Glazes were well developed at an early period in India. With the advent of the Muslim influence during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, glazes were used extensively on tiles which came to occupy a prominent place in Islamic architecture. With the same craftsmen making glazed pottery and tiles, a number of pottery centres also started at this time.

Primarily these centres made tiles for monuments and decorative utility ware. The style of tile decoration was distinctly Persian. Though much of this exquisite work has been lost over a period of time, some of it can still be seen, on the Gwalior Fort at Gwalior, Isa Khan's tomb, Arab ki Sarai Gate, and the Lodi Tombs at Delhi.

The Chini ka Roza at Agra is an example of inlaid glazed tile work popular during the sixteenth and seventeenth century. An unprotected monument, it has been extensively vandalized. However the work on its facade, which is of exquisite quality, can still be seen on the higher levels of the tomb.

Nestling in the foothills of the Dhauladhar range in Himachal Pradesh, the Andretta Pottery and Craft Society is primarily making slip decorated and glazed terracotta utility ware.

Bengal Potteries needs a special mention, as it was one of the first successful commercial potteries in India making tableware.

The Delhi Blue Art Pottery started by Sardar Gurcharan Singh was the first of its kind to produce glazed tiles, jalis and utilitarian art pottery in India.

Fish Pottery is an unusual pottery established recently in Himachal Pradesh, making glazed terracotta and stoneware pieces. A small commercial venture, it is particularly popular for its fish and Mother Goddess figures.

Golden Bridge Potteries was established in Auroville in the early seventies, by American ceramic artists Ray Meeker and Deborah Smith. Nearly thirty years since they started it, it is one of the best-loved utility art potteries in Indian homes.

The famous Blue Pottery of Jaipur was also originally inspired by Persian designs, the potters here have been innovating since the turn of the century. Till around the middle of the 20th century low marketability and demand nearly saw the end of this craft. However the pioneering efforts of Kripal Singh Shekhawat of Jaipur have changed all that. Today Jaipur Pottery has once again gained prominence the world over.

Khurja is one of the oldest Pottery Centres. It was established in the thirteenth century by families of Afghan Potters, who specialised in making glazed tiles and some amount of utility ware. Today Khurja is the largest producer of medium-range utilitarian glazed pottery for the average Indian home.