Khurja is a city (and a municipal board) in Bulandshahr district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated around 20 km from Bulandshahr, 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 city is also famous for its special sweet, known as "khurchan". The principal inhabitants of Khurja are the Pashtuns, mainly members from the Kheshgi Dynasty of Timur's army. 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. Geography Khurja is located at . It has an average elevation of 197 metres (646 foot). Demographics As 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%. This compares with the 2001 India census, when Khurja had a population of 98,403. Males constituted 53% of the population and females 47%. Khurja had an average literacy rate of 57%, lower than the national average of 60.5%: male literacy was 65%, and female literacy was 55%. In Khurja, 16% of the population was under 6 years of age. History The history of Khurja pottery goes back to around 14th century, when some retreating (wounded) soldiers and commanders from Timur's army decided to remain. They had officially established Khurja as a town. These men were mainly from the imperial Kheshgi Dynasty of the Mughal Empire, descendants of the Kheshigs, who were senior officials throughout the Empire. 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. During World War II, ban was imposed on various metals for making household utensils and import of ceramic goods was drastically curtailed. To meet the demand of ceramic wares mainly for war hospitals, the Government of Uttar Pradesh established a ceramic unit. After the war, the factory was closed in 1946 due to lack