Glazed Pottery of Khurja, Uttar Pradesh

Khurja pottery is a form of traditional Indian pottery made in Khurja, Uttar Pradesh. There are at least two stories about the origins of Khurja pottery in India. According to one, Afghan King Taimur Lung accompanied Egyptian and Syrian potters over 500 years ago, during his campaign in the Khurja region. According to the other, potters were relocated to the area during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar. Khurja is one of India’s oldest centres for glazed pottery. The potters are also referred to as Multani Kumhars, implying that the origins are from Multan, Pakistan. 

In the 1940s, modern pottery manufacturing flourished, and the Uttar Pradesh government established a pottery factory in 1942. The factory was renamed Pottery Development Centre in 1952. From 1942 to the present, various factors took some adoption, transformation, and initiative for the betterment of pottery manufacture, which resulted in an important role for Khurja pottery at national level as well as export to foreign countries.