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ANCIENT INDIAN CULTURE ASSIGNMENT AND REPORT ON CIA 2: POTTERY WORKSHOP CONDUCTED ON 24 TH AUGUST 2011 BY (PROF. ANITA RANE)

Ancient Indian Culture

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Page 1: Ancient Indian Culture

ANCIENT INDIAN CULTURE

ASSIGNMENT AND REPORT

ON

CIA 2: POTTERY WORKSHOP

CONDUCTED ON

24TH AUGUST 2011

BY

(PROF. ANITA RANE)

KRISHNA WAGH

SYBA (383)

Page 2: Ancient Indian Culture

Introduction:

Pottery in the Indian subcontinent has an ancient history and is one of the most tangible and iconic elements of regional art. The art of handling of clay called Pottery was one of the earliest skills known to the Indians. From time immemorial, lumps of clay were hand -moulded to form toys and deities of worship. The advent of the Potter's wheel gave man the task of making beautifully shaped pots for his personal use. Evidence of pottery has been found in the early settlements of Mehrgarh from the Indus Valley Civilisation. Today, pottery thrives as an art form in India, and it is slowly gaining awareness as functional items as well. The movement of the wheel and the pressure exerted by the hands on the clay gives new shapes and forms.

History

The tradition of pottery-making in India is very old. The ancient pottery of a country tells a lot about its civilization. For thousands of years pottery has been an important form of expression. India has a great tradition of pottery making. The real beginning of Indian pottery began with the Indus Valley Civilization. There is proof of pottery being constructed in two ways, handmade and wheel-made. The invention of the Potter’s wheel in Mesopotamia sometime between 6,000 and 4,000 BCE revolutionized pottery production. Specialized potters were then able to meet the expanding needs of the world's first cities. Pottery was in use in Ancient India including areas now forming Pakistan and northwest India, during the Mehrgarh Period II (5,500-4,800 BCE) and Merhgarh Period III (4,800-3,500 BCE), known as the ceramic Neolithic and Chalcolithic.

Indus Valley civilization and pottery:

According to remains extracted from the Indus Valley Civilization, archaeologists have noted that there is continuity between pottery of third millennium Baluchistan with the hunter is noticed on a pot shreds from the cemetery. A jar found at Lothal depicts a scene in which two birds are seen perched on a tree each holding a fish in its beak. Harappan people used different types of pottery such as glazed, polychrome, incised, perforated and knobbed. The Harappan pottery includes goblets, dishes, basins, flasks, narrow necked vases, cylindrical bottles, tumblers,

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corn measures, spouted vases and a special type of dish on a stand which was a offering stand or incense burner.

1Pottery of the Harappan civilization is of a unique kind. The most striking ceramic ware is a heavy sturdy ware of superior fabric, pink or red in colour in the section and on surface. The word `superior` is used here to indicate the use of fine clay in making the vessels which are well-fired, resulting in a sturdy ware. Almost all the vessels have a smooth surface and are painted in black over red. The characteristic Harappan types found in the red ware in Rangpur include the small jar with a small neck, beaded rim, globular body and footed base, jar with a beaded rim and bulbous body, large storage-jar with thick walls and a Lat rim, small jar with a flaring rim, dish with a projected rim and carinated shoulder, a dish with an incurved or internally beaded rim, dish-on-stand, basin with a projected beaded rim, blunt-carinated shoulder and flat base, jar-stand, goblet with an elongated base, beaker, lid with a knob in the interior and cylindrical perforated jar. The ceramic industry may be said to represent the transitional phase of a degenerate Harappan culture. It is therefore evident that the Harappan culture was not static and did not disappear suddenly. While showing signs of decay, in course of time it rejuvenated itself by reviving some of the earlier ceramic traditions and evolving new ones in the transitional phase, which, in fact, is the formative stage of a full-fledged Lustrous Red Ware Culture. The shallow bowl with a footed base and jar with a high neck are also found in the Lustrous Red Ware2. Besides these types the dish becomes popular. It is mostly non-carinated and has a beaded rim. A common type in the coarse red ware is the jar with a high neck and a bulbous body. Some of the jars have thick walls and a smooth surface, while others have thin walls with a rough surface. Painting is normally confined to the upper half of the vessels of the Harappan civilization.

