Why Pottery Products Are Popular Among Locals In Tamil Nadu's Pudukkottai

From household items to other decorative items, earthenware products have gained a lot of popularity over the years. In ancient times, people used only earthenware in their daily lives, including all household items like cooking utensils, water jugs and pots.

However, the use of this earthenware’s decreased over time and people mostly use plastic and fibre products as they are more handy. But according to experts, earthenware is better for health and the environment. So now, people are becoming more and more interested in buying and using earthenware due to the increased awareness of health and wellness.

So, pottery shops in Pudukkottai now sell household cooking items in various shapes and colours to attract people in a modern way. For children, they make toys like sparrows and whistles. Along with this, they also make home decor items like flowerpots, Buddha statues, water bottles and puja items like magic lanterns and bells.

In Pudukkottai, some products are produced by the locals themselves and some are imported from other districts and sold. Traders say that these earthen products are very popular among the people. However, the Pudukkottai district is not only famous for poetry. It holds a rich cultural heritage with fortresses, palaces, temples, cave paintings and many other historical monuments. Many of the villages here have ancient foundations and are also frequently referenced in Tamil Sangam literature. On January 14, 1974, Pudukkottai was established as a separate district, incorporating portions of Thanjavur district as well as the Pudukkottai Division of Tiruchirappalli district.

Coming back to pottery in Pudukkottai, in 2018, 2,500-year-old pottery and artefacts were found in the district. As many as 20 pieces of pottery, black and red ware, clay pots, pieces of iron objects and human skeletal remains, were found in the area.

They were found by Raja Mohamad, a former curator of Pudukkottai Museum, and his team during a field survey. In a media interaction, Mohamad said, “Iron Age- megalithic burials were found spread over about 100 acres near Nedungulappatti village, 3 kilometres east of Kodumbalur. It is the unique black and red coloured texture on the broken clay pots that indicates its age.”