Khurja pottery is distinguishable by its blue-and-brown floral patterns adorning off-white backgrounds. This technique shares its origins with the blue pottery traditions of Egypt, Syria, Turkey and Persia. The 600-year-old art form flourished in Khurja, in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district. Today, this ceramic town is home to more than 400 ceramic factories. It not only caters to the domestic market but also exports to Europe and Saudi Arabia.

In the book, Handmade in India: Crafts of India, author Aditi Ranjan notes that potters from the Afghan king Taimur Lung’s retreating army stayed on in Khurja, Delhi, Jaipur, and Multan (in present-day Pakistan). This enabled them to set up blue pottery workshops. Earlier a potter’s village, Khurja transformed into a centre for blue pottery and later for glazed ceramic ware. Others sources trace the tradition back to Muhammad bin Tughluq’s rule in the 14th century.

A defining feature of the craft is its composition, a mixture of clay with feldspar and quartz. The pottery-making begins with refining locally sourced clay for the desired consistency. Artisans shape the clay by hand or on a potter’s wheel. The clay is then fired at 1200°C to solidify its form and reveal exquisite patterns.

Today, Khurja pottery is protected under the Geographical indication (GI) tag, registered 2008-2009.

Over time, artists added raised-relief motifs and developed orange, brown and light-red glazes. The art now embraces modern forms, abstract patterns and unconventional shapes. In fact, Minhas Pottery in Khurja has also experimented with radium and created a line of glow-in-the-dark pottery.

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