Molela Terracotta of Rajasthan: Quilting Clay

Written by Haidamteu Zeme N

Do you remember that one summer holiday where you stumbled upon wet sand after the rains and then proceeded to make little imaginative shapes?

If you do recall such an event, your days were much similar to mine! The feeling of creating something new from soil with your bare hands is a therapeutic one. Even in recent years, especially heightened with the pandemic, art from clay has continued to serve as a safe space for individuals eager to reconnect and realign themselves.?

But, what if I brought to your attention the presence of communities who for over 5000 years have centred their lives, their narratives, their histories around clay? Let us delve then, into the Molela village situated on the banks of river Banas in the Rajsamand district of Rajasthan, India.?

Home to a distinct kind of clay craft where beaten clay is moulded onto titles depicting local deities especially Devanarayan (a folk deity memorialised through martial epics), Kaldeva, Gordeva, and Nagaraj (the serpent god), this clay tradition is popularly known as "the Molela Terracotta Art." Carried across the ages through the peasant-potters caste (kumhars), Molela terracotta involves both devotion and skill in its creative expression.??

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