NIZAMABAD BLACK CLAY

POTTERY

MOHAMMED ARSHIM SHARIFF

20211BDC0020  
 INTRODUCING THE STUNNING BLACK ART OF UTTAR PRADESH

figure 1. black pottery of Nizamabad.

Source : GOOGLE IMAGES

India being a country of rich cultural assets and ethnicities has a lot of small villages that still
thrive with their distinctive folk arts. However the respected folk art is less valued in the region
itself than it is across the globe. One such art is found in the heart of the country in the state of
Uttar Pradesh, known as Nizamabad-Azamgarh black pottery. The moment the word pottery
comes to our mind, we assume it just being a mould of clay from a potter’s wheel. Indeed,
pottery involves this but our country is known to add various twists in tastes to make every art
form different from the one originated mere a hundred kilometres away. Not by artificial colours
or paint but this black tint is obtained by a number of steps that the potter takes to finally
produce this distinct naturally made black colour. However, certain portions such as the spout or
the handle are left out as they are cast separately and then attached to the body. The product is
then decorated by incising patterns on the surface for making geometrical patterns.

Nizamabad , Azamgarh district , Uttar Pradesh

SOURCE : GOOGLE IMAGES

 AREA AND HISTORICAL TIMELINE OF THE VILLAGE

Figure 2. BLACK POTTERY INSPIRED BY BIDRI ART

Source: GOOGLE IMAGES

The small town of Nizamabad is located 25km far from the Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh
where about only 500 artisans and potters practice this art. Originally, the town is quite old
dating back to the time of the Mughals. The town was called Hanumantgarh that was renamed
by the invaders as Nizamabad. The feudal rulers had called artisans to reside in this town to
make pots, vases somehow influenced by the Persian style. Slowly the talented artisans found
out the technique of adding black tint through ash and smoke giving the rise to the famous black
pottery hailing from Uttar Pradesh.

The black clay pottery is studied by historians due to its resemble with the Northern Black
Polished Ware pottery of urban Iron Age culture of Indian Subcontinent.[9] The silver patterns are
inspired from medieval Bidriware of Hyderabad which decorates pots using silver wires.
[6]
 Powdered mix of lead, mercury and zinc in equal proportion is filled into the carved design
a technique which was introduced from Gujarat during the Mughal rule of Aurangzeb.[10] Around
200 families are involved in the craft in Nizamabad and majority of their works are exported.
Still their condition remains abysmal.

Source : Raj, Manish (2 December 2015). "Now GI tag for black clay pottery of Nizamabad". The Times of
India.

MOULDING THE BLACK POTS

Clay moulds and wares are washed with powdered vegetable matter and rubbed with mustard
oil. The Prajapati community is said to have been making these pottery from the beginning and
it is still practised in their community. From little store rooms and in-house Karkhanas to new full
functioning shops in the market area this art form has its own unique journey. Earlier fine
textured clay was locally available easily but due to the course of time and frequent draughts in
the region now the artists have to process the clay multiple times to finally reach to the wheel.
After giving the final shape on the wheel, the pot is left for a day to dry and gain a firm shape. To
attain its beauty, intricate carvings are made through sharpened wooden sticks. Now, these pots
are kept rice husks in enclosed kilns which add the black colour and a unique shinny surface to
the pots. The grooves made by the sticks are filled with a mixture of zinc, lead and mercury to
add the final shine and then the pot is finally polished several times.

RESOURCES
Clay/soil: River Tons, Ponds, fields
Slip: Bamboo leaves,
Mango bark: Locally Available Levigated
Ochre: Fariya Village
Varanasi Starch/Gum: Locally Available
Mustard oil: Locally Available Paddy
Husk: Locally Available
Dung cakes: Make their own Coal/ Firewood: Forest Sand
Ash: Ponds and Fields Lead
Zinc: Local market

TOOLS
The main tools used for making black pottery are:
Kumhar ka charkha or chakka–potter’s wheel
Chakhayat—wooden stick to rotate the wheel
Kamachi—hollow cylindrical tube
Maria—hammer
Seet patia—wooden slab on which the clay is beaten
SOURCE : https://www.caleidoscope.in/art-culture/black-pottery-of-nizamabad-1
 STEPS INVOLVED

1. Soil procurement
The mitti/clay is taken from nearby ponds. The dug-out mitti is brought to their homes and
beaten into a fine powder. Adding water as required. Getting the right clay is a big problem.
Usually, clay has small stones and the artisans have to put in a lot of effort in preparing it.

