Pottery Square कुम्हः त्वः

“Kumha Tole” Bhaktapur or Pottery Square. Talako Tole is another name for this area. People with the surname ‘Prajapati’ are the majority in this area. For the inhabitants of Bhaktapur, pottery is more than just a job. It’s a skill they’ve inherited from their family’s previous generations. Some people take pride in having the skill as part of their identity. They are passionate about what they do. However, in our fast-paced and technologically advanced century, handcrafted arts are losing favor. Some residents are concerned that the art of pottery will be lost over time.

Two major temples, a solid-brick Vishnu temple and the double-roofed Jetha Ganesh, may be seen in a very traditional fashion within pottery square. A small hilltop on the northern side of the square is topped by a Ganesh shrine and a Shady Peepal tree. The men of