood or chicken pieces very quickly. The food becomes crispy on the outside while remaining juicy inside. The tandoor is used for cooking certain types of Iranian, Afghan, Pakistani and Indian foods. Tandoori chicken, chicken tikka and bread varieties like tandoori roti and naan which are very popular in the Indian cuisine. The word tandoori means “pertaining to the tandoor” and is used to describe a dish cooked in a tandoor. Tandoori cooking does not use much oil or ghee and therefore is preferred when one is pursuing a low calorie diet.

Pre-fired clay tandoori oven

A tandoor in use making naan and baking meat and vegetables on skewers.

A tandoor in use kiln & clay 7

A tandoor is a traditional Indian clay oven, with rounded sides, standing about 5 feet high, used in cooking and baking.

The tandoor is used for cooking in a number of countries other than India like Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Bangladesh etc.

It is believed that, it is the charcoal fire in the tandoor that gives the food its smoky flavour which cannot be replicated any modern oven. It is also impossible to create the exact flavour and texture of tandoori foods without a tandoor oven.

The heat for a tandoor was traditionally generated by a charcoal fire or wood fire, burning within the tandoor itself, thus exposing the food to live-fire. Cooking temperatures in a tandoor can approach 480째C (900째F), and it is common for tandoor ovens to remain lit for long periods to maintain the high cooking temperature. The tandoor design is something of a transitional form between a makeshift earth oven and the horizontalplan masonry oven.

A traditional tandoori oven has to be seasoned. A paste is made of spinach and applied to the inner surface and left to dry. An emulsion of mustard oil, buttermilk, jaggery and salt is applied over the spinach. A small fire is lit and the temperature allowed to rise gradually until the emulsion peels away from the walls of the tandoor. A brine solution is sprinkled on the inner walls to facilitate the sticking of breads like naans to the sides.

To know if the oven temperature is optimum a naan is stuck to the sides, if it falls off, the oven is not hot enough. It is important to marinade the meats and paneers( cottage cheese) cooked in a tandoor as the process is very drying and also to impart flavours.

In India, the tandoor is also known by the name of Bhatti.

The tandoor is a very important fixture in many Indian restaurant kitchens around the world, as it is very versatile and can be used as an oven and a grill. The flavour that it imparts to the food from the hot charcoal is very delicate and delicious. Some modern day tandoors use electricity or gas instead of charcoal.

the secret is in the clay: What separates the Clay Oven Group from other com-

panies offering similar products is that not only are our ovens in-house designed, fabricated and tested at our 20,000 sq ft factory in Park Royal, London UK- ensuring we produce the highest quality and most reliable ovens on the market. All our ovens are made with an element of clay.

The benefits of cooking in clayovens were realized by the most ancient of civilizations. Evidence suggests that the use of clayovens dates back over 6 000 years to the cradle of civilization. From the Hittite Empire to the Pharos and right through to the development of modern day cuisine, clay ovens have been used to create delicious food.

The Clay Oven Group have taken this ancient cooking facility and adapted it for the

Clay tandoor in dhaba 8 Clay - beyond pots

old tandoor

modern kitchen environment.Clay’s natural insulating and heat distribution properties makes it an ideal component in the cooking process.

One of the key benefits of a clay oven is that heat is distributed evenly so food is cooked to perfection in a dry a humid free atmosphere“But doesn’t clay crack?” Yes indeed raw clay does crack but at the Clay Oven Group we mix our own clay and have developed a unique patented clay firing process, enabling our clay ovens to withstand high temperature fluctuations and heavy usage without cracking- making them the most durable on the market.

The curvaceous oven

The heart of Indian barbecue is the tandoor, a handsome, barrel-shaped oven of fine clay - traditionally bound with grain husks and animal hair - that recalls the vessel in which Ali Baba hid out from those persistent 40 thieves. The cook ignites a charcoal fire on the floor of the oven and the heat rises to a searing level midway up, only to cool down by the time it reaches the top. Everything from chicken to lamb to fish to bread is slipped into this versatile chamber, emerging not long after with an earthy taste and fragrance imparted by the clay walls. Meats and fish come out moist and tender thanks to the intense heat and quick cooking.

Although Indian history records a complex urban civilization and a thriving agrarian economy as far back as 2500 B.C., this ancient and sophisticated culture cannot take credit for the invention of the country’s now-indispensable tandoor. Most food scholars trace its origin to the tanoo oven of northeastern Persia (contemporary Iran). From there it spread throughout central Asia and into northern India, where it was initially pressed into service for baking breads, its primary role in its birthplace and now mastered for export to every country in the world. Most people in the living world know the origin of the Clay oven from northern parts of India where it is made the most and the best as of date

Modeling Method of making Tandoors

Step I: Once the clay is ready for use, slabs about 120-150 mm wide, 500-600 mm long and 20-30 mm thick, are made. Some dry clay is sieved on to these and then they are rolled into cylinders. These cylinders are then unrolled into a sort of semi-circle. Two or three such unrolled cylinders are molded together into a circle. This circle forms the base of the clay oven.

Step II: After the base is made, the uppermost part of this ring is pinched at intervals to create little notches. It is then left to dry overnight so that it becomes hard and ready to receive the weight of the next ring.

Step III: When the clay has dried to the correct hardness, another ring is fused on top of this ring. This smooth and wet clay ring fits on top of the earlier ring, especially where the notches have been pinched. This is designed to give the clay oven firmness and stability. Subsequent sections are then added until the required height is attained.

Step IV: This involves the shaping of the last section on top, widely known in the international segment as ‘The Mouth’ which is turned in wards by hand and shaped like the upper part of a pitcher. A lot of buyers overseas have asked me weather a turning machine “like those in wood working’ is used to make these mouths.

Step V: The last step before the clay pots are dired in the open air is to lock the rim around the mouth with a tensile steel belt using the tensioning mechanism. To further increase the strength of the clay pot specially made jute wrapping is applied on the outside. This helps in the wear and tear of the clay pot while packing or fitting.

The above diagram illustrates how clay enables heat to reflect evenly throughout the clayoven thus eliminating cold spots and cooking food to perfection. Clay’s natural insulating properties can also help you pay the bills and reduce your carbon foot print.

“How can this be?”

Heat is retained more efficiently in a clayoven thus reducing your energy costs plus the light weight nature of clay makes transportation and installation a great deal easier when compared to brick/ stone ovens.

kiln & clay 9

storage&clay

Since it is made of natural materials, it redefines earthenware.

Modern day kitchenware is inspired by this design to a very great extent.

Even in the 21st century one can find this container being used in many parts of Africa and Asia.

As man developed and transformed to a hunter to farmer the need for a better and more productive household arose. Soon the tolls used for hunting and gathering changed to those necessary for agriculture. Once the occupation of farming developed the food grains thus produced had to be consumed at the appropriate time since storage facilities had not yet been developed. As a result the grain stock produced got damaged due weather conditions, insects and rodent attacks. Thus the early man needed a storage facility to ensure that his agricultural efforts did not go in vain. Using the basic material available, clay/mud, man deigned what one would call the primitive storage container. This storage container was made within the household and was placed within the residence for quick access of the food grains. Depending on the number of individuals, the size of the storage could be made as per requirement.The basic materials used for making this storage container are clay, dry hay and cow dung. The mixture of clay and water should be of a consistency that makes the clay neither too soft nor to hard. The dry hay is added to provide additional strength and durability to the container. The cow dung used, acted as an excellent insecticide and controlled the temperature within the container.

These storage containers are available in various sizes and shapes. The most commonly used containers were found to be in cylindrical or elongated rectangular forms.

