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Terracotta Votives of Molela
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The Maru potters of Molela near Udaipur in Rajasthan are famous for their terracotta plaques depicting votive images. Produced mainly for their tribal customers, these are given for the shrines of their tribal gods. it is the hand modelled, hollow relief votive plaques that they are famous for.
These Kumbhars use a mix of domestic clay dug locally, mixed with donkey manure, roughly in a one is to four ratio. This makes the clay flexible. A slab is made with the distinctive dome-shaped top; the edges are raised to form the rim of the slab. The figures are formed with the fingers and must be hollow, so they do not burst in the kiln. These figures are completed by adding accessories like jewelry on them, made of tiny balls of clay. Thus these images are built up and refined through a combination of basic clay work techniques-squeezing, pinching and coiling on a flat clay slab. The plaques are dried for nine
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days. The firing is done in a temporary kiln. Once complete, the murti is sun-dried before it is considered ready for firing. After being fired, the murti may be painted with stone and mineral colours and is finally finished with a coat of locally made lacquer. 'The red clay of village Molela in Rajasthan is special --- for murtis made of clay from other villages and by other families break easily', says Khemraj Kumhar.
Every year, during the month of Maag, i.e., January to February, various tribal communities arrive at Molela accompanied by their bhopa, priests, in order to buy new votive images of their deities. These deities could be Chamunda, Kali, Durga, Ganesha or more commonly, regional divinities whose cults are rooted in animistic belief systems(for example Nagadeva) or in folk legends celebrating local heroes and heroines (for example, Dev Narayan, Tejaji, Pabuji, Gora Bhairav, Kala Bhairav, Vasuki, Bhoona and Mendu, Sadumata, Panch-Mukhi).
In contemporary times, these votives make an attractive proposition for decorating houses, hotels and commercial complexes. Large murals, or an assortment of these votives, can be commissioned for commercial purposes.
Images sourced from Google Search Engine with the term "Terracotta of Molela" |
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