As Diwali approaches, 100 to 150 families in Sarkhej-Bakrol of Ahmedabad have made clay pots. It is estimated to make 30 crore lamps. Although this business has declined due to plastic and Chinese lights, there is huge employment in making earthen lamps in Gujarat.<\/p>\n
Earthen lamps involve the labor of the entire family, bringing the clay, kneading it, shaping the clay and firing it in the kiln.<\/p>\n
It is estimated that about 15 to 20 thousand traditional Prajapati-Kumhar families in Gujarat are directly or indirectly associated with the business of making traditional earthen lamps.<\/p>\n
Government statistics are not available, there is seasonal and unorganized cottage industry. The picture of this beautiful craft can be traced depending on the areas of Kumbharwada and villages in big cities.<\/p>\n
In Vadodara’s 150-year-old Fatepura Kumbharwada, around 30 to 50 families make 1200 to 1500 fancy and magical lamps every day.<\/p>\n
In the old potter lanes of Rajkot and Surat, more than 100 families toil throughout the year to produce lakhs of attractive kodias.<\/p>\n
In every third or fourth village or the nearest taluka headquarters, 2 to 5 families work on making simple and large earthen lamps on the traditional wheel. Apart from traditional families, social organizations have also joined in to create Kodi. Hundreds of blind and visually impaired brothers and sisters also find employment in organizations like Andhajan Manav Mandal in Ahmedabad in coloring and decorating earthen lamps.<\/p>\n
Areas like Sarkhej-Bakarol and Chandlodiya of Ahmedabad are the major centres. In Sarkhej-Bakarol area alone, about 150 families together make about 30 crore lamps day and night.<\/p>\n
About 30 crore kodias of 10 to 15 different sizes have been made in Ahmedabad. A family would make at least 20 lakh kodias and most families would make 30-35 lakh kodias. Which has been sold at wholesale price to traders in 10 states including Gujarat, Maharashtra, UP, Rajasthan, Bihar and Kolkata.<\/p>\n
Have been doing clay work for years and have been making at least 25-30 lakh clay pots every season for the last 10-12 years.
\nSmall size, medium size, large size flags are made. Colorful flags are made. A new variety of Kodia having footprints of Lakshmiji and peacock has also been created.
\nVarious things like lamps, kitchen utensils, mats, bird watering pots or utensils are made from clay. A single manufacturer has produced 18 to 20 lakh Kodias.<\/p>\n
business in gujarat
\nThe trade of traditional pottery and terracotta crafts in Gujarat is estimated to be around Rs 150 to 200 crore annually based on the increasing demand for organic lifestyle and eco-friendly products in the state.<\/p>\n
There is a lot of sale of earthen pots in summer, while during Diwali and Navratri, the sale of kodias, lamps and garbas runs into crores.<\/p>\n
Recently, the demand for earthen tawadi, kaladi, handi, kadhai and bottles in kitchens has increased significantly in cities.
\nKhawada craft of Kutch
\nThe artistic pottery produced by the potters of Khavda region of Kutch is known for its beautiful designs, which are in great demand in the local and foreign markets.<\/p>\n
The 50-year-old Mati Bazaar near Adalaj Chowk in Ahmedabad and shops on Gandhinagar-Pethapur Road do a turnover of lakhs of rupees a year.<\/p>\n
Traditional clay and terracotta items from rural areas like Ambala and Limkheda of Chhotaudepur are sent to other cities of Gujarat at wholesale prices.<\/p>\n
The pottery business is no longer limited to Chakda only, but has become an international brand.<\/p>\n
Mansukhbhai Prajapati of Gujarat has achieved business worth crores of rupees by making electricity-free fridge, pressure cooker and non-stick pan from clay.
\nProducts of rural artisans of Gujarat to America, Britain through online platform. And are exporting to countries like Dubai.<\/p>\n
Nausea
\nThe sale of water bottles in Gujarat during the summer season is estimated to be around Rs 45 to 60 crore. About 25 to 30 lakh units are sold between March and June.<\/p>\n
In big cities like Ahmedabad or Surat, around 1.5 to 2 lakh Matlas are sold in different areas during summer.<\/p>\n
Plain country mats, which are white, are sold in the village for Rs 100 to Rs 200.