These containers have a separable lids made of the same materials. Once the storage container is made, a hole is made in the side of the container of the size of one’s arm. This hole is located close to base of the container and acts as a provision for removal of grains

Grain Storage in Madhya Pradesh 10 Clay - beyond pots

Grain Storage in Africa

as and when required. A lid of the same hole is separately made of clay in the shape of a shell and allowed to dry. Once the lid is dried, it used to seal the hole made at the side of the container.

The clay container once made, is allowed to dry in ambient temperatures, thereby not allowing it to crack due to excessive heat. After the container and its separate lid are completely dried, the grain is poured into the container up to the brim.

For better aesthetics, a layer of yellow clay is applied uniformly over the entire container to give a smooth finish, thus making the lid and the body appear as a single cylinder. After the yellow clay is dried various designs are painted over the container. Natural colors such a lime and red oxide are used for making these designs. Most of these designs are based on nature. Sometimes the designs on the container depict stories which are usually narrated to mall children.

Advantages : 1. This clay storage container is very well known for its strength and durability which makes it last for a very long time; usually 50-100years.

2. Since cow dung and neem leaves are used, the possibility of the grain stock being attacked by insects and rodents is very less.

3.Being a household storage container this provides an excellent protection from moisture.

4. The elongated rectangular storage container can be used a partition between the kitchen and another room.

5. If the containers are of small sizes, they can be used as a surface for keeping flower vases or other items.

Organic Grain Storage in Sindh, Pakistan

Disadvantage: 1. Since the container is made within the household and may be of a very large size, it has to be placed in the location where it is made.

2. Because it is very heavy and large in size, it cannot be moved.

3. Being a clay container without any plastic coating on it, the container is not weather proof and hence cannot be placed outside the house.

The grain storage bins are made of clay and rice-husk residue.

Some hold grains for everyday use. Others are sealed up for use during severe food shortages.

Grain Storage in punjab storage & clay 11

Rural employment opportunities: Farmers are able to support themselves with their increased profits at market, slowing the move into cities. Also, the creation of the pots themselves generates job opportunities.

Increased diet variety because food is available for longer into the year. The ability to store vaccines and medicines that would otherwise be unavailable in areas without refrigeration facilities.

12 Clay - beyond pots

Grain storage is the main problem of the farmers in the agricultural village of Sindh, Pakistan keeping the grain or other agricultural crops un- properly will deteriorate the quality and taste of the crops. Pest usually attacks grains and crops that causes the lost of freshness and good taste of it, Farmer’s were facing a lot of challenges on this matter.

One of the Villages in the Sind Province of Pakistan had developed an Organic Grain Storage though this is not new method but it was not popularize in other areas. This storage keeps the freshness and minimizes the presence of pest with out using chemicals for a period of 3 to 6 months. It is made from mud, designed similar to pyramid for preservation purpose, it was proven by ancient people that pyramid or creating upper build up will somehow has preservation effects on the things being kept inside.

Construction of organic grain storage is not that costly and the amount of grain that you can keep will depend on you I mean it counts on the size of the storage you had constructed. This is a primitive method of organic grain storage no modern technologies needed here. They just mentioned when I asked the person visited this place share this story to me he said, “first they will fill the container with grain then cover up with a leaves of Neem tree, and a small hole down for taking out grains when ever they need it.

This kind of storage convenient for the farmer’s, as it mitigates the pest attack to the grain during storing and preserve the high quality of the crop as well.

There is some evidence that evaporative cooling was used as early as the Old Kingdom of Egypt, around 2500 B.C. Frescos show slaves fanning water jars, which would increase air flow around the porous jars and aid evaporation, cooling the contents.[These jars exist even today and are called “zeer”, hence the name of the pot cooler.[citation needed] Many earthenware pots were discovered in Indus Valley Civilization around 3000 BC which were probably used for storing as well as cooling water similar to present-day ghara or matki used in India and Pakistan.

Despite being developed in Northern Africa, the technology appears to have been forgotten with the advent of modern electrical refrigerators. However in the Indian Subcontinent, ghara, matka and surahi, which are different types of earthenware water pots are used to cool water.In Spain, botijos are popular. A botijo is a porous clay container used to keep and to cool water; they have been in use for centuries, and are still relatively widespread. Botijos are favored most by the low Mediterranean climate; locally, the cooling effect is known as “botijo effect”.

In rural northern Nigeria in the 1990s Mohamed Bah Abba developed the Pot-inPot Preservation Cooling System, consisting of a small earthenware pot placed inside a larger one, and the space between the two filled with moist sand. The inner pot is filled with fruit, vegetables or soft drinks and covered with a wet cloth. Abba, who hails from a family of potmakers, tapped into the large unemployed local workforce and hired skilled pot makers to mass-produce the first batch of 5,000 Pot-in-Pots.He received the Rolex Award for Enterprise in 2001 and used his $75,000 award to make the invention available throughout Nigeria. Abba devised an educational campaign tailored to village life and the illiterate population featuring a video-recorded play by local actors to dramatise the benefits of the desert refrigerator.

A zeer is constructed by placing a clay pot within a larger clay pot with wet sand in between the pots and a wet cloth on top. The device cools as the water evaporates, allowing refrigeration in hot, dry climate. It must be placed in a dry, ventilated space for the water to evaporate effectively towards the outside. Evaporative coolers tend to perform poorly or not at all in climates with high ambient humidity, since the water is not able to evaporate well under these conditions.

If there is an impermeable separation layer between the food and the porous pots,

undrinkable water such as seawater can be used to drive the cooling process, without contaminating the food. This is useful in arid locations near the ocean where drinkable water is a limited commodity, and can be accomplished by using a pot that has waterproof glaze or cement applied to the inner wall where the food is stored. Extended operation is possible if the pots are able to draw water from a storage container, such as an inverted airtight jar, or if the pots are placed in a shallow pool of water. A strap can be used to tie the inner pot down instead of using sand to prevent it from floating.

Pot-in-pot refrigeration has had multiple positive impacts on the population that uses them beyond the simple ability to keep food fresh for longer periods of time and decreasing instances of food-related disease.

In ancient Hindu mythology, Daksha Prajapati, one of Brahma’s sons, created the world from elemental fire, water, wind, earth and air. Legend has it that his descendants, known as the Prajapatis in Gujarat, are making magic using the same five elements. Like Prajapati Mansukhlal Raghavji, who is redefining his family tradition even as he carries it forward by creating innovative household products from clay. From refrigerators to water filters, Mansukhlal is making all he can from good old mud.

A fridge for the common man that does not require electricity and keeps food fresh too. With this basic parameter in mind Mansukhbhai came up with Mitticool, a fridge made of clay. It works on the principle of evaporation. Water from the upper chambers drips down the side, and gets evaporated taking away heat from the inside , leaving the chambers cool. The top upper chamber is used to store water. A small lid made from clay is provided on top. A small faucet tap is also provided at the front lower end of chamber to tap out the water for drinking use. In the lower chamber, two shelves are provided to store the food material. The first shelf can be used for storing vegetables, fruits etc. and the second shelf can be used for storing milk etc. Cool and affordable, this clay refrigerator is a very good option to keep food, vegetables and even milk naturally fresh for days.

Born into a potter’s family in a village called Nichimandal in Morbi, Mansukhlal knew his destiny lay in clay, but he wasn’t content cloning his contemporaries. In 2001, when the earthquake in Gujarat destroyed homes and people’s belongings, Mansukhlal

Pot-in-pot refrigeration

Better preserves the original taste of fruits and vegetables.

Very good alternative for the rural people who may not afford the conventional refrigerator due to high initial cost and its does not require any maintenance.

mitticool refrigerator storage & clay 13

decided to make a poor man’s fridge and water-filter that would be cheap and yet meet the requirements. This eco-friendly refrigerator that he has developed is made of clay.