2. Clay preparation
The clay has to be first soaked in water and passed through a sieve to remove tiny stones
and coarse materials. The wet clay mix is then dried until it is hard enough to work with.

3. Wheel work
Estimated quantity of prepared clay is placed on the wheel and turned beautifully by the
potter achieving the desired shape with finesse. The Nizamabad black pottery is
characterised by simple and ancient curvilinear contours. The shapes bring out immediate
nuances and differences in each of its various forms whether decorative or utilitarian.

4. Turning/Shaping
The turning is carried out is next stage when the clay has set. Using the selection of locally
made metal tools and burnishing the surfaces with an agate pebble before the potter
removes it from the wheel.

5. Preparing clay slip

The dried pots are dipped in Kabiz. A liquid clay slip is prepared by grinding mango tree
barks, bamboo leaves and some other things all of which are carbonized during firing.

6. Slip Application
The slip is applied by dipping and pouring. The turned and polished products is then dried in
the shade

7. Polishing
After drying, mustard oil is applied and the surfaces polished with a soft cloth. In order to
maintain an unblemished shiny surface. The polishing of the terracotta wares before firing is
what gives end products a sheen finish.

8. Nakkashi
The designs are etched on the polished pots freehand using a pointed needle. Sometimes
using traditional geometric designs and sometimes floral.
 9. Smoke Firing
Firing is done in a closed clay kiln by placing dung-cakes between the wares and covering the
Sheap with straw and ash. The latest is fitted onto the chamber. Added mixture of ash, dung
and water is meered around the seam to seal it. This allows the smoky atmosphere to be
created inside the kiln which gives the pottery its black hue. During the firing, some dried
goat dung is thrown into the kiln to enhance the blackening. The kiln is opened the following
day and the highly polished black pots carefully are unpacked.

10 . Inlay work
The mixture of Lead, Zinc and Mercury is pressed into the engraved lines with a thumb to
create the sparkling silver motifs. The Lead and Zinc are brought from the market and
beaten into thin strips resembling silver foil. Equal portions are pounded into powder mixed
with a few drops of Mercury on palm with the hand. The silver-grey etchings contrasts with
the black background making the piece truly a work of art.
SOURCE : ttps://cultureandheritage.org/2022/05/nizamabad-black-clay-pottery-of-azamgarh-district-in-uttar-
pradesh.html

Figure 3. CLAY IS REFINED TO REMOVE SMALL STONES

Source: GOOGLE IMAGES
Figure 4. INTRICATE CARVINGS ARE MADE
Source: GOOGLE IMAGES

Figure 5. COW DUNG IS USED FOR SMOKE FIRING IN THE KILN ALONG WITH
ASH AND GOAT'S FAECES TO ADD BLACK COLOUR
Source: GOOGLE IMAGES

Figure 6. FINAL POTS REMOVED FROM THE KILN.

Source: GOOGLE IMAGES

MARKETS

Local markets
With little or no access to bigger markets, most of the individual artisans are supplying their products to
local traders in their area. Due to the fragile nature of the terracotta products, the artisans suffer losses
in breakage and during the storage. The local people use a lot of black pottery products for their
cooking, decoration and day-to-day use. Some of the products are used customarily during weddings in
the area (with the custom being that a newly married couple should decorate their rooftop with
elephants and horses made of black terracotta). Many of the teashops use the tea cups or kullhars
(though these are not of black terracotta) for selling tea locally. A lot of the local inhabitants use clay
pots for cooking, storing water and building their roofs.

Institutional markets
In an effort to provide livelihoods and promote the revival of the languishing craft, the Central and State
Governments have also initiated training workshops-cum-production centres in the area. They are
making efforts to revive the craft and upgrade the skill and technique levels of the artisans. Since they
cater to an urban population, they have even provided packaging workshops and generally add a margin
of 10-20 per cent to the original cost .

Exhibitions and fairs

Some of the prominent craftspeople participate in state government exhibitions (Udhyog Melas) where
they can sell their wares directly to the end-user. Some of them have even participated in workshops
and national exhibitions.
Source : Periman, jane, (2000), Traditional pottery of India

DESIGNS

The product colour is limited to black and silver only. The product range and designs are very
regular and hence there is enough scope for innovation. New designs for new products can be
tried with better finishing. There are products also available which are made in parts and can be
assembled. Products need some improvisations in terms of new forms.

PRICE

Considering that both the product quality and designs are average to good, the products are priced well.
They can cost as cheap as Rs.10 (without patterns) and can go up to Rs.30,000 INR. New product ranges
and designs can easily be introduced in the higher price brackets. With modifications in design and
finishing, the product can command a good price.

CURRENT CHALLENGES

A recent interview by INTACH of the Prajapati family highlighted certain issues that their potter
community is facing regardless the state government’s numerous initiatives to uplift this
vanishing art. With little or no access to bigger markets, most of the individual artisans are
supplying their products to local traders in their area. Due to the fragile nature of the terracotta
products, the artisans suffer losses in breakage and during the storage. The local people use a lot
of black pottery products for their cooking, decoration and day-to-day use. Some of the products
are used customarily during weddings in the area (with the custom being that a newly married
couple should decorate their rooftop with elephants and horses made of black terracotta). Many
of the teashops use the tea cups or kullhars (though these are not of black terracotta) for selling
tea locally. A lot of the local inhabitants use clay pots for cooking, storing water and building
their roofs. The major being the facilities for import and export of the pots as shipping is a tough
ordeal as far as fragile pots are considered. These pots are sold merely to a couple of villages in
the neighbourhood and the earnings aren’t that great. Three hundred rupees for a piece of art
that took days to make is really less and the artisans are now leaving this profession all together.

Figure 7. VARIOUS ART PIECES FROM NIZAMABAD

source: GOOGLE IMAGES

Lack of proper electricity and resources like furnaces and other equipments have also caused a
major setback in the art production. The demand of local art pieces has increased in the city as
people are bending back towards the ideals of authenticity. Machine work can never match the
brilliance of minute detailing done by men or women. However, the recent years have brought
some light on the famous Nizamabad pottery that resembles the Bidri pottery from Hyderabad.
Originally the Bidri pottery had carvings that was filled with silver and polished.

Poor Marketing One of the main obstacles faced by this craft cluster is the shrinking market. The
target segment at which the terracotta products are aimed has, over the last few years, shifted
to using plastic articles such as plastic cups instead of kullhars, plastic pots instead of matkas,
 and plastic toys instead of clay toys as plastic articles are considered to be cheaper and long
lasting.

Source : Singh Binay (11 April 2015).  "Azamgarh black clay pottery in race to get GI tag".  The Times of India.

CONCLUSION
The time of Aurangzeb showed the golden age of this art. The Queen of England while visiting
India visited the shops of this community and praised their art form. Black pottery is one among
many handicrafts of India that is under vulnerability of extinction. At the beginning of this year,
the artisan faced a shortage of clay. The paucity of clay is leading artisan to migrate in lieu of
better employment opportunities clouding the future of this exquisite art. This is my effort to
introduce the world to these crafts so that they could revive these vulnerable crafts of India. It is
a must-have souvenir from India. Knowing that the workmanship to produce this masterpiece is
unique, black pottery of Nizamabad is still in hope to load the markets globally. Not just the
black colour but also the stages involved in refining the mud are extraordinary. Sometimes,
goat’s milk is added and the mud is sieved for days to obtain the perfect clay without even the
slightest of impurities. The Prajapati community of Azamgarh is leaving no stones unturned to
help revive this dying art but it cannot flourish if the rest of the communities continue ignoring
it.

BLA
CK CLAY POTTERY WITH GOLD CARVING