Clay Idols - Pondicherry
Three types of clay which are mixed together to form the dough are:
• Soft clay,
• Mud and
• Sand.
The dried clay is thoroughly mixed with water and soaked for the whole night to absorb/soak the water. The next day clay is finely stamped/pressed for more than hour and finally gathered/prepared into a mould. Idols are shaped in to required products with/using hands.
Base is the initial stage of the statue/idols. To form the base, the artisan makes small balls of clay and then they start shaping form. After that they keep on adding coil to form the structure. If the wall of the idol begins to show the indication of weakness, the artisan leave it to dry for a few hours before continue to shape it.
Different varieties of tools are used to shape and design the features of the idols. The surface is smoothened with the fingers with a touch of little water. Idols are left to dry in room temperature for a day then dried in sunlight. A coat of diluted clay slip is applied on the dried idols before baked in the furnace. The statues are baked in a kiln for 2 to 3 hours. The baked articles are colored with vibrant/bright colors to make them elegant and dazzling. Many articles are decorated with glitters to make the products look shimmering.
