Early Historic Period Ceramic Smoking Pipes from Budhigarh, in the Kalahandi District of Orissa, India

Abstract

Among ceramics found at early historic sites in the Kalahandi district of India are a great variety of terracotta smoking pipes or hukka. The pipes are fashioned from fine, iron-rich clay with extensive surface decoration. Their intricacy makes them the most distinctive art form of the area. Found at the majority of sites in the region, they are of special interest, both due to the care used in their execution and as they predate the introduction of tobacco to the area, leaving the plant being smoked a question. To determine their method of manufacture, and investigate the possibility of local manufacture, an initial study was conducted of a small number of pipes from the site of Budhigarh. The pipes, along with clay from the site (used extensively by modern potters), were studied using x-ray radiography, petrography, and inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy (ICP).