Beyond The Wheel: An Ethnographical Study of Rajka Design

Disha Ahluwalia1* and Samvit Sarabhai2

1The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India; 2Rajka Designs, India; *dishaahluwalia160691@gmail.com

This paper examines the continuity and transformation of pottery-making traditions through an ethnoarchaeological study of Rajka Design, a contemporary craft enterprise based in Gujarat. Unlike conventional wheel-thrown ceramic traditions widely associated with South Asian pottery, Rajka Design employs hand-building techniques, particularly coiling, drawing on technological practices linked to potter communities from southern India. This presents a unique case of the mobility and persistence of craft knowledge beyond its original regional context. Based on field observations and engagement with artisans, the study documents the chaîne opératoire of production, including clay preparation, coiling techniques, surface finishing, and firing practices. The absence of the potter’s wheel foregrounds the role of embodied skill and manual dexterity, emphasizing pottery-making as a deeply learned and transmitted practice. These techniques are sustained within a contemporary, design-oriented production system, reflecting both continuity of tradition and adaptation to changing economic and market conditions. The Rajka case challenges static and regionally bounded interpretations of ceramic traditions by demonstrating that technological practices are dynamic, transferable, and continually recontextualized. The persistence of coiling techniques highlights the resilience of non-wheel traditions, which remain underrepresented in archaeological interpretations of South Asian ceramics. By situating Rajka Design within broader discussions of material culture and craft production, this paper argues that continuity in pottery traditions is an active process shaped by mobility, innovation, and cultural negotiation. It underscores the value of ethnoarchaeology in understanding ceramics as living practices that bridge past and present in South Asia.