Introduction
Located in the Taldangra subdivision of Bankura, the Panchmura Hamlet is the seat of a group of artisans practicing the terracotta craft. Terracotta is known as the fired clay for its reddish brown texture. Usually reddish brown , it can also come in shades of brown and black according to the degree of burn / bake of clay. The natural red soil of the region adds to the reddish brown texture in an easy way.
Terracotta originates literally from the Italian translation: ‘baked’ or ‘cooked earth’. In other words, this word was borrowed from Italian vocabulary: terra (“earth”) + cotta (“baked”). Terracotta clays are often rich in iron and are made from a type of porous clay. Terracotta articles are cheap, durable and versatile. This ceramic art form continues to be vastly used todayPop. They are called Terracotta, the dry clay which is baked in a kiln or atop combustible material in a pit, at a typical firing temperature of around 1,000 °C (1,830 °F), though in historic and archaeological cases, it may be as low as 600 °C (1,112 °F).
Origin
The Malla kings of the Bishnupur region were the primary patrons of terracotta craft. Around the 7th century AD, they started off the practice of this art form primarily in the temple walls of Bishnupur. The walls, to this day, are fine testaments of such stellar art works. Gradually , it proceeded further towards the making of figurines, animals, pottery, jewellery and such others. Now, the entire market is absolutely commercial and production units are stuck to the village of Panchmura primarily.
Primary Content / Context
The village of Panchmura has become the prime seat of production for Terracotta products. There are roughly around thirty families residing in that tiny Hamlet who take care of the craft. The craft is usually carried down the generations. The traditional form of making crafts from traditional equipment is still followed which makes the artefacts more authentic and neat. However, machines are being used these days for making the bharer chaa cups which are produced in huge piles at a time for ease of effort.
Motifs / Process Specifics
The clay is first filtered to clear off unnecessary impurities. It is then mixed or churned well to a particular consistency. Air bubble removal is an essential part of the process. Molding and potter’s wheel use comes as the next important step. Then, clay is left to dry. Upon drying, the kiln comes into play where the firing process comes into action. The firing gives the typical terracotta reddish brown texture or black texture as is desired. Now any burnt texture is usually not much glazy or glossy. Varying from where and who sells, the degree of polishing shifts.
Terracotta is often used to make sculptures, tile, planters, garden, toys and architectural ware. When it is glazed, it is often Nomenclature as ‘Red earthenware’ rather than the normal Terracotta. The objects made of Terracotta require simpler and cheaper techniques and hence are quite easy to replicate and decorate, as compared to stone or bronze objects – even moulds can be reused. Moreover, though terracotta is usually used unglazed, however, a range of different colours and textures can be obtained with a series of glazes.
Geographical zones entailed
Bankura and Bishnupur are the seats of terracotta craft work in Bengal. In fact, it mainly owes to the naturally formed red soil in the region giving the terracotta texture. The historic capital of the Malla kings , Bishnupur , is a stellar place from historical perspective because of this terracotta art , be it the temples or handicrafts. Recently , like Santiniketan, they have started organising weekend haats where only terracotta items are being sold out in the market specially. This is done to mainly support the local people and also keep alive the legacy of the art form, both.
Challenges faced
One of the primary challenges of terracotta art is its traditional methods of creating the craft. The traditional method is an extremely laborious and lengthy process. The practice is age old and is done across generations. However, the younger people do not have the patience to go through all of the complicated processes. They want easier way outs so that a large quantity can be produced with minimum effort. This is very logical yet this often might lead the craft to lose its own charm. This is also the same reason why there is no such formal education or training institute having certificates or degrees that validates the craft. These are being worked upon. There is immense hope that something fruitful would come up eventually that could encourage art students to take up and do depth of research on the art form to keep intact the legacy.
Cultural importance / relevance
The Malla kings have immense historical importance in terms of history of Bengal not only from a religious perspective that they spread Vaishnavism but because of their patronage in multiple forms of cultural art forms that makes Bengal immensely culturally rich to this day. The horse is typical and symbolic of this terracotta craft and has earned a GI tag sometimes around 2018. The horse is in fact the flag bearer and finds a place as terracotta art everywhere. These terracotta figurines have huge demand in the international market. Horses of various sizes from Bishnupur, which obviously means produced in Panchmura, travels far and wide as an iconic symbol from Bengal, to this day. It’s no less a pride for us.
Contemporary Status
One of the many things that needs to be addressed is the villagers or craftsmen of Panchmura and their pay. They are often underpaid as a result of middlemen. What happens is the tourists pay the high price but the ones who make the work receive very less after multiple hands. Tourists visiting Panchmura directly help in this ground. However, international people have to highly rely on websites to buy them online as the only option. This part needs to be worked on more with enough process proofs so that they can see that artisans are not being tricked. The women are heavily involved in the making of terracotta handicrafts in the Panchmura village. Actually , the women look after the selling part while their partners look after the making part. Making sure that authentic price points are set would help them actually, not all of them are educated formally as is well understood. Being good at a handed down craft and getting scope to study are different. Times have changed yet there’s a long way to go still.
Conclusion
The artisans of Panchmura are often called Kumbhakars. Besides the horse, the elephant also finds a good place among other deities of Hindu Gods and Goddesses or maybe just simple jewellery or such other artefacts. A lot of effort is being made to give this rich art form a formal outlook so that international people can be interested to work on this natural art form. The legacy needs to go on to keep the beacon of Bengal flowing high. Terracotta works might be found elsewhere in India if surveyed deeply but this Bishnupur terracotta horse can’t be found anywhere else , otherwise the GI tag wouldn’t have been gifted. The real work lies is carrying that legacy.
*** ALL PHOTOS SELF CLICKED**
References
https://villageinfo.in/west-bengal/bankura/taldangra/panchmura.html
https://www.wbkvib.org.in/index.php/village-industries-m/rural-craft-hub-m/542-terracotta-at-panchmura
Panchmura terracotta craft become the symbol of Indian folk-art