THE KUMBHARS, POTTERS, OF Molela make an assortment of domestic clay vessels, but it is the hand-modelled, hollow relief votive plaques that they are famous for. Every year during the month of Maag, i.e. January to February, various tribal communities-notably the Bhil, the Gujjar and Garijat-arrive at Molela accompanied by their bhopa, priests, in order to buy new votive images of their deities. The deities whose images appear on Molela terracotta. may be part of the mainstream Hindu pantheon (Chamunda, Kali, Durga, Ganesha) or more commonly, regional divinities whose cults are rooted in animistic belief systems (for exam ple, Nagadeva) or in folk legends celebrating local heroes and heroines (for example, Dev Narayan, Tejaji, Pabuji, Gora Bhairav, Kala Bhairav, Vasuki, Bhoona and Mendu, Sadumata, Panch mukhi). The murti, images, are built up and refined through a combination of basic clay work techniques-squeezing, pinching and coiling on a flat clay slab. The process has to be halted at intervals to allow the clay to dry somewhat and prevent the hand-modelled forms from collapsing. Foliage, animal forms and decorative elements are all similarly rendered and the composition is gradually elaborated. Once complete, the murti is sun dried before it is considered ready for firing. After being fired, the murti may be painted with stone and mineral colours and is finally finished with a coat of locally made lacquer. 

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