Ceramics-the skilled art of shaping and baking clay articles has risen from its utilitarian origins and became a thing of beauty and artistic expression.

The evolution of Indian ceramics began with the Harappan age and this art has endured through the ages. Articles excavated from Indus valley civilization show the importance of potters in the society. Except for a few examples of Indian ceramics, which have been produced from a single mould, most of it is completely hand-made or wheel-thrown, a tradition carried over to the 20th century.

Ceramic ware is made of hard brittle material produced from nonmetallic minerals by firing at high temperature. Its popularity is evident from the numerous categories and types, one finds all over India.

Today, Khurja, an old town about 80 kms from Delhi, has become a center of ceramic industry. The history of Khurja pottery goes back to about 600 years ago when some of the potter families moved from Delhi to Khurja during the region of Mohammed Bin Tuglak. Starting with red pottery, they moved to introduce blue glaze on red clay articles.

A special mix of powdered quartz is used to make the stoneware base for blue pottery, which is then glazed, blue, with the same ingredients that were used for the blue tiles of pre-Mughal and Mughal domes. This art has attained a distinct flavor and is well known as Delhi blue pottery.

The Jaipur blue pottery is equally famous and unique. Since it is impervious, it is more hygienic for daily use. Some of this pottery is semi-transparent and mostly decorated with animals and birds motifs. These pottery items, unlike that of Delhi, are made out of Egyptian paste and fired at very low temperature. The range of items is primarily decorative such as ashtrays, vases, coasters, small bowls and boxes for trinkets.

The ceramic pots and jars from Delhi and Rajastan are available in a rich variety of shapes, colors, texture and beautiful forms. They boast of sheen of glaze as well as rough-hewn ruggedness. Ceramic dinner sets, mugs and utility items have flamboyant designs and traditional folk motifs. In addition, Pondicherry is renowned for the Golden Bridge pottery, which is molded out of china clay. Hand crafted ceramic paintings and figurines of deities are very much in vogue, in India.