Bhubaneswar: The annual terracotta exhibition showcasing a wide range of traditional diyas, apart from the designer ones made of red and black clay has begun on October 15. It will continue till October 22 in the Ekamra Haat, Unit-III in Odisha capital.
Principal Secretary, of Handlooms, Textiles, and Handicrafts, and Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Department, Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee inaugurated ‘MRUTTIKA-2022’ the event.
A wide range of clay items like idols of Lord Ganesha, terracotta vases, wall hangings, statues, decorative lamps, cutlery sets, water bottles, and jewellery are also being displayed at the exhibition and the customers are buying them in bulk.
The exhibition also presents live demonstrations of how they are made to encourage aspiring artisans and raise awareness about Odisha’s rich heritage of craftsmanship.
The exhibition basically aims to provide a market for terracotta artisans.
As many as 125 stalls have been set up and around 250 artisans from 26 districts, such as Keonjhar, Jajpur, Balasore, Subarnpur, Baragarh, Rayagada, Khurda, Nayagarh, Dhenkanal, Puri, Mayurbhanj, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Bolangir, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Gajapati, Angul, Boudh, Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Nuapada, are participating in the exhibition.s
Sources said that there are more than 10,000 terracotta artisans in the state. There are more than 40 clusters of terracotta across Odisha, of which some of the focused terracotta craft pockets are in Sonepur, Barapalli, Haldharpur, Nuagaon, Lunukua, Kusumi, Chintamanipur, and Trisalaya.
It is expected to attain a business turnover of Rs.175.00 lakhs during this event.
