Historically, the craft thrived especially in January and February when the Bhil tribe members from Madhya Pradesh would visit the artisans and ask them to make slabs of their specific gods. This is how votive figures were the primary theme of the Molela pottery. The main gods were Devanarayan on a horse holding a spear and a lotus. Other gods are accomplices of Devnarayan like Yamaraj, the god of the dead, Bhairon in two forms— dark and ferocious, fair and compassionate, Ganesh, Durga, Sheshavatar, the serpent god Nagdev, etc. Usually, a priest accompanied the tribal to advise him on which god would benefit them the most. This Molela pottery would then be bought by the Bhils and worshipped at home.
Thus, Molela pottery not only bound clay together, but also three communities— the artisans, the tribals and the priests.
Along with gods, local heroes also featured on the plaques, like goddess sisters Lalbai and Phulbai, or the spear holding brothers Bhunji and Mahenduji and Ratna Rabari.
In recent times, market forces have also encouraged the artisans to introduce village themes and their everyday lives into the pottery. These pieces very often feature surrounding animals, human activities and trees. Here are some examples from Mohanlalji’s place.
Hello. I’m interested in contacting the artisan of Molela. Pls can you share their contact details. Thank you.