I have recently returned from a trip to Pondicherry on the east coast of India. During my time there I attended Golden Bridge Pottery where I made and fired works the Chinnagama in the company of John Dix, Nick Schwartz, Aarti Manik and ex students of Golden Bridge.
The clays used were a white porcelaneous and dark body using local materials.
Pots were pack in the kiln raw. The firing went for 7 days roughly 150 hours and the timbers used were a mixture of casuarina and tamarind.
The kiln was cooled for 4 days before unpacking.
Results were incredible with plenty of liquid green ash built up on the surface of pots depending on how pots were placed in the kiln.