Multani bartan means the vessels and serving ware made in Multan’s blue pottery workshops. Bartan is the everyday Urdu word for utensils or crockery, and in Multan it covers everything from a handi you put on the table to a sorahi you keep water in.

If you grew up in Pakistan you already know these words. If you are buying Multani blue pottery for the first time, or buying it from abroad, the names are the part nobody explains. Here is what each vessel is, what it is for, and which ones come in blue pottery.

The vessels, and what each one is

Handi

A deep, round, wide-mouthed pot. In a metal kitchen a handi goes on the fire. In blue pottery a handi is a serving vessel: you cook in metal and bring it to the table in the handi, which keeps the dish hot and looks considerably better than the pan. Ours come as a Serving Handi Set.

Donga

The deep serving bowl, usually with a lid, that sits in the middle of the table and holds curry, daal or rice. A donga is bigger than a serving bowl and the lid is the point: food stays hot through a long meal. Donga and handi are close cousins, which is why they share a category.

Karahi

A wide, shallow, two-handled pan, and the dish cooked in it borrows the name. Again, the blue pottery karahi is for serving rather than cooking. Bringing a karahi to the table in painted ceramic rather than blackened steel is the whole idea.

Sorahi

Often written surahi. The narrow-necked water vessel, the shape everyone recognises. Traditionally unglazed clay kept water cool by evaporation through the walls. A glazed blue pottery sorahi does not cool water the same way, so treat it as a serving jug and a beautiful object rather than a refrigerator.

Nashta set

Nashta means breakfast. A nashta set is the breakfast service: small plates, bowls for honey and jam, cups, the pieces you lay out for a morning table. Ours is a 22 piece set for six people.

Piyali, cups and mugs

Piyali is the small handleless cup for tea, the one you hold by the rim. Alongside it most workshops now make mugs and cups with handles, because that is what people ask for.

Plates, saucers and trays

Quarter plate, full plate and saucer are used in Pakistan exactly as they sound. Trays, including ash trays, round out the range.

Why blue pottery bartan is serving ware, not cookware

This is the most useful thing to understand before buying, and it is the question we are asked most.

Multani blue pottery is built on a quartz-based body with a fired glaze over hand painted decoration. That quartz body is hard and food-safe for serving, but it is made for the table, not the flame. Do not put a blue pottery handi or karahi on a stove, and do not use it in an oven. Cook in metal, serve in blue pottery.

Used that way the pieces last for years, which is why so many Pakistani households still have a donga that belonged to someone’s grandmother.

Why the names matter when you are buying

Search for “blue pottery bowl” and you will get everything from a 4 inch soup bowl to a lidded donga big enough for a family dinner. The local vocabulary is more precise than the English, because each word carries a size and a job.

Serving one curry to four people: a donga.
Bringing a karahi dish to the table: a karahi.
Keeping rice hot through a long meal: a lidded handi.
Laying a breakfast table: a nashta set.
Water on the table: a sorahi.

Asking for the right bartan by name gets you the right object the first time.

What makes it Multani

All of these shapes exist in metal, in plain clay and in imported porcelain. What makes them Multani bartan is the surface: cobalt blue and turquoise over a white ground, painted freehand before glazing and firing. The cobalt comes from mineral pigment and the turquoise from copper, a palette the craft has kept deliberately narrow for centuries.

The craft is called Kashi Kari, and the artisans who do the painting are called Kashikar. The designs follow named families that workshops still use between themselves, including China Kashi, Special Kashi and the Bamboo Shoot pattern, alongside the floral and geometric motifs the craft is known for.

Because every piece is painted by hand, two dongas of the same design will not match exactly. That is the difference between bartan made by a Kashikar and bartan made by a machine.

Where to buy Multani bartan

The full range is in our shop, sorted by the same vocabulary used above: handi and donga, serving dishes, serving bowls, jugs and glasses and plates and saucers.

If you are in Multan, the pieces are cheaper at the source and you can see them before you choose. Our factory and display centre on Nubahar Canal Road is open without an appointment.

Frequently asked questions

What does Multani bartan mean?

Bartan is Urdu for utensils or crockery, so Multani bartan means the vessels and serving ware made in Multan, usually in hand painted blue pottery.

What is a handi?

A deep, round, wide-mouthed pot. In blue pottery a handi is used for serving at the table rather than for cooking.

What is the difference between a handi and a donga?

A donga is a deep lidded serving bowl for curry, daal or rice. A handi is rounder and deeper with a wide mouth. Both are serving vessels in blue pottery.

Can I cook in a blue pottery karahi?

No. Multani blue pottery is serving ware, not cookware. Keep it off the stove and out of the oven. Cook in metal and serve in blue pottery.

What is a sorahi?

A narrow-necked water vessel, also spelt surahi. The glazed blue pottery version is a serving jug; it does not cool water the way unglazed clay does.

What is a nashta set?

Nashta means breakfast, so a nashta set is a breakfast service of small plates, bowls and cups. Ours is a 22 piece set for six people.

Who paints Multani bartan?

Artisans called Kashikar, who work in the Kashi Kari tradition. Every piece is painted freehand, so no two are identical.

Multani Bartan: Blue Pottery Vessels and What Each One Is For