Mansukhlal finessed the Mitticool Refrigerator after the Gujarat Grassroots Innovation Augmentation Network (GIAN), Ahmedabad, helped him with design inputs. The outcome is a refrigerator with a capacity of 50 litres. The upper portion of this fridge can store about 20 litres of water, while the section below the water tank has separate space to store fruits, vegetables and milk.

The water in the tank keeps the temperature lower in the cabinet so that vegetables and fruits stay fresh for almost five days, while milk can be preserved for three days. He recalls: “After the earthquake in Gujarat, most potters lost all their wares like I did. While rebuilding my business, I decided to move away from traditional clay pots and tawas and make something different.” Mansukhlal’s clay refrigerator serves the dual purpose of cooling potable water and acting as a cold storage space. Thanks to the water tank atop the refrigerator, the temperature inside is at least 10-15 degrees lower than the ambient air temperature.

Armed with the success of the Mitticool refrigerator, Mansukhlal started experimenting with non-stick tawas and water coolers. For instance, the clay water cooler comes with a 0.9 micron candle inside the water storage pot to filter water. Clay is a magical ingredient, Mansukhlal believes, because it’s environment-friendly, and also because these natural products don’t need electricity to function.

The hottest selling item today from Mansukhlal’s Mitticool range is the non-stick tawa, which is substantially cheaper than other non-stick utensils. It is again made out of clay and has a Teflon coating, no less competition for its metallic counterparts. Unlike other non-stick cookware available in market, this one is priced affordably at Rs.50. This compelling innovator hasn’t stopped at that and is now working on a pressure cooker made of clay.

The clay (keramos) to produce pottery (kerameikos) was readily available throughout Greece, although the finest was Attic clay, with its high iron content giving an orange-red colour with a slight sheen when fired and the pale buff of Corinth. Clay was generally prepared and refined in settling tanks so that different consistencies of material could be achieved depending on the vessel types to be made with it.

Cypriot Pitcher 14 Clay - beyond pots

Geometric Pottery Designs

Greek pottery was invariably made on the potter’s wheel and usually made in separate horizontal sections: the foot, the lower and upper body, the neck, and finally the handles, if necessary. These sections were then joined together with a clay ‘slip’ after drying and it is possible in many cases to see the prints of the potter impressed on the inside of the vessel. The piece was then put back on the wheel to smooth the join marks and add the final shaping. Therefore, all vases were unique and the small variations in dimensions reveal that the use of simple tools and not cut-out templates was the norm.

Next, the pot was decorated. This process depended on the decorative style in vogue at the time, but popular methods included painting the whole or parts of the vase with a thin black adhesive paint which was added with a brush, the marks of which remain visible in many cases. This black paint was a mix of alkali potash or soda, clay with silicon content, and black ferrous oxide of iron. The paint was affixed to the pot by using a fixative of urine or vinegar which burned away in the heat of the kiln, binding the paint to the clay. Another technique, used more rarely, was to cover the vessel with a white clay paint. Alternatively, only lines or figures were added in black using a thicker version of the black paint mentioned above and applied with a stiff brush or feather; in consequence, a slight relief effect was achieved. Minor details were often added with a thinned black paint giving a yellow-brown colour, a white pipe-clay, and a dark red of ochre and manganese. The latter two colours tended to flake off over time.

The finished pot was then ready to be put in the kiln and fired at a temperature of around 960 °C, which is relatively low and explains the ‘softness’ of Greek pottery (in comparison to, for example, Chinese porcelain). Pots were fired several times (in the same kiln) in order to achieve the required finish and colouring. First, the pot was fired in an oxidising fire where good ventilation to the kiln ensured that the orange/red of the clay came to the fore. Then the pot was re-fired in a kiln starved of oxygen (reduction process) by adding water or damp wood inside the kiln. This ensured that the painted colours, particularly the black, darkened in colour. A third firing, again with good ventilation, re-reddened the clay of the pot whilst the painted areas, now protected by a thin wash, kept their original colouring. This complicated process obviously required excellent timing from the potter so as not to spoil the vase with unseemly discolouring.

storage & clay 15

health&clay "If the system fails to get rid of poisons through the bowels, a constipated condition arises in which the toxins never leave the body. They sit inside and putrefy. What's worse, the body doesn't know the difference between live food and dead food in the colon.

It will still try to get nourishment out of waste you would never want to set your eyes upon. Naturally, this puts a strain on every functioning cell in the body”.

A traditional use of clay as medicine goes back to prehistoric times. The use of clay in folk medicine goes back to prehistoric times. Culture and History of Clay,in fact, eating clay is a global practice that has existed among humans since their evolution from primates, and one that continues today among traditional ethnic groups as well as numerous animal species. The practice of eating clay has been studied in present and traditional cultures from areas across continents, including present-day Arizona and California, Central and South America, Sweden and Sardinia, sub-Saharan Africa, Indonesia, and Australia.Historically, clay eating has been associated with treatments for cholera and bacterial infection. In a practice dating back to Greek and Roman times and later absorbed by Christianity, holy clay tablets were widely distributed and traded throughout the Mediterranean region and Western Europe for use in religious customs and rituals, and as cures for poison and the plague. These clay tablets, blessed by the Roman Catholic Church, were listed in pharmacopeia as late as 1848.

A new picture of the clay eater gradually emerges as the various academic disciplines examine cultures worldwide to understand the historic benefits and the effects of eating clay. In studies appearing in academic and scientific journals over the past decade, the practice of earth eating is revealed as an evolutionary behavior that in fact developed hand in hand with the early origins of medicine.

How Can CLAY Help Lose Weight?

To lose weight, it’s imperative to get rid of the toxins in your body. Nothing is better for this than clay. According to Ran Knishinsky, author of The Clay Cure, the best, most natural way to internally cleanse and detoxify is with clay.

The clay’s immediate action upon the body is directly on the digestive channel. This involves the clay actually binding with the toxic substances and removing them from the

clay cleanse 16 Clay - beyond pots

medicinal clay drink

body with the stool. It performs this job with every kind of toxin, including those from the environment, such as heavy metals, and those that occur naturally as by-products of the body’s own health processes, such as metabolic toxins. It’s hard to believe that the body produces its own toxins, but that may happen as a result of stress, inefficient metabolism, or the proliferation of free radicals.

The body has no problem ridding itself of the clay. Don’t worry about a tiny brick house being built in the middle of your colon. The clay assists the body’s eliminatory process by acting as a bulking agent, similar to psyllium fiber, sweeping out the old matter that doesn’t need to be there. It is not digested in the same manner as food as it passes through the alimentary canal. Instead, it stimulates intestinal peristalsis, the muscular contractions that move food and stool through the bowels. The clay and the adsorbed toxins are both eliminated together; this keeps the toxins from being reabsorbed into the bloodstream.

Clay works on the entire organism. No one part of the body is left untouched by its healing energies. I don’t know of another supplement that is quite as capable as clay of producing such a wide range of positive reactions.

“When dieting with clay, the important thing to watch out for is that you don’t skip meals or skip out on good nutrition. While the clay helps to satisfy hunger, it doesn’t work the same as a “fat burner.” It’s not going to blast you with a caffeine high and enable you to drop pounds quickly.The recommended dosage of clay is one heaping teaspoon taken an hour before meals in an eight-ounce glass of water or juice. Try mixing it with a green drink like Green Plus or Kyo-Green for improved results.”

It recommends ingesting clay on a daily basis to maintain optimal health. To do this, you can either eat hydrated clay or drink liquefied clay. Generally, it is suggested that one to two tablespoons of hydrated clay daily is the proper amount for an adult. For those who prefer to take their clay in liquid form, we recommend one to two ounces daily. In all three cases, it is recommended to take the clay on an empty stomach for best results.

And if you’re taking any medication, it is recommended to wait 1-3 hours before ingesting clay, but please check with your physician, as medications vary in time release and content.

