From the common earthen pot that stores drinking water to the giant-sized cultic equestrian figures of rural Tamil deities of the Aiyyanar cult, terracotta art occupies a central position in Indian life and culture. One may have to search far for a village or locality in India where a potter is not found. Historically, terracotta pots have been used for burial, storage of water or grains, and as cooking utensils. Terracotta brick temples of Bengal, shrines of Aiyyanar of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu or those of Ramdev and Dev Narayan of the Udaipur region of Rajasthan, a large variety of equestrian and other votive figures, mainly of the tribal populations, as well as a range of dolls and toys, bear testimony to the varied and ancient traditions of terracotta that have flourished in India over five millennia.
	Having had their existence always outside the rigid and binding rules and regulations of the shilpshastras or the constituted Hindu canons governing artistic expression, terracotta art enjoys tremendous freedom in imagination and conception. Sanskriti found it somewhat intriguing that in spite of their widespread usage, antiquity, artistic merit and cultural significance, terracotta objects have not been systematically collected. To fill this lacuna, Sanskriti took the initiative in 1990 to set up a Museum of Indian Terracotta. Since the ancient terracottas are preserved under the aegis of archaeological and
	historical museums, Sanskriti thought it appropriate not to duplicate the effort. Thus the present Museum lays a lot of emphasis on collecting the living and continuing traditions of Indian terracotta. More than 1500 objects of terracotta are on display in this Museum. A majority of terracottas belong to open and semi-open environments. The collection of the Museum represents earthen pots of Manipur, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, ritual figures of Molela villages in Rajasthan, the Aiyyanar cult of Tamil Nadu, tribal terracottas from Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh and cultic figures of the cult of Raja Salhesh from Bihar among others. A special gallery has been installed to provide a historical perspective to the long and ancient tradition of terracotta art. The history of Indian terracotta has been narrated with the help of photographs of significant terracotta finds.
	As a regular practice, Sanskriti has been inviting some of the finest terracotta craftspeople from all over India. The residential facilities and working space for terracotta craftspeople are located within the Sanskriti Kendra and quite often one can get an opportunity to see them at work. Modern studio potters of India find this repository of traditional terracottas very inspiring and they have often conducted workshops at Sanskriti in which modern and traditional potters have experienced a meaningful interaction. Sanskriti Museum is located on the Mehrauli-Gurgaon road. It is a half-day trip from Delhi.