Pottery is an ancient art for making various important things using clay. Pottery is powerful medium to represent your emotions through art. Each piece of pottery is visual message in its shape and color. Potters use wooden wheels, clay and colors to create water pots, flower pots and lamps.
India has a great and ancient tradition of pottery making. The origin of pottery in India can be traced back to the neolithic age. During first millennium BC, painted grey ware was found in parts of North India and the Gangetic plains. Over time India’s simple style of molding clay went into an evolution. Pottery was first introduced during the neolithic period. Pottery products are widely used in India. Pottery was initially used only for making utensil but now it is also used in decorative items. Various artists have their own styles and designs. Our pottery tour will take you to pottery workers where you can experience their art. You can interact with them. They will also give you some tips for pottery work. Later you can also make something for you.
Itinerary
Day 1 –ARRIVE DELHI
Arrive Delhi. You will be met by our representative at the arrivals lounge & escorted till your check in at hotel The Oberoi – New Delhi.
DELHI: The capital city of Independent India is often the starting point of a visit to India . Like Rome it is an eternal city and is a name with music in it for most of the people. For Indians it is the capital of their country, the centre of power and cultural; for the simple villager it is identified as the home of Panditji, as Mr. Nehru was affectionately known. For foreigners who have read of it in their newspaper and seen on their Television, it is a strange, and sometimes puzzling blend of ancient and modern, of pageantry and socialistic planning.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 2 –IN DELHI
Morning combined tour of Delhi visiting the Qutub Minar and Humayun’s Tomb and drive past India gate , Red Fort & President’s house.
The city’s earliest surviving Islamic monuments, the Qutab mosque and minar created by the founder of the sometimes, called the Slave Dynasty, Qutb-ud-din- Aybak. 73 meters high and consisting of 5 storeys, the Qutab Minar construction started in 1199 on what was intended to be the most glorious tower of victory in the world.
The Humayun’s Tomb was built in the 16th century by the second Mughal emperor. This is an early example of Mughal architecture.
Afternoon Pottery village tour.
This tour takes you to a pottery village in the outskirts of Delhi, where hundreds of potter families from Rajasthan have settled permanently. This tour is developed in association with South Asia Foundation, a non-profit working for the upliftment of the poor with special emphasis on crafts sector.
You can appreciate the sharp contrast between the urban and rural parts of Delhi. Observe the daily activities and rituals of the locals. Our guide will also help you to strike a conversation with the potter community. Try your hand at the potter’s wheel. Kids playing some traditional Indian games in narrow streets make for a good camera-shot. Satiate your taste buds with some traditional Indian snacks. So that you don’t forget to take back some memories, This tour will give you a unique insight into villagers’ lives.
Overnight at Hotel.
Day 3 Delhi – Agra ( Approx 210 Km / 3-4 Hrs drive )
After leisurely breakfast drive to Agra.
AGRA: Once the magnificent Mughal Capital, Agra is
renowned for the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world. This exquisite mausoleum stands eloquent witness to Emperor Shah Jahan’s immortal love to his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Agra also has other historic monument of great beauty, the mausoleum of Itmad-ud-Daulah’s; the massive Agra Fort and nearby Fatehpur Sikri, the abandoned city of red stone.
Afternoon visit Taj Mahal & Agra fort
Taj Mahal: The magnificent Taj Mahal, built by Emperor Shahjahan in white marble brought from Jaipur, in the early 1600’s for his beloved Queen Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj, once described as “poetry in stone”, is justly recognised as one of the true wonders of the world, where 20,000 people from sunrise to sunset which took 22 years to complete its construction. Even after years, now this exquisite mausoleum stands eloquent witness to Emperor Shah Jahan’s immortal love to his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
AGRA FORT : Built by Akbar the Great, is a blend of architectural styles used during the reign of three emperors, which includes the Pearl Mosque, the Palace, and the Halls of Private and Public Audience. You can find the place where Shahjahan was imprisoned by his last son Aurangazeb for 7 ½ years and died.
Overnight at Hotel.