Clay and Pharmaceutical Drugs

This work examines the beneficial effects for human health of clay minerals, describing their use in pharmaceutical formulations, spas and aesthetic medicine. Their therapeutic action as active principles in pharmaceutical formulations orally administered (gastrointestinal protectors, laxatives, antidiarrhoeaics) or for topical applications (dermatologi-

prepraing clay for medicine

eating chalk, soil and other earth-related materials was seen as an abnormal behavior, one which deprived the diet of valuable nutrients. In the southern United States, eating clay carried a stigma; those who ate clay were labeled “dirt eaters” or “clay eaters” and diagnosed with psychological disorders.

multani mitti for facial mask health & clay 17

Clay can be used internally and or applied externally in the form of a poultice, dressing, rub, ointment, powder, mask or the patient can take a clay bath, and the consistency of the clay can be coarse, thin or ventilated. Clay has been dried to make pills and sticks since ancient times and this method is still in use in countries such as India, China and countries in South America, and it is good for those who prefer to suck on clay rather than drink it.

cal protectors and cosmetics) is described. Their use as excipients and their influence in the bioavailability of the organic active principle is also described, both in the liberation process and in its possible degradation effect. Among their uses in spas, clay minerals therapeutic activity, in geotherapy, pelotherapy and paramuds is commented upon. Moreover, the applications of the clay minerals in aesthetic medicine (to clean and moisturise the skin and to combat compact lipodystrophies, acne and cellulite) are also described.

The possible use of sepiolite as active principle or excipient in pharmaceutical formulations was also investigated and there are commercial medicine that includes sepiolite in its composition (as active principle andexcipient). The fundamental properties for which clay minerals are used in pharmaceutical formulations are high specific area and sorptive capacity, favourable rheological characteristics, chemical inertness, low or null toxicity for the patient,and low price.

As gastrointestinal protectors, antacids, and antidiarrhoeaics, clay minerals can be administered to the patient orally in the form of pills, powders, suspensions, and emulsions. Clay minerals are also applied topically (to the body’s exterior, or on a limited portion of the body) as dermatological protectors or for cosmetic reasons.

Clay Minerals in Spa and Beauty Therapy

Clay is one of the oldest treatments that mankind has available and it effectively and naturally treats many disorders, yet the virtues of this magic powder are handed down like beauty secrets. Depending on the minerals contained in the clay (iron, silica, calcium, magnesium), the colour and the properties of it can vary. Clay can absorb unpleasant odours, catch germs and bacteria, numb pain, provide energy or simply purify the skin and make it smooth. It can even restore a disabled body, combat aging, stress and tiredness and sooth dermatitis, rheumatic disorders and other problems. In fact, clay carries out important functions for the human body because its chemical composition ensures that this mineral substance has truly unique, therapeutic properties.

The properties of clay:Clay has been used since ancient times in the field of bodily hygiene, cosmetics and natural remedies for a large number of problems thanks to the important actions it is able to carry out on our health and well-being. Some explanations of these actions follow: Antiseptic and bactericide: clay is a sterile complex that is able to work against the actions of bacteria, creating an environment that is hostile towards bacterial proliferation without causing any harm to the body and without inhibiting cell reproduction. It is

clay face pack 18 Clay - beyond pots

spa - wrap clay

good for removing intestinal parasites and for numerous other infective forms, such as colitis, enteritis, pulmonary diseases and sores filled with pus; Anti-inflammatory and analgesic: thanks to its ability to absorb heat, clay soothes inflammations. It is useful for burns, sprains and bruises. It can also absorb pain; - Remineralising: the fineness of the grains is what allows for the freeing and assimilation of the minerals that clay is made up of, and this remineralises the body. Clay is good for treating joint problems, fractures, osteoporosis and anaemia; Absorbent and anti-toxic: the micromolecular make-up of clay means that it can absorb large quantities of water, gas, toxins and poison, especially because of its ionic exchange capacity which, through an osmotic process, lets it extract hydrosoluble toxins and, at the same time, infuse tissues with lots of minerals. Clay is good for treating a bloated stomach and poisoning from toxic substances. It can also treat water retention by absorb fluids and metabolic waste products; Scarring: clay stimulates the coagulation of blood and accelerates the regenerative processes of tissues (when aluminium is present); Alkalinising: the large quantity of base elements make the body alkaline; Energising: the complex of mineral systems regenerates bodily functions and provides energy. The high content of calcium, for example, fortifies elastic tissues, whilst magnesium can help to improve mental or muscle fatigue.

Types of clay

The clay that is currently available in shops and is used for therapeutic means is categorised according to its colour. The different colours (green, white, red, yellow, grey, blue and beige) depend on the chemical make-up, the age of the clay itself and the locations of the deposits.

Green clay:This is approximately 50% silica and 14% aluminium and it is slightly alkaline. It has very strong anti-inflammatory properties and, if used externally, it is highly absorbent which makes it particularly suitable for treating acne and eczema. If used internally, it has a detoxifying function.

White clay: This is mainly used in cosmetics and it has a high percentage of silica (around 48%) and aluminium (around 36% or more) which is what makes it white.

White clay is also called kaolin, a name which comes from the Chinese region Kao-Ling where the first clay deposits were found. It is the finest of all the types of clay and it is good for internal use because it can work against fermentations and intestinal intoxications. Contrarily to green clay, which can cause constipation, it can regulate bowel move-

clay for natural therapy

Why it is good Clay can be used internally and externally, carrying out remineralising, anti-toxic, rebalancing and absorbing actions thanks to it particular ionic exchange capability which, through an osmotic process, lets it extract hydrosoluble toxins and, at the same time, infuse tissues with lots of minerals.

It is a strong analgesic, anti-inflammatory, alkalising and disinfecting remedy, and as a result of its ability to produce small doses of electromagnetic energy, which is obtained during sun, air and water exposure, it regenerates and reawakens energetic potential, acting as a catalyser of biological processes. Lots of silica in clay makes it particularly good for anaemia, chronic fatigue and poor immune defences.

cosmetic clay powder health & clay 19

ments. When used in internally, kaolin can absorb bacteria and viruses that are present in the digestion system, absorb gases and toxins and it is useful for cases of bloating or food poisoning. It plays the role of a gastric protector, relieves pain from acidity, heart burn and ulcers and regulates acidity and pH. It is also good for healing wounds, reducing inflammation and protecting mucus.

If used externally, white clay can be applied in the form of a beauty or general antiwrinkle mask on the whole body since it does not contain iron, or if it does, it is in very small quantities. White clay purifies the skin and closes dilated pores and it can be used for dry and peeling skin, especially on the heels. Furthermore, it is very useful for exfoliation since it carries out a micro-exfoliating action, renewing cells and remineralising the epidermis. Kaolin is the gentlest of the clays, therefore it can be used on very sensitive, dry and mature skin and for lifeless hair, and its healing and antiseptic virtues make it very precious for treating irritated skin. It is non-allergenic and is suitable for babies too and can be gargled to treat gum infections or a sore throat.

Red clay: Rich in iron and low in aluminium, the red colour is caused by the presence of red iron (trivalent). This clay (anthracite) was used by ancient Romans to treat joint pains, as medication for horse wounds and for washing to protect oneself from infections and disease. Today it is used a lot in cosmetics, in masks and creams. and its inflammatory property is very good for treating for skin that inflames or gets red very easily. If you suffer from inflamed gums, for example, all you need to do is cover your toothbrush with red clay, gently brush the gums with it and then thoroughly rinse your mouth out.

Red clay is also recommended for sensitive and delicate skin with dermatitis problems and, since it is very absorbent, it is recommended for skin irritations and for relieving pains caused by twists and traumas. You should use red clay on contusions, hematomas, bruises and muscle pains because it reduces swelling and relieves pain in the affected areas. It can also treat abscesses and boils and is beneficial for those suffering from headaches, migraines and gout, and it is recommended for stimulating blood circulation.

