Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Kumar pottery of Salmora Village of Majuli, Assam is on display on the social media pages of the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), Bhopal, under its Online Exhibition Series-52.
The pottery of Majuli Island in Assam mirrors the glorious culture and tradition of ancient practices. Although the potters started using wheel-thrown and mechanised pottery, the traditional belief system is still deeply embedded in the potters. This exhibition of the museum was curated in 2016 by inviting potters from the Salmora village of Majuli island, Assam.
Museum associate N Sakmacha Singh said that preparing a ceremonial pot is given good care and follows appropriate social customs and practices. For a wedding ceremony, special pots, called Avantekeli (a pot for sacred water) and Dahatekeli (a pot for the curd), are prepared by conducting rituals. When the wedding is fixed, tamul-paan (beetle-leaves and nuts) from the groom’s house is given to make these pots.
The potter who prepares these will have to undergo fasting for one day. The next day, after having a bath, ritual worship is conducted. At the time of preparation, certain things are observed which are deeply linked to the marital relationship between the two. It is believed that, if the pot breaks in the middle of the work, the date of the wedding will be extended. If water accumulates in the pot, it will rain on wedding day. If the pot breaks repeatedly, it is bad omen for the marriage, Singh said.
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