1 History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Volume 3, Ahmad Hasan Dani, page no. 1672 5000 years of the art of India ,Mario Bussalgi, Calumbus Sivaramamurti published by H.N. Abrams, 1974 - 335 pages

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Cultural influence on pottery:

For Archaeologists and sociologist the study of pottery can help to provide an insight into past cultures. Pottery is durable, and fragments, at least, often survive long after artifacts made from less-durable materials have decayed past recognition. Combined with other evidence, the study of pottery artifacts is helpful in the development of theories on the organisation, economic condition and the cultural development of the societies that produced or acquired pottery. The study of pottery may also allow inferences to be drawn about a culture's daily life, religion, social relationships, attitudes towards neighbors, attitudes to their own world and even the way the culture understood the universe. Pottery in Indian villages can be classified in religious aspect as well. Apart from the unglazed and glazed pottery, there are also a few other types of pottery produced in the villages of India. The major types of pottery in Indian villages include the common earthenware, Kullar (cup-like container), lamps for Diwali toys for Dussehera, pots for seedling at Makar Sankranti, painted pots for marriages, etc. Karigari pottery is a major type of pottery in Indian villages that is made with special attention by putting intricate designs on it. Ashtrays, flower vases, tea sets, paper weights, decorative animal figures, etc. are some of the examples of Karigari pottery. Dancing, painting, sculpture, and music were all part of their culture. Statues are not abundant, but refined, whether in stone, bronze or terracotta. Children too were not forgotten, judging from the exquisite care with which toys were fashioned.

We can infer the evolution of the Indian society by noting the changes and various changes in the Indian Pottery because they give us an idea of the society and culture prevailing as an art form throughout the period of history.

Styles

Some of the most popular forms of pottery include unglazed pottery, glazed pottery, terracotta, and papier-mache.

Glazed pottery

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This era of pottery began in the 12th century AD. This type of pottery contains a white background and has blue and green patterns. Glazed pottery is only practiced in selected regions of the country. The glazed Harappan pottery is the earliest example of its kind in the ancient world. In India, the making of Glazed pottery came into being with the advent of the Arab influence in India. Only a few centers in India are known for its production. Glazed pottery with white background and blue and green patterns is developed in Delhi, Amritsar, Jaipur, Khurja, Chunar and Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, and Karigari in Tamilnadu.

Glaze is a glassy coating on pottery, the primary purposes of which are decoration and protection. One important use of glaze is to render porous pottery vessels impermeable to water and other liquids. Glaze may be applied by dusting the unfired composition over the ware or by spraying, dipping, trailing or brushing on a thin slurry composed of the unfired glaze and water. The colour of a glaze before

it has been fired may be significantly different than afterward. Delhi, Khurja and Jaipur are known for the famed Blue Pottery. This does not involve the usage of clay. First the basic forms are created and then they are painted on the surface.

Careful examination has revealed an evolution in the technique of decoration and forms of vessels. The jar with a small neck developed a higher neck and an ovoid body in this period. The fabric was coarse and painting mostly confined to

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the upper half of the vessel surface.

Unglazed pottery

This is the oldest form of pottery practiced in India.

There are three different styles in unglazed pottery.

1. Paper thin, biscuit colored pottery with incised patterns.2. The scrafito technique is the process of polishing the pot, painting it with

red and white slips into intricate patterns while the outline is incised. 3. In this style, highly polished pottery is given strong, deeply incised, stylized

patterns of arabesques. The rest of the area is covered with rows of black dots and the contrast in color and texture gives the incised area greater prominence.

Although the art of glazing pottery was known in India from ancient times, the finest pottery in India is of the unglazed variety. This unglazed pottery has a wide range. Very fine paper-thin pottery is produced in Kutch, Kanpur and Alwar. Alwar is known for paper-thin pottery called Kagzi.

Kangra and Andreta in Himachal Pradesh, Pokhran in Rajasthan, Meerut and Harpur in Uttar Pradesh, Kanpur in Maharastra, Kutch in Gujarat, Jahjjar in Haryana, Birbhum in Bengal and Manipur are famous for their special styles in pottery. Each region has its own specialty.

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Black potteryKangra is noted for black pottery, which resembles the Harappan pottery style. Pokhran has stylized forms with incised decorative patterns. Kanpur makes thin pottery with incised designs. Meerut and Jhajjar make slim necked water containers called surahis. These are half -turned and half -moulded and have a variety of patterns and designs. Kutch is famous for pots, terracotta horses and elephants. The pots are made for different occasions like marriages, death, etc.

Nizamabad in Uttar Pradesh is noted for black pottery with silver patterns worked in it. This is similar to the Bidar work of Andhra where oxidized gunmetal is inlaid with silver wire.

Apart from the unglazed and glazed pottery, there are also a few other types of pottery produced in the villages of India. The major types of pottery in Indian villages include the common earthenware, Kullar (cup-like container), lamps for Diwali toys for Dussehera, pots for seedling at Makar Sankranti, painted pots for marriages, etc. Karigari pottery is a major type of pottery in Indian villages that is made with special attention by putting intricate designs on it. Ashtrays, flower vases, tea sets, paper weights, decorative animal figures, etc. are some of the examples of Karigari pottery.

Buff ware are some of the red ware vessels of Rangpur have a buff slip or patches of buff along with red owing to differential firing. They are often painted in chocolate or pinkish colour. The only type exclusive to the buff ware is ajar with a flaring rim, bulbous body and pinched ear. The coarse red ware meant for rough use occurs in a limited quantity. The jar with a flaring rim and bowl with a nail headed or beaked rim is common types.