Yellow clay (illite): The yellow colour of this clay is caused by the presence of iron and copper. It can be applied to the neck, back and spine if suffering from pains in these areas. It is very refreshing and can be used together with red clay for a more comprehensive function. When mixed with green clay, to treat bone problems, relieve pain and when suffering from acute fatigue, it repairs muscles and ligaments and keeps the internal organs clean.

Grey clay: Also known as Luvos or German clay (because it was discovered in Germany during the last century), this clay is grey because of the high percentage of silica (around 60%). Grey clay is recommended for internal use to cure stomach acid problems and intestinal inflammation. It also helps to drain excess fluid, it carries out an important alkalinising function and it has a high cationic exchange capability. This clay is also very absorbent, possibly even more so than green clay when used internally. Since it is 60% silica and 20% aluminium, this product carries out very good anti-inflammatory and anti-acid actions and it can be used on all skin types.

Clay Eating Among Pregnant Women

Pregnancy is a period of both increased nutritional needs and increased vulnerability. In the first trimester the fetus is particularly vulnerable to toxic insult. The pregnant mother is also vulnerable due to a compromised immune system, suppressed during pregnancies in order to adapt to the presence of the fetus.

20 Clay - beyond pots

Nutrition during pregnancy is increasingly demanding, especially with regard to minerals such as iron and calcium, to support both the growing fetus and elevated blood production. Further, this period of nutritional need often occurs coincident with digestive difficulties such as nausea (morning sickness) and vomiting.

Another common feature of pregnancy is pronounced cravings. Connecting the dots, many scientists postulate that pregnant women craving earth-like substances actually represents a biological need associated with the demands of the body during this time. Taking clues from this intersection of bodily demands, three theories have been developed and studied to explain the therapeutic role of eating clay, both among pregnant women and on a broader cultural level, Clay’s nutritional mineral content Medicinal use of clay to provide relief for symptoms of nausea and vomiting Protection from toxins due to the actions of clay in the digestive tract. The presence of both current and pre-historic favored clay sites in Africa and other parts of the world has given scientists the opportunity to study the chemistry and mineralogy of these edible clays as they collect evidence to support these theories.

Scientists haven’t pinned down an exact reason, writes Young, but it’s either a response to mineral deficiencies or an instinctual effort to “protect against harm from toxins and pathogens.” Clay has a high mineral content, says Marc Lallanilla at ABC News, and is often rich in calcium, iron, copper, and magnesium. “These are essential minerals for the human diet, but even more critical during pregnancy.” It may also help with the symptoms of morning sickness.

health & clay 21

art&clay Clay pottery is an ancient art form of india dating back to well over 10,000 years. The clay objects found at the excavation sites of the indus civilization point to the hight quality of skill and tecnology of the indian potter. Jhuker pottery was related with the people of the harappan towns like Amri and Channudaro situated in sind.the red ware was the most popular type of pottery during the late vedic period . Most terracotta art and pottery is produced moulding objects by hand or on the wheel firing them in open oven. the terracotta tradition of creating figure of deities on ceremonial and auspicious occasions bring out the religious nature of their pottery. Terracotta sculpture was also commonly used in architectual edifices.

Potters pottering about on their wheel and fashioning all kinds of pitchers and earthenware are a common sight in India. While pottery for daily use like gharas (water pots), surahis (pitchers), diyas (lamps) and gamlas (flower pots) is made all over India, certain areas specialize in a particular type. There are different types of pottery you are likely to see in shops.

Terracotta pottery in Madhya Pradesh, in particular, the form in which it is practised by the tribals of Bastar is remarkable. Some of the popular terracotta artifacts include the ones that replicate the elephants, serpents, horses and birds. They draw attention by the virtue of their simplicity and commendable finishing. These finished products are offered as votive prayers to the local deities. Pottery is considered as the first attempt by man at craftsmanship and the artisans of Madhya Pradesh have taken the art of terracotta pottery to a different aesthetic level.

Madhya Pradesh terracotta pottery has been acclaimed in various parts of India and abroad as well. The terracotta items make for decorative show pieces and those traveling to Madhya Pradesh make it a point to purchase a few of them. The craftsmen of Madhya Pradesh display a rare skill and dexterity in the art of moulding terracotta. Besides the animal figurines the skilled artisans manifest their craftsmanship in the life size images of human forms that are counted among the finest examples of Bundelkhand terracotta.

baster terracotta art 22 Clay - beyond pots

baster terracotta toys

One remarkable feature about the terracotta pottery in Madhya Pradesh is that the art of each region bears its own distinctiveness and individuality.

Sarguja, Raipur and Raigarh have a charming tradition of decorative roof top tiles, made partly by hand moulding and partly on the wheel. These tiles, shaped like half tubes, have perched on top of them figures of elephants, monkeys, bears, reptiles, gods and goddesses and are considered a status symbol among the rural people.

West Bengal is famous for its arts and crafts, which include Dokra metal craft, Terracotta works and various kinds of embroideries. One of the most famous handicrafts of the state comprises of the age-old pottery, which is practiced in exquisite styles, with beautiful variations. If there is one place that is popular for its temples and horses made by the same material (terra cotta), it is Bishnupur. Located in the Bankura district of West Bengal, Bishnupur is 150 km from Kolkata. It is famous for its terracotta temples.

Built by the Malla rulers, the red coloured Vishnu temples were built in terra cotta since the city had no stone for construction Pottery is basically prevalent in the rural parts of West Bengal, where the men and women of Kumhar community are engaged in this art. Pottery is an indigenous art that has been practiced in the state since ages. The districts of Bankura, Murshidabad and Midnapore in West Bengal are mostly famous for this art.

There are umpteen varieties of pottery in West Bengal, all of which are made up of clay, though the purposes for which they are used are varied. However, the basic requirements and procedure are almost the same for all of them. Clay is taken from various places, like river bed, ditches and pits, and combined together. The clay mixture is then fashioned on wheels, to give it the shape of the required items, which range from simple pots to exquisite idols. The items are then dried and hardened, to make them hard and stabile.

There are four famous kinds of pottery in West Bengal, viz Mangalghats, Lakshmi Ghat, Manasha Ghats and Tulsimancha. Each of them is used for a specific purpose and has its own specialty. Apart from being individually practiced, the craft is also created on a commercial basis, at the small scale industries across the state. These potteries are used for domestic and ceremonial purposes and even shown at commercial exhibitions of various art galleries, throughout the world.

Pottery in West Bengal

Mangalghats: Mangal Ghats, as the name suggests, is the pottery meant for auspicious purposes. It is colorful and beautiful and considered to be an essential item in the conscientious Hindu homes of West Bengal. This type of pottery is also used in auspicious

terracotta work on bankura temple

west bengal clay horse art & clay 23

Terracotta painted plaque, the deity Dev Narayan who is represented mounted on a horse with a sword in his hand. image of deities deoicted in various incarnations and local heroes from folk legends are widely worshipped by the tribles.

ceremonies, like marriages, birth rituals and other such ceremonials.

Lakshmi Ghat: Lakshmi Ghat is the name of another kind of pottery in West Bengal, which is used only in pairs. One of the most auspicious pairs of this pottery comprises of two pots, one of which is meant for Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, and the other is meant for Lord Ganesh, the God of Wisdom.

Manasha Ghats: Manasha Ghat can be described as the earthenware painted to pay homage to serpent goddess ‘Manasha’. In this form of pottery, basically the face of the Goddess and the hoods of the snake are drawn, on upturned earthen jars.

