Pot Making – Where Earth Meets Art
June 8, 2025
In a world rushing toward the artificial, there’s something grounding about clay. Something ancient. Something pure. Pot making, or “kuyavar kalai”, is one of the oldest crafts in Tamil culture—a dance between earth, water, fire, and human touch.
At Stories by Siragugal, we travelled to quiet potter villages where the wheels still spin, not with machines, but with the hands of memory. Places like Villianur, Manamadurai, and Karukurichi welcomed us with the earthy scent of wet clay and the rhythmic spin of life itself.
The Language of Clay
Pot making begins with mud—not just any mud, but clay sifted, soaked, and kneaded with care. The potter’s wheel turns like time itself—slow, steady, purposeful. With each spin, the potter shapes not just pots, but tradition. From water jars and oil lamps to temple kalasams and Pongal pots, these vessels carry more than water. They carry identity.
A Family in Every Form
For generations, pottery has been a family art. The elders prepare the clay. The skilled hands shape it. The younger ones stack them for drying, arrange for firing. It’s a home where every member plays a role, and every pot tells a shared story. Some shapes are learned. Some are felt. All are alive.
But modern life has not been kind to this craft. Factory moulds and plastic containers now dominate the shelves. And yet, in corners of Tamil Nadu, the wheel still spins—for festivals, temples, and those who remember where we came from.
Through Our Lens
We captured the humble dignity of this craft—the tired hands, the silent pride, the fire that still glows in rural kilns. In this short film, you’ll see the creation of a pot from dust to divine, and meet the artisans who keep this art alive with little more than love and legacy.
This is more than just pottery. It is the shaping of culture. The preservation of patience. The poetry of hands.