Khurja, a small town located in
Bulandshahr District of
Uttar Pradesh, is renowned for its blue pottery. It is a combination of Chinese glazing technology and Persian art. The art originated in Central Asia, from where it was later adopted in India.
It was originally used for making tiles meant for mosques, tombs and palaces. Its product range has diversified to vessels, tea sets, cups and saucers, plates, glasses, ashtrays and napkin rings. This pottery contains sky-blue floral designs made on white background. These patterns are created in a slightly raised form.
The base material of this pottery is prepared from red clay. Shape is given by molding. Turquoise blue shade is applied on the pottery by dipping it in copper oxide or by directly painting on it. Glazing is done by covering the pottery with finely ground glass and baking it in a furnace at a temperature of 1,200 degree Celsius. Lead is not used for imparting color. This makes the pottery suitable for cooking.