Tulsimancha: Tulsimancha pottery is made up of clay as well as bricks and is adorned with various kinds of motifs, related to Gods and Goddesses. The most famous pattern of Tulsimancha comprises of the one depicting Lord Krishna and Radha.

Rajasthan is popularly known as the Treasure House of Indian handicrafts. The Royal state of Rajasthan has the wealth of Handicrafts, Gems and Jewels, Natural stone which makes it a shopper’s paradise. Absolutely astounding and unique in concept, colour and workmanship, the art and handicrafts of Rajasthan are beyond comparison. Be it jewellery, painting, furniture, stone articles, silver articles, leatherware, pottery, metal craft or hand-printed textiles, each object has a penetrating and irresistible appeal. An ethnic aura envelopes even the simplest of forms, making each one truly a collectors delight.

If you come across an Indian handicraft object abroad, maximum chances are that it was made in the state of Rajasthan. Connoisseurs, wholesalers and buyers from across the world throng in their thousands to the state to shop for clothes, textiles, miniature paintings, jewellery, puppets and pottery. As a destination for souvenirs, nowhere else in India comes close.There is no doubt that its handicrafts of Rajasthan have caught the imagination of the people all over the world.

Jaisalmer Rajasthan The Pokhran Test Range where nuclear blasts are being conducted since 1974, has not only catapulted India into the orbit of countries with nuclear capabilities, but it has also unknowingly provided major source of livelihood to hundreds of craftsmen and potters of Shikarpura for the past 40 years. Shikarpura is situated in Luni tehsil in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan, which is not very far from Pokhran in Jaisalmer.

People here use the red soil and clay from Pokhran to make earthen pots and other items

Dev Narayan represented mounted on a horse with a sword in his hand.

Lord Krishna and Radha 24 Clay - beyond pots

pokhran clay elephent toy

Molela clay plaques of gods and goddesses

Clay lamps for mela

lord sun

which they sell to tourists, or supply to export houses to earn money. “I arrange soil from some parts of Jaisalmer and Pokhran. Both the soils are extremely good for making earthen pots,”says Nizamuddin, a potter. they not only make matka’s for water storage, but also some artistic pieces like small ‘diyas’.

Molela is in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan and is near to the well known temple city of Nathdwara. It can also be done as a day excursion from Udaipur. gods and goddesses are depicted in a two-dimensional way instead of three-dimensional statues elsewhere, and the figurines are hollow. Traditionally, this craft has catered to the needs of the tribal communities who change the votive plaques of their Gods regularly. Every year, during the Hindi month of Magh( January- February), Bhil, Meena, Gujjar and other tribes from Rajasthan as well as MP and Gujarat come to Molela to buy clay plaques of gods and goddesses of their tribe. With the end of rainy season, the busy season for these potters start. They make large number of clay votive plaques in anticipation of sales.

The process of buying the new votive plaques in itself is an event. Tribals come with their priest who selects the plaques. Once bought, the plaques are carried to the nearby river Banas in a great procession. There the deity is worshiped and then taken to the village to be installed in the temple. Two small chambers were filled with clay. One had clay with high sand content and other had fine clay. These two clay are mixed together and donkey dung is added to it to make the clay pliable. Molela clay is dug from the banks of local pond of the village. While one room stored many plaques of war scenes arranged in rows for a client, another stored elephants and horses. One room stored many suns as well, stacked neatly. A message well drawn: with so many wars and conflicts, perhaps we will need more than one sun to enlighten the mankind. Another room had freshly completed plaques of Krishna’s life depicting scenes of his childhood and early youth’s mischief. Wet plaques are first left to dry in shade for a week and then dried in the sun for two-three days. Then these are baked in a brick made kiln. It being the rainy season, no baking was being done and kiln area was sown for maize crop. Finally these are colored as per the requirement of customer, there was this interesting plaque depicting many gods at one place- Krishna was in his cross-leg pose on Kaliya naag; Durga, Devnarayan and Ganesha also found a place. There is a popular belief that if we want Ganesha idol

Krishna in his cross-leg pose on Kaliya naag

pokhran toys

pokhran ganesha & lamps Molela is a small town 40km north of udaipur, close to the banas river. For these villagers the worship of their terracotta deities is as fundamentle and necessary to survival as the water pitcher which contains and carries water from the well to their homes in this dry land.

art & clay 25

In the 19th century, Jaipur became a flourishing center for blue pottery. The craft was practiced by one family who guarded its secrets so closely that the technique was nearly lost. Today, only a few rare examples of this 19th century pottery survive. Some of the finest specimens are found in Rambagh Palace in Jaipur. In the 1950s, Kripal Singh painstakingly pieced together its lost secrets, leading to a revival of the art form. The region of Jaipur and Delhi still follow the traditional techniques to fire the pottery.

as auspicious symbol, we can buy those who have their trunk turned towards left-hand side. Only the idol which has its trunk towards its right hand need to be worshiped daily.

How clever and Jugadu we human beings are! We want God’s idol to be in home so that he can bring luck and prosperity for us, but do not want the trouble of worshiping Him everyday.

Rajasthan is renowned world over for its exquisite arts and crafts. There are still entire lanes in Jaipur where craftsmen can be seen displaying their artistic skills and shaping their products into items of great beauty. Group of traditional potters known as Kumbhars on the Chaura Raasta area of Jaipur, giving final touches to their wares. These earthen pots were being skillfully painted in bright colors, decorated with mirrors and golden frills finally giving them the most attractive forms.

The Jaipur pottery is quite unique as it is perhaps the only pottery produced without the use of clay. It is considered to be more hygienic for daily use cause it does not develop any cracks. It is decorated with arabesque patterns, interspersed with animal and bird motifs. Jaipur is hub of Indian handicraft manufacturers and skilled artisans.

It has wonderful series of beautiful jewelry, elegant textiles, and superb paintings displaying royal artworks. Blue pottery, leather ware, metal works, and stone carvings are some popular artistic creations of this city. Many people come from all over the world to explore dazzling array of handicrafts in Jaipur. Among these, blue pottery is an ancient artwork of Rajasthan. Ground quartz is used for manufacturing. Blue and green colors are prominently used in blue pottery. Handicrafts made using this art are widely used for utensil purpose.

The Beginning of Blue Pottery

Blue Pottery is Turko-Persian in origin, but today it is widely known as one of the distinctive crafts of Jaipur. When the city of Jaipur was founded in 1727 by Sawai Jai Singh I, craftsmen from all over the country were invited to come and make their home in this new city. Royal patronage, lucrative offers and the attraction of living in a beautiful city led many artisans and craftsmen to come and settle in Jaipur. By the beginning of the 19th century the city was well established as a thriving art centre. In keeping with the traditions of his forefathers, Sawai Ram Singh II (1835-1880) set up a school of art and continued to encourage artists and craftsmen.

Blue Pottery took an interesting route in finding its home in Jaipur. Sawai Ram Singh II attended a kite flying session and watched as his kite masters were engaged in battle with two brothers from Achnera (near Agra). When the ruler saw that the brothers managed to bring down the royal kites almost every time, he was intrigued. He asked the brothers their secret. They told him that they were potters by profession and had coated

blue pottery in green and yellow 26 Clay - beyond pots

birds, animals & motifs and floral carvings on blue pottery

their strings with the same blue green glass that they used for their pots. Sawai Ram Singh II was so much impressed that he invited the brothers to stay in Jaipur and teach this unique form of glazed pottery at his new art school.

