Pottery

Eye-catching articles of functional and decorative purpose are made by the skilful potters of India. The craftsmen of Khurja in Uttar Pradesh have evolved a unique style on their own by raising the pattern by using thick slips into a light relief. Glazes in warm shades of autumnal colours like orange, brown, and light red have also been developed by them. Floral designs in sky and blue color are made against the white background. The speciality of Khurja is the pitcher like a pilgrim’s bottle, which is decorated in relief by a thick slip.
Rampur is known for its Surahis (water pots). These surahis have uniform green–blue glazes with plain surfaces and the base is prepared from red clay. Excellent water containers are made in Meerut and Hapur which have the striking designs of flowing lines and floral patterns and also have wired shaped spouts. 

Nizamabad in Azamgarh district is known for its special kind of earthenware which has the dark lustrous body. This shine is obtained by dipping it into a solution of clay and vegetable matter, then drying it and rubbing with the vegetable oil and then keeping it on fire. Scintillating silver ornamentation is done by incising the pattern on the surface after baking and rubbing in mercury and tin. Alwar, Jaipur and Bikaner in Rajasthan are known for these type of products. Kangra in Himachal is rich in clay wares all through the valley while, Khanpur in Karnataka is known for its large sized containers and jars. Kutch and Saurashtra in Gujarat are known for their beautiful earthen wares. 

Blue Pottery
The art of glazed blue pottery came to India from Persia. It also flourished in Jaipur under the patronage of Maharaja Ram Singh. The main feature of the blue pottery is that it is made of ground quartz stone and clay is not used at all. Blue (from the oxide of copper) and white are the traditional colors which are used in the blue pottery. Some of the pottery is semi translucent. Nowadays, in addition to blue and green color, other combination of colors are also used like canary yellow, dark blue and brown. The best pieces of blue pottery are hand painted with conventional floral or geometrical patterns and figures of animals. Some of the articles are surahis, pots, cylindrical jars, ash trays, tiles, flower pots, lamp stands, beads, ear rings, soap dishes, jugs, mugs and door knobs. Jaipur is the best place to buy the blue pottery.

Ceramics Pottery
Beautiful pottery and other articles made of ceramics are also one of the famous products of India, especially Rajasthan. It is produced in intriguing white glazed colour with hand painted blue flower designs. The best places to buy ceramics pottery are Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Tamil Nadu.