\nTaped and decorated mats are sold for Rs 250 to Rs 450.
\nRed or art clay and ceramic touch mats sell for Rs 500 to Rs 800.<\/p>\n
To avoid acidity and throat problems caused by cold water from the fridge, now even the upper middle class has turned to ‘desi fridge’ i.e. earthen utensils.<\/p>\n
In Gujarat, clay water bottles are sold for Rs 100 to Rs 160.<\/p>\n
earthen pots
\nPottery is no longer a cottage industry in India. It is a dynamic manufacturing cluster ranging from handmade artisan ceramics, industrial ceramics, sanitary-ware, technical laboratory ceramics and ceramic exports.<\/p>\n
Domestic demand is growing rapidly with the premium gift market, purchases from the hospitality sector, consumption of tableware for home decor on e-commerce and demand for tableware in the restaurant industry.<\/p>\n
The demand for genuine, handmade Indian pottery has created export opportunities to the United States, Japan, Germany and Britain.<\/p>\n
Pottery and ceramic crafts are one of the major employment-intensive clusters in the handloom and handicraft industry.<\/p>\n
The use of eco-friendly, non-plastic and biodegradable products is increasing.<\/p>\n
in citiesRestaurants and hotels are increasingly moving away from the use of plastic tableware, and this transition is happening rapidly.<\/p>\n
The profitability of such start-ups has grown.
\nEntrepreneurs employ traditional techniques\u2014such as wheel-throwing and slip-casting\u2014to create handmade bowls, mugs, vases, planters, and custom tableware. The initial investment for a pottery business can range from \u20b93 lakh to \u20b98 lakh; this covers the cost of a potter\u2019s wheel, a kiln, clay, and glazing materials, as well as the setup of a basic workspace.<\/p>\n
The pottery sector is one of the fastest-growing segments within the home decor industry, encompassing products ranging from garden pottery to items intended as gifts during the festive season.<\/p>\n
The product range includes wall hangings, lampshades, garden pots, cultural artifacts, and sets of figurines.<\/p>\n
Blue pottery, black pottery, and hand-painted ceramic products are exported in large quantities annually to countries such as Japan, the United States, Germany, and those in Scandinavia.
\nUnique traditions, such as the creation of hand-painted ceramic art, yield exceptional products that are in high demand in the international market.
\nMorbi is India\u2019s largest ceramic hub, accounting for approximately 70% of the country\u2019s total tile exports.<\/p>\n
Population of the Prajapati Community
\nThe population of the potter community\u2014known as the Prajapati caste\u2014in Gujarat is estimated to be between 2 million and 2.5 million (20 to 25 lakh). Precise figures from an official census have not been released.
\nThey constitute approximately 16% of the total OBC (Other Backward Class) population in Gujarat.
\nThe primary sub-castes within the Prajapati community include the Gurjar Prajapati, Varia, Sorathia, Lad, Mistri, and Vatalia. Their population is found in Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Sabarkantha, Surat, Bhavnagar, and various districts of the Saurashtra region.<\/p>\n
Historically, they have been associated with pottery and craftsmanship (as artisans).<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As Diwali approaches, 100 to 150 families in Sarkhej-Bakrol of Ahmedabad have made clay pots. It is estimated to make 30 crore lamps. Although this business has declined due to plastic and Chinese lights, there is huge employment in making earthen lamps in Gujarat. Earthen lamps involve the labor of the entire family, bringing the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54347,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4771,54,4766],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-commerce","category-gujarat","category-lifestyle"],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paUKPQ-e8y","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/allgujaratnews.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/%E0%AA%95%E0%AB%8B%E0%AA%A1%E0%AB%80%E0%AA%AF%E0%AA%BE.jpg?fit=1672%2C941&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/allgujaratnews.in\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/allgujaratnews.in\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/allgujaratnews.in\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allgujaratnews.in\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allgujaratnews.in\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54346"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/allgujaratnews.in\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54346\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54349,"href":"https:\/\/allgujaratnews.in\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54346\/revisions\/54349"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allgujaratnews.in\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/allgujaratnews.in\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allgujaratnews.in\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allgujaratnews.in\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}