Black pottery of Sawai Madhopur

file

Click here for Artisans

Sawai Madhopur in itself has witnessed and nurtured a whole range of handicrafts practiced by the local artisans and this sector has flourished after facing a lot of hard times. One such craft of the region is the very unique style of pottery that they make. The pottery they make is black in colour and is made in a very special way.

The mitti, (clay) taken from the banks of the nearby Banas River is cleaned thoroughly, the unwanted stones and straw removed from its consistency. The clay is then stored and used as and when required. An Approximated quantity of prepared mud is placed on the wheel and turned beautifully by the potter, and a shape as desired is achieved with much finesse. The form is cut out of the wheel from the bottom, using a length of ordinary thread. The potter, skilled with the usage of his hands, manually shapes and polishes the product, till he smoothens it out. The turned and polished product is dried in the sun for two hours, in the shade for another two and finally fired.

The small community of kumbhars- the traditional potters, at Sawai Madhopur create a wide range of decorative figurines, paperweights and plaques of animals and deities in addition to the usual array of pots. Skillfully embossed and variedly structured, the beauty of this pottery lies in the love that the artisan puts into it and their story of revival from a completely damaged financial scene. The polishing of the terracotta wares before firing is what gives the end product a sparkly finish. When the firing is almost coming to an end, the artisan seals all the vents of the kiln, allowing a smoky atmosphere to be created inside the kiln, giving the pottery a greyish black hue, very centric to only Sawai Madhopur.