On the Verge of Extinction: Blue Pottery had enormous potential and should have flourished, but over the years master potters refused to share their trade secrets with their fellow craftsmen so there was an eventual lowering of standards and a gradual dying out of the craft. Over the years the craft was kept alive by her Royal Highness Gayatri Devi who widely promoted Blue Pottery. The craft received a much needed boost in the 1960’s as internationally renowned artist: Kripal Singh Shekhawat entered the field of Blue Pottery and raised the bar. His presence brought a new excitement to the craft as his designs began selling very well. But still the use of Blue Pottery was very limited.The product range only consisted of a few large items such as bowls, plates, and vases, thus the market declined. Many craftsmen had no option but to leave their villages and go to the cities in search of work. With the dwindling number of potters left, Blue Pottery faced extinction as there was little hope in sight.

Some of the pottery is semi- translucent and lately has been experimented with other colors like yellow, dark blue and brown. The conventional floral or arabesque, hand made patterns and the animal figure patterns are the prominent designs. The articles shaped out are mostly the traditional ones like Surahis ( pots ) of different shapes and sizes for multiple use, ashtray, tiles, flower pots, lamp shades , vases, coasters, small bowls, boxes for trinkets, soap dishes, jugs,mugs, door knobs etc Rajasthan Blue Pottery Designing Blue Pottery Hukkah Hangers which is used for holding keys of every locks. These Blue Pottery Designing Hangers are manufactured using high grade of raw material that is procured from our trusted vendors. The painted

blue pottery hukkah

blue pottery keys holder

traditional Surahis These days blue pottery also comes in colors like green and yellow, but if you are naive, then go for only blue color. Some of the Blue Pottery is even transparent and designed with Birds and Animals. There are blue motifs and floral carvings on blue pottery range.

craft mela jaipur art & clay 27

Blue Pottery is a glazed and low-fired stoneware pottery and is predominantly a blue green palette, a blue Persian dye giving it the name Blue Pottery.

It is hand molded in parts then joined and hand painted .Blue Pottery sometimes includes green yellow and brown colors and various metal oxides are used to fill in these colors. The designs, art and color scheme are elegant and exquisite and is perfect for every occasion. Blue Pottery products are continuously smooth and do not develop any cracks.

It is resistant, hygienic, and suitable for daily use thus it finds its utility in homes and offices, in hotels and restaurants.

pottery of Bikaner is tinted with lac colours to which the gold shade is added. Alwar is known for its paper thin, almost sheer, pottery called kagazi (paper). In Uttar Pradesh Khurja pottery has unique style of its own. Floral designs in sky-blue are worked against a white background. Pottery in warm autumnal colours like orange, brown and light red can also be found here. Taalif has been creating art ever since he can remember. He hails from the village of Khurja in Uttar Pradesh, known for its colourful glazed pottery.

When he holds an especially pretty blue and white bowl, his face lights up. He explains how the artisans shape the bowl, fire it, cool and paint it, and finally fire it again.

Royal heritage Haveli is a distinctly designed and restored haveli to capture a different mood and period. It offers 9 rooms, all stunningly restored suites, which were the chambers of the former Maharaja. No two rooms are same in size, colour and interiors.

Use of rich fabrics and silk drapes draw from the colourful art and warm hues of the state of Rajasthan. The guests find themselves quickly immersed in the beauty of this refined and thoughtfully restored palace. Each richly renovated room has opulent interiors with unique themes. However one thing that steals the attention in rooms is impressive blue pottery tiles. However one thing that steals the attention in rooms is impressive blue pottery tiles. All the bathrooms are done with handmade Jaipur Blue Pottery with the same theme as was used & done earlier, but keeping in mind the basic comforts, which is a must. 19th century when Sawai Ram Singhji II (1835 – 1880) set up a school of Art and encouraged artists and craftsmen from all over the country to come and settle here in Jaipur – a tradition started by his fore-fathers. Blue Pottery is based on ground quartz.

The dough is pressed into moulds and the unfired pieces are hand painted with oxide colors, dipped in clear glaze and fired once in wooden kilns. The process is very tedious and time consuming. Not only did it require time and patience but also money. The Royal heritage Haveli enchants everyone with its intrinsic blue pottery and royal ambiance that still floats in the air.

Garden is an ever changing place, brimming with life, with something new being added everyday. Be it the new bud which sprouts, the flower that freshly blooms or the winged garden visitor that chances upon this humble abode; things never remain constant. These are the ways nature acts to continually keep its creations interesting, and as is human nature I too felt compelled to add my own bit to the change, which I did by

blue pottery tiles

The royal heritage haveli’s room 28 Clay - beyond pots

bathrooms are done with handmade Jaipur Blue Pottery

adding some Pots I bought from the roadside earthenware Pot vendors in Delhi. These beautiful earthenware pots are an ode to the potter’s wheel which is losing its relevance in the contemporary world to mechanization and Plastics. Cheap, Eco-friendly and very suitable for plant growth, these Pots, in various shapes and sizes are a delight to grow plants in. In a Hot and dry place, as is my part of the world, these earthenware pots are almost, and thankfully, irreplaceable; by virtue of their porosity they keep the plants cool even with scorching temperatures outside. Gardening has been one area where the synthetic alternatives have still not proved equal to a basic earthenware or clay pot, and thus, has ensured survival of traditional clay pottery art.

A small time town near Indian Capital city, called Khurja, has developed this special kind of ceramic pottery painted in vibrant blue colors; a unique combination of clay with quartz and Feldspar, lending a lustrous sheen to the product. This beautiful creation from the austere Clay has put an otherwise non-descript town blue colors; a unique combination of clay with quartz and Feldspar, lending a lustrous sheen to the product. This beautiful creation from the austere Clay has put an otherwise non-descript town of Khurja on World Map. Thanks to the revival of an interest in ethnic and retro, the good things of past are making a come back. Craft museum situated near Pragati maidan at Delhi, opposite Old fort. It has preserved real India in it. A feel of villages, old houses and cart, old art pieces. The attractions are displayed at the lawnn outside the museum gallery the terracotta figures lagee in size and the beautiful examples of terracotta art. The figures included horse, bull, cow, men and women. The old utensils can also be seen here. several type of hut and their craftmenship. Here also a vast collection of all Indian handicrafts collected from all over India and Indian artist / artisans, you can purchase master pieces of Indian crafts.

Terracotta of India, beautifully made and decorated with flowers, motif, chain and other decorative art on Horses made of clay, the technique known as Terracotta technique of India

Gujrat

Elaborately decorated hand-crafted kiln-baked clay pots made on a potter’s wheel sold by a street vendor in a traditional art market in Gujarat, India. Pottery is the oldest

Khurja earthenware pots

earthenware pots Eco-friendly and very suitable for plant growth, these Pots, in various shapes and sizes are a delight to grow plants in.

decorative art on horses made of clay

earthenware pots in diffrent shapes & size art & clay 29

This work is actually created on the walls and storage with a clay and dung mixture, motifs are created in bas-relief mostly freehand by memory by using palms and fingers pinching and shaping the mud mixture.

export of the state, after textiles, for centuries. The pots are used for decorations in weddings and festivities.

Pottery has traditionally been a locally and environmentally sustainable craft in Bhuj.

The sources of all the natural resources needed to turn earth into pottery are local. Local clay, local white clay, water, thorns and tender stems from the Prosophis Julifera plant, jaru leaves, and black stone which are used in the making are found in the potters’ villages. Terracotta and the stages of life In Kachchh, as in other parts of India, pottery plays an important ritualistic role in the cycle of life. Communities use dozens of forms of terracotta to correspond with the different stages of life: clay bowls holding oils, water, leaves, and coconut are used as part of the sixth-day chahti ceremony that marks the birth of a child; small lamps are used daily for ritual pujas; terracotta of many sizes and shapes are used as part of the marriage ceremony to hold up the wedding canopy and to contain smaller ritual items such as water, rice, oil, ghee, and khum khum (red paste); the clay is shaped into animals as children’s toys; into lamps for festivals; and into special bowls for use in the death ceremony.

Hindu tradition teaches that porous earthenware absorbs dirt and negative energy.

