Art and Culture with Devdutt Pattanaik | How pottery offers glimpses of cultures

Before pots, humans invented baskets. Early pots were made by lining the baskets with clay and then burning the basket fibre as one baked the clay. Later, the potter’s wheel was invented and there was a dramatic improvement in the quality of pots.

Harappan pottery

Mehrgarh in 7000 BC had pots made by lining baskets. But in Harappa by 3000 BC, we find pots made on pottery wheels. In the pre-urban phase, potteries in northwest India were decorated with many colours. However, these colours were later abandoned, and we find black and red pottery in the urban Harappan phase.

In fact, red pots with black motifs are the hallmark of Harappan pottery. The illustrations on the pottery are unique: Pipal leaves, Fish Scales, Intersecting Circles, and the Peacock. Other types of pots included the small ‘kulhad’ (earthen cup), as well as the 1 metre tall ‘black slipped’ jar used to transport goods to faraway Oman across the sea.

Unique Harappan pottery included perforated pots, S-shaped pots with lids, and dish-on-stand, which were perhaps part of special cooking and ritual practices.

Small miniature pots were found in Harappa that probably contained cosmetics. Hoards of beads and ornaments were also found stashed in Harappan pots.

Moreover, in Harappan cemeteries, we find pots buried along with the dead. Some large pots in the post-Harappan period contained dead bodies, or bones of those cremated.

Diversity in pots

Even in the Harappan period, one finds diversity. The pots in the Gujarat region (Sorath Harappan zone)  were cup-shaped, as they were used to cook millet porridge. There were also pots with handles. The pots in the Indus region (Classical Harappan Zone) were more like the ‘handi’ or Indian cooking pots. 

Ochre-coloured and then Black-on-Red pottery continued after the Harappan period and started appearing in the southern part of India. Some argue that it indicates the migration of people from Harappa down South, though this is a controversial idea. This pottery is found in most parts of India even today. 

By contrast, in the Ganga river basin, one finds the black and red pottery disappearing for a few centuries. During the Vedic Period (1000-600 BC), we see a shift in pottery in the Ganga-Yamuna doab. We have wheel-made Painted Grey Ware made of fine clay.

After this, in the Mahajanapada Period (700-400 BCE), we have Northern Polished Black Ware made by a fast-turning wheel with fine alluvial clay. Pots were now considered a luxury item. The thin walls of these pots reflected refinement, with a layer of ferrous oxide that would become shiny black after firing.

Also, glazed porcelain pots came from China in ships through sea and from the Central Asian land routes from around 200 BCE. This indicates exposure to a new culture.

Pots and rituals

Hindus use pots in ritual ceremonies to represent gods as the purna-kumbha (a pot filled with water, grain, and sprouts, topped with mango leaves and coconut). These images have been found in ancient Hindu, Buddhist and Jain sites. Gods like Brahma and sages are often shown holding pots in their hands. These pots have spouts and are called kamandalu.

The larger pot, ghata, used for collecting water, is held by the goddess Lakshmi. It is used to represent the goddess during Navaratri. The pot is also part of wedding ceremonies, and carried by women in South India as part of temple celebrations. Pots symbolise fertility and motherhood and so are integral to many fertility rituals.

Pots are also part of funeral ceremonies, and used to carry fire and water. The water pot is broken before the pyre is lit as part of Vedic death rites. 

The Indian pot is very unique. Known as lota or kalash, it has a rim and a neck. The lota has been found as far back as the Harappan Civilisation. The rim ensures that water does not spill, and makes it easier to pour fluids. The centre of gravity is more towards the ground, as the pot is spherical. 

The Persian ‘surai’ is more vertically aligned compared to the Indian ‘kalash’ and does not have a rim. The Roman amphora typically has side handles. 

Thus, the study of pottery – the way it is manufactured and used, and the artworks painted on it – tells us a lot about Indian culture.

Post Read Question

What is the cultural and historical significance of pottery in India?

How does pottery reflect on the progress of human civilisation?  

Discuss key features of unique Harappan pottery. 

How is pottery associated with rituals and ceremonies in India?

(Devdutt Pattanaik is a renowned mythologist who writes on art, culture and heritage.)