Khurja

Khurja is a city in the Bulandshahr district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated around 85 km from Delhi. Khurja supplies a large portion of the ceramics used in the country, hence it is sometimes called The Ceramics City. The town is also famous for its special sweet, known as "khurchan".The name Khurja is derived from the Urdu word kharija meaning, cancelled or condemned, as the revenue for this town was waived because this land included many swamps and the agricultural possibilities were rare.Khurja is now famous for its ceramics. With over 500 factories producing ceramic works, its skyline is dotted with chimneys.GeographyKhurja is located at. It has an average elevation of 197 metres (646 foot).DemographicsAs per provisional data of 2011 census, Khurja urban agglomeration had a population of 142,636, out of which males were 75,384 and females were 67,252. The literacy rate was 72 %.India census, Khurja had a population of 98,403. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Khurja has an average literacy rate of 57%, lower than the national average of 60.5%: male literacy is 65%, and female literacy is 55%. In Khurja, 16% of the population is under 6 years of age.HistoryThe history of Khurja pottery goes back to around 14th century, when some retreating (wounded) soldiers from Timur's army decided to remain. A number of these soldiers were potters and they brought this craft with them. Starting with red clay pottery they moved on to blue glaze and on red clay articles with a white engobe, painted floral designs with cupric oxide and applying a soft glaze containing glass and borax etc.