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Coarse Grey Ware was similarly meant for rough use such as cooking. The vessels are rendered porous by the use of grit and the surface is rough, slip-less and rarely burnished. A common type in this ware is the jar with a flaring rim and convex profile. Coarse grey vessels are generally decorated with incised designs.

Some of the vessels show a poor treatment of the surface, and at times the fabric is also coarse, e.g. the dish-on-stand, storage jar bowl and dish. Secondly, minor changes in the shape of certain vessels like the convex-sided bowl jar with a small neck, stands on dishes and storage jars are visible. The colour-scheme adopted for painting is light black, chocolate or light red over a buff or greenish-buff background. The course red ware continued to be in limited use and it does not undergo any major change.

Terracotta:

The rural parts of India commonly display terracotta animal figures in places of worship or under the mango or pipal trees in the vicinity of temples. The potters mostly do the terracotta figures. In some parts of Indian villages, the women folk create their own forms of Gods for worship and other decorative pieces for adorning their houses.

In Bihar, Bengal and Gujarat, during festivals, the women prepare clay figures to propitiate their Gods and Goddesses. The relief- worked plague of Moela in Rajasthan has a distinct style. Here on flat surface local deities are created with moulded clay. They are then fired and then painted with brilliant colors. Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh has villages where clay figures of animals are done. The potter creates the basic form by throwing separate pieces on the wheel and then joining them.

The Harappan people also made rough terracotta statuettes of women, usually naked, but with elaborate head dresses, These are certainly icons of the mother goddess and are so numerous that they seem to have been kept in nearly every

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home. They are crudely fashioned so historians assume that the Goddess was not favoured by the upper classes who commanded the services of the best craftsmen, but that her effigies were mass produced by humble potters to meet popular demand. In terracotta, we also find a few figurines of bearded male with coiled hair, their posture rigidly upright, legs slightly apart, and the arms parallel, to the sides of the body. The repetition of this figure in exactly the same position would suggest that he was a deity.

Papier- Mache:

In the year 1398, when India was invaded by Tamur Lane, Sultan Sikander sent his son to pay tribute to the invader. Tamur lane betrayed the agreement of his alliance with the Sultan and made his son a hostage in Samarkhand for seven years. Many craftsmen from Central Asia and Persia had accompanied Tamur Lane to India and were placed in Samarkhand as well. There this young dynamic Prince saw the strange craft made of paper pulp. He learnt the art and later when he became the king after his father's death, spread this art among the craftsmen of his region.

A Fish pattern made of Papier MacheThe base of this craft is paper pulp coarsely mashed and mixed with copper sulphate and rice-flour paste. Then moulded by covering the mould with a thin paper and then with layers of this mixture. The designers then sketch the designs intricately and finally it is laquered and polished in bright colors. A touch of golden color is always found on all papier-mache products owing its root to the Persian design.

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Report on Pottery workshop:

We attended a pottery workshop on 24th August , 2011 from 3.00 pm to 6.00 pm conducted by students from JJ school of arts. We were supposed to learn a bit about four different methods used in making pots or ceramics. These four methods were:

1. Slab method2. Wheel method3. Pinching method4. Coiling method

It was extremely interesting to learn these methods of making pots in a practical way because we got to know the hard workand the technique involved and the creativity put in by potters to make the beautiful pots.

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In Slab method, the clay was evenly pressed using a roller and it was cut into slabs according to the object we were making. I tried to make a pen holder using the slab method. The instructor helped me do it properly and explain the technique of joining different slabs together. We were supposed to make a few incisions in the place where we were supposed to join the slabs together and apply a bit of slip (equal mixture of clay and water) so it stuck together. Using this method I made a pen holder.

In the wheel pottery method, we made small miniature pots on wheel. It was a very complicated method so our instructor had to help us a lot in making the pots. With every turn of the wheel we were supposed to push the clay up in a shape of the pot or design. I attempted to make a pot with a long neck and the instructor of wheel pottery helped me make it properly. It was extremely interesting to make this type of pot because the technique had developed so early in India and I had the opportunity to make a pot on the wheel.

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In the pinching method, a mould was given to us and a ball of soft clay. I had to roll the ball up and press a hole in using my thumb and press the clay into the mould evenly. I had the mould of a bowl. it was one of the simplest pottery techniques according to the instructor. I made the bowl and decorated it with a flower inside the bowl.

In coiling method, we had to roll up the clay into a thick thread like structure and shape it according to our imagination to make a pot. This was a very unique way to make a pot or an article. We were supposed to make a base first in shape of the pot. I made a pot in a geometrical shape of a square, tapering towards the mouth. It was very fascinating to learn this technique of pottery because of its absolute simplicity and creative design.

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a Chart on rulers of Rajasthan

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Bibliography:

Websites (accessed on 26th august 2011)

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pottery_in_the_Indian_subcontinent 2. http://www.indianmirror.com/crafts/cra5.html 3. http://handicraft.indiamart.com/materials/pottery.html 4. http://www.india-crafts.com/pottery/