Day 4 –In Agra
Morning visit the Tourist Village Kachhpura which offers a Mughal Heritage Walk with an experience of the Mughal era with its “NATURAL AND RUSTIC SETTING” View of rare “RICH ARCHITECTURAL HERIATGE” and feel of the “LIVING TRADITIONS”. The youth from the community, trained as tour facilitator, provide both historical facts and anecdotes. Experience the Kachhpura tourist village and explore some lesser known monuments in the shadow of the Taj and Red fort.
During the walk, you can stop and talk to the local cottage industry for leather shoe making in Agra which makes Agra an exporter in the Shoe industry all across the globe. Women groups are involved in making cloth bags, hand fans from waste, local musical instrument and toys which can be shopped from the stall near the central courtyard. Pottery making can be seen along with trying your hands on it to make small earthen ware.
Overnight at Hotel.
Day 5- Agra- Fatehpur Sikri – Jaipur (Approx. 260 Kms/ 4- 5 Hrs.)
After breakfast depart Agra for Jaipur enroute visit Fatehpur Sikri.
FATEHPUR SIKRI : designed by King Akbar as his capital, the city was lived-in for only a very few years – between 1570 and 1586. It is a beautiful architectural city built of red sand stone, which is now deserted. Today, this complex of palaces is a beautifully preserved ghost city.
After visit ,drive to Jaipur . Stop at Bharatpur for lunch.
JAIPUR: Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan , popularly known as the pink city, built by Raja Jai Singh in the 18th century. It is surrounded by hills topped with rugged fortresses, dotted with fairy-tale palaces. Ambling camels and brightly-dressed peasants, reflect Jaipur’s desert heritage.
Upon arrival check in at Hotel
Overnight at Hotel
Day6- IN Jaipur
Morning proceeds for an excursion to Amber Fort.
Amber Fort, the former seat of the Rajput rulers of Jaipur. Ascending the fortress seated on elephants, wander around the beautiful palaces and visit the Shiladevi temple (which continues to be the private temple of the Royal family) with its exquisite marble carvings and silver door.
Later proceed for tour of Jaipur city.
The City Palace : This former royal residence is built in a blend of Rajasthani and Mughal styles. Contains an excellent collection of miniature paintings, costumes and armoury.
Hawa Mahal: The intriguing ‘Palace of Winds’ is really a facade built in 1799 to allow royal ladies to view the city from the windows.
The astronomical Observatory: Also know as “Jantar Mantar” is a magnificent stone observatory built by Raja Jai Singh in 1728. The Museum: On display here are some magnificent medieval carpets, most of them from Afghanistan and Pakistan , some of the collection of Jaipur and Mughal school miniatures and rare Sanskrit and Quranic manuscripts. Royal palanquins, gilt studded ivory howdahs, and one of India ’s largest chandeliers complete the collection.
Overnight at Hotel.
Day 7- IN JAIPUR
Morning visit the Blue Pottery making village.
Glorious Blue Pottery originated in Persia and came to Rajasthan via Kashmir. Blue pottery is an art of adorning clay pottery items. And the name comes from Persian blue dye, which is used to color the clay. The pottery is made using various varieties of clay, and other materials.
Blue pottery products are beautifully festooned using an Egyptian paste, which glazes when baked on low-heat. The blue pottery items are very glossy, colorful and superficially smooth. The procedure of making these items is very complex, and is not easily pursued.
The clay is shaped accordingly, and then it is baked to make fragile pottery objects. Clay is a natural material that contains fine-grained minerals, offering plasticity. Other than clay, dough is used, which contains ground quartz, fuller’s earth, borax and gum.
The already molded products are painted with Egyptian paste and baked once more. The manufacturing is quite indispensable as a little change in the entire process can ruin the entire product.
The color schemes used are blue (oxide of cobalt) and green (oxide of copper). The non-conventional colors such as brown (oxide of iron) and yellow (oxide of cadmium) are also incorporated. Initially, very beautiful blue pottery tiles were used to embellish the holy places such as mosques and tombs. Their uses in palaces were remarkable, where Mughals used blue glaze technique in embossing grand palaces. The art came to Jaipur in 17th century, and was frequently used in many buildings of the city.
Evening rikshaw ride in Old markets of Jaipur
Overnight at Hotel.
Day 8- JAIPUR-DELHI
Morning free.
Afternoon transfer to Delhi international airport to connect flight for onward destination.
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