Manamadurai Pottery

Why in news?

• The Manamadurai pottery has recently been given a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

About Manamadurai Pottery:

• Manamadurai in Sivagangai district, Tamil Nadu is known for pottery making.
• The Vaigai River enriches the clay used for the Manamadurai pottery. A unique type of clay is also sourced from other water bodies to make these pots.
• The pot is painted in different colours. While making these pots, the five elements of nature namely earth, water, fire, sun and air are used.

About Vaigai River:

• The river is also referred to as Shiva Ganga in many places. It is also called Kritamaala, for it runs around the city of Madurai.
• It travels through the Pandiya Nadu region of Tamil Nadu.
• Its main tributaries are Suruliyaru, Mullaiyaru, Varaaga Nadhi, Manjalaru, Kottagudi, Kridhumaal and Upparu.
• The Vattaparai Falls are also located on this river.

Historic significance of the river:

• The Vaigai was the river that flowed through the city of Madurai, the capital of the ancient and prosperous Pandya kingdom located in southern Tamil Nadu.
• The river also finds a mention in Sangam literature dated to 300 before the Common Era (BCE).
• The story of Vaigai is told in Thiruvilayadal Puranam

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Manamadurai Pottery is associated with which of the following river?

(a) Vaigai

(b) Palar

(c) Noyyal

(d) Chittar

Answer