Bangladesh · Ceramics / Terracotta
পোড়ামাটি (Pora Mati)
Bangladesh's terracotta (পোড়ামাটি — 'burned clay') tradition produces the figurines, decorative panels, and ritual objects that have been central to Bengal folk religion and Hindu practice for thousands of years — most visibly in the ornate terracotta temple panels of Rajshahi and Jessore. The Bangladeshi terracotta tradition is distinct from industrial ceramics in its specific local iron-rich red clay and the burnishing technique: before firing, the surface is burnished with a smooth river pebble to close the clay pores and produce the characteristic red-orange surface sheen. The burnishing pressure calibration — 'pebble pressure enough to produce skin, not crack' — is the primary tacit knowledge. Too hard: surface cracks in leather-hard; too soft: no sheen develops after firing.
Risk level: Endangered · Bangladesh national ICH list
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