Khurja pottery from Bulandshahar district, Uttar Pradesh is unique because terra-cotta with blue painting is used. It has identifiable painted floral patterns, in shades of blue and brown, on an off-white background. A thick slip is used to raise some motifs in relief. The potters have also developed orange, brown, and light red glazes.
Khurja pottery products are decorated under glaze with Mughal art designs with unique ceramic colours. Surface of the ceramic pots is decorated with ceramic colours and mix of colours first and then is coated through spray techniques by glass forming coating called transparent glaze so that on firing, the design get visible with increased shining
Image Credit : GI India
The history of Khurja dates backs to over 600 years when some potters’ families moved from Delhi to Khurja during the reign of Mohammed-bin-Tughlak. They started with red pottery and gradually introduced blue glaze on red clay articles.Pottery is made by forming a ceramic body into objects of a required shape and heating them to high temperatures in a kiln which removes all the water from the clay and creates the products by increasing their strength and hardening and setting their shape.
The raw material for pottery can be classified into two classes as below
- Plastic Raw material consists of all those clay which are used in the pottery making. The main clays are Raj Mahal Clay, Bikaner Clay, TT 75 Clay, China Clay, Ball Clay, Calcite and Fire Clay
- Non-Plastic Raw Material used in the pottery industry consists of Quartz, Potash Feldspar, Silica Sand, Pyrophylite, Bone Ash, Talc and Wollastonite
In addition to the clays, different types of chemical compounds like Zinc Oxide, Barium Carbonate, Boric Acid, Dolomite, Zircon, Copper Oxide, Cobalt Oxide, Ferrous Oxide and Magnesium Oxide are also used for glazing and colouring the pottery
Khurja Pottery may be classified into the following classes
- Terra-cotta: The terra-cotta wares are made of common clay which on baking becomes red. These wares are baked at relatively low temperature and are without glaze.
- Earthen Ware: The earthen wares are made of white and common clay and are coated with glaze layer.
- Stoneware: White clay made and glazed wares are known as Stoneware. The Stoneware are baked on comparatively higher temperature and are relatively stronger.
- Vitreous China Table Ware: These are fully baked, made of white clay.
- Porcelain Tableware: This class wares are made of pure China Clay, Quartz and Feldspar. These goods are baked at relatively higher temperature to the other ware classes
The pottery is fired 2-3 times to get special designs which is not common anywhere thus unique to Khurja pottery. The pottery products are fired at different temperatures with different designs of colours melting capability with reducing temperature trends. This provides strength to the products and the process is unique for Khurja pottery
Khurja Pottery can be classified broadly into three classes, scientific goods and kitchen and tableware and decorative items. Presently a large range of white wares like Crockery wares, table wares, artistic wares, etc are manufactured.
GI Tag Registration Date : 23 March 2015
GI Tag Number : 178
Certificate Number : 219
Geographical Area : Uttar Pradesh
Special Cover Release Date : 29 September 2021
Cancellation : Bulandshahar 203 001
Type : GI Tag - ODOP Cover
Cover Identification Number : UP/38/2021
This cover is primarily issued as part of promotion for UP State One District One Product initiative. However it is also a GI Tagged Product with GI Tag details on back side of the cover.
Enlarged View of Cancellation
Back Side Scan
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