Rules of ritual pollution therefore require people to discard and replace earthenware during festivals and significant occasions such as births, marriages, and deaths. As a result of this belief, potters have historically enjoyed a stable local market for their craft.

Mud art of Kutch: Lippan kam or mud-mirror work. Lippan (roughly translatedmud washing in Gujarati language and the spelling should be lipan)kam (is work in Hindi and Gujarati).Lippan kam is a decorative art done by common people mainly women.Lippan kam is done inside bhungas/mud huts in villages of Kutch, Gujarat.Lippan kam is generally done inside the house but sometimes you can find it on outer walls too.It is done with a mixture of clay and camel dung. Now gum is used to stick mirrors.

Originality of lippan kam lies in adding no colour or only whites.(You may get few pieces of very colourful mud-mirror work in export houses online; exotic pieces but I won’t call it lippan kam!) Small round, diamond-shaped or tringle mirror pieces are essential to lippan kam. Many a times mirror pieces are a little embroidered. It is simple technique, anyone can do it.

An Ancient Lineage; Modern Kachchhi pottery traces its roots back thousands of years to the time of the Indus Valley Civilization. One of the world’s earliest urban civilizations, the Indus Valley Civilization spread across the western region of South

Fabulous mud-work with little mirrors–Interiors of mud huts.

30 Clay - beyond pots

Asia (in what are now Pakistan, Eastern Afghanistan, and Northwestern India including Kachchh) from 3300-1300 BCE. The civilization is noted for its architectural accomplishments such as building cities of brick, roadside drainage systems, and multistoried houses, along with a number of handicrafts that include pottery.

Today, the potters of Kachchh continue to practice their craft in much the same way as their geographic ancestors. Collecting clay from pockets in the region, building up pots by hand or on the wheel, and painting their products with motifs passed down through the generations, many modern terracotta pieces reveal the influence of the ancient pottery of the region. At the same time, today’s potters take artistic liberties in order to market to new audiences, creating a variety of products for both the local market and beyond. Painted Pottery Around India.

Pottery is one of the most universal of all crafts terracotta is found on every continent and the craft has been practiced for thousands of years. In India alone there are dozens of pottery styles, forming objects that transgress barriers of caste and religion and are used at every stage of life. Despite the ubiquitous nature of pottery, only a few regions within India boast the kinds of intricate painting techniques found in Kachchh. In Rajastan, bold blocks of white and red highlight the complicated black designs painted on top. Potters in Himachal Pradesh paint white lines directly onto red surfaces, which become discolored as part of the smoke fire process that defines the region’s work.

In Kachchh, potters paint delicate black and white designs over their red-coated terracotta or red and black designs on white coated pieces. Many of the motifs are similar to those discovered at Indus Valley Civilization sites in the region such as Dolevida and Lothal, suggesting a remarkable continuity in design passed down from generation to generation. In addition, the similarities in design among pottery in Northern India and Eastern Pakistan suggest the history of trade and migration that have historically linked these regions.

Tamilnadu is famous for the terracotta figures of the Aiyanar Deity. The figures are

A border is created to define the area.

Mirrors are fixed on top of the wet clay patterns .

making different patterns.

Finishing the artwork.

Mud and mirror work also known as Lippan kaam is a traditional mural craft of Kutch. It is also called as Chittar kaam. Commonly made designs consist of peacock, camel, elephant, water bearer women, women churning buttermilk, temples, mango tree, etc. The Muslim communities however only use geometric patterns as usage of human or animal symbols is forbidden by their religion.

Mirrors are cut in a variety of shapes & sizes.

Amongst the Rabari and Meghwal communities from Kutch it is the women who carry out the craft, whereas amongst the Mutwa community it is men who do the mud-mirror work. The mirrors are believed to ward off evil and are therefore found as an integral part of their embroideries and their walls. art & clay 31

This Ayyanar temple in Chettinad in Tamil Nadu is every year supplemented with mew clay horses, while the old ones decay with the monsoon rains and the winds. More than 1000 terracotta horses line the way to the temple.

The horses are offerings to the Ayyanar.

The Ayyanar horse 32 Clay - beyond pots

huge and they are found standing guard at the entrances of villages protecting the insiders from evil spirits. Tamil Nadu have fabulously narrated the heroic character of Ayyanaar, the main protagonist in the local region. Ayyanaar complex developed in the exhibition consists of 12 figures Ayyannar the chief deity Pushpakala, Purnakala, Kali, Sanyasi, Nondiveeran, two horses, two elephants and two cows.

Clay figures are made all over Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. Traditionally each village is guarded at its entrance by an enormous terracotta horse, which is the horse of Ayyanaar, a religious figure, the gramdevta of the village and its protector against all evils. Aiyyanar has an enormous moustache, big teeth and wide open eyes that keep constant vigil. Ayyanaar stands at the entrance surrounded by his horses and commanders or veerans.

Ayyanaar figures, which include the horses in the army, range in height from less than a metre to over 6 metres. They are some of the largest terracotta figures to be sculpted and are painstakingly made by mixing the moist clay with straw and sand for a proper consistency. For the horse, four clay cylinders are rolled out with a piece of wood, for the legs, after which the body is built up gradually. The accessories, such as bells, mirrors, grotesque faces (kirthimukha) and crocodiles (makaras), are made separately as is the head. The parts are joined together on the auspicious tenth day, when the figure of Ayyanaar seated on the horse is given its features. This is then baked in a rustic kiln of straw and verati or dried cow-dung which is then covered with mud. Parts of the larger figures have to be fired separately, joined together and fired again. The faces are sometimes painted red to denote anger and the neck blue to denote calm. The rest of the body and decorations are also painted in bright colours.

The oldest Ayyanaars and horses are found in Salem district. Salem and Pudukottai districts make the most large terracotta horses�;� the smaller figures, human, divine and animal, are made all over the state. Given the time taken by the firing process, moulds are becoming popular to hasten the process. Ayyanaar figures are found in the village sanctuaries of Chettampatti and Nallur (Tiruchirapalli district), Tirripuyanam (Madurai district), and Vadugapalayam (Coimbatore district).

Terracotta Horses at Ayyanar Temple

Most of the other village deities are also made of terracotta. The temples found in the village are usually for the mother goddess or ammankovil along with a temple to the deity Ganesha or Pillaiyaar.

Another important terracotta shrine is the naaga or serpent shrine, situated under a pipal tree near an anthill. It is made of clay with an intertwined body and is worshipped for its power of protection and rejuvenation. On Vinayaka Chathurthi clay Ganeshas are made and sold everywhere. These range in height from a few centimetres to a metre and they are glazed, painted, baked or often unbaked. The models are immersed in wells after the festival, and the unbaked form is preferred as it crumbles easily.

Other products crafted include water drawing and storing pots and cooking vessels.

During the harvest festival of Pongal old pots in the house are replaced by new cooking pots, vessels for storing grain and a new container for the auspicious tulasi/holy basil plant. The pots symbolise continuity of life, creation, destruction and rebirth.In Tamil Nadu, potters are known as kuyavar, kulalaar or velar and they trace their origin to Vishwakarma, the divine craftsman himself.

Ayyanar (also spelt Aiyyanar, Ayanar or Iyenar) is a Tamil village god, worshipped predominantly in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Tamil villages in Sri Lanka. He is primarily worshipped as a guardian deity who protects the rural villages. His priests are usually non-Brahmins, who belong to mostly the potter caste, but other caste members also officiate in his temples. The temples of Aiyanar are usually flanked by gigantic and colorful statues of him and his companions riding horses or elephants. There are number of theories as to the origins of the deity as well as the etymology of the name. He is associated with god Aiyanayake by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka.

Ayyanar on elephant,16th century

Ayyanar idols near Gobichettipalayam art & clay 33