About Mandala Pottery

Nestled in the dry evergreen forests of Auroville, Mandala Pottery has been creating distinctive ceramic art for nearly three decades. What began in the 90s as a studio founded by Chinmayi and Anamika evolved when Adil Writer joined in 2001, bringing an architect's eye to the ancient craft of pottery.

Today, we are a collective that includes Adil, Krishnamoorthy, Tosha, Raghavan, Aruna, Kajendran, Shanthi, Vidhya, Murugan and Suresh.

Our Craft

We specialize in functional ceramics and aroma-therapy products, alongside architectural installations and murals. Almost 80% of what we create is functional tableware - pieces that become part of daily life, supplying to restaurants, cafes, spas, and homes. We are known in India's ceramic community for what we call "happy glazing" - an approach that celebrates spontaneity and wonderful unpredictability over clean, controlled aesthetics.

Auroville studios have spawned lots of studios in the hinterland of Auroville, and one often finds our look and feel and glaze and cutwork copied blatantly, but we figure, a discerning purchaser will value what we provide, for its quality and professionalism.

We are one of the few studios in India practicing soda-firing with locally grown wood as primary fuel. This atmospheric firing technique creates beautiful spectrums of luscious, drippy, mottled orange-peel effects that can only come from soda firings. Our firings span nearly 24 hours and produce results that are completely unrepeatable.

Our Philosophy

At Mandala, we don't buy anything ready-made. We make our own clay from raw materials sourced as close to us as possible, and develop our own glazes to ensure every piece is food-safe, lead-free, and suitable for dishwasher and microwave use. This approach reflects our commitment to social sustainability and fair trade practices. The only clay we outsource is porcelain, which is geologically not available in India.

Our collaborative spirit for functional-ware means that no single piece can be attributed to one maker alone. Everything we do is some kind of collaboration - you cannot say that any piece was made by just one person from our ceramic studio. Everybody does everything, and everybody teaches everything. This collective approach to creation forms the foundation of our unique aesthetic.

Working with Clients

We are working with restaurants, niche cafes, and boutiques - including several export orders from clients dealing with us over two decades now! Everyone wants a signature look, which is both challenging and rewarding. Our approach to clients emphasizes creative partnership. Our best customers become friends - the smart ones who give us their requirements and let us do our thing. Just like we don't tell them how to cook their food!

The Beauty of Imperfection

We embrace the idea that there are marks of the hand, firing “flaws”, and glazes that run over. Every order is a challenge – we are not making objects that look like their industrial counterparts. Every piece is unique, and that's exactly how we like it. The hiss and crackle of our firings leave their marks on the pots. Certain pieces have slight cracks and ground surfaces - not to be seen as defects, but to be cherished for the story they tell of their initiation through fire. We believe these characteristics are evidence of authentic craft processes and the transformative power of fire in ceramic creation.

We hope you enjoy the variations and unpredictability of our methods, and that you find as much pleasure in using our ceramic ware as we do in making it.

Meet the Team