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76
Design Resource
Terracotta Craft of Arcot
An Exclusive Style of Pottery
by
Making Process
The finest clay comes from the riverbed and alluvial plains. The clay is cleaned/ filtered by removing pebbles and impurities from it. It is mixed with sand and finely mashed into a soft mixture of clay dough used for pottery. To enhance the elasticity of the clay and remove the air, it is kneaded/ pressed continuously for a long time. The prepared dough is covered and stored to retain moisture. The clay is now ready for pottery making. The artisan then places the clay dough in the center of the potter’s wheel and starts creating the pot. Every potter in Arcot first prepares a small Diya (small lamp) and keeps it aside as an offering to God. As the wheel rotates the artisan squeeze and pulls the clay gently upward and outwards into a hollow shape. Then he shapes the clay into the required form of the article/item. After acquiring the desired form the potter separates the pot from the wheel using a thread and keeps it dry. Objects such as pots, bowls, and vessels are beaten with a flat wooden bat and a mushroom-shaped stone that is held inside the object. This process is repeated until the required thinness is achieved. The prepared articles are kept to dry in the sun for 2 to 3 days.
When all the clay articles are dried they are taken to the furnace for baking. The baking process is done to strengthen the clay. In Arcot, the baking process is done in an open and wide space. Coconut husk is first spread on the ground, on which the articles are placed. These articles are then covered with hay. A mixture of mud and water is applied to the hay and covered to avoid the heat coming out. Few baked pots are arranged around to absorb the excess heat and avoid the articles to break. Small articles are baked for one and half an hour and for big articles for at least two hours. Male members in the family mostly do this terracotta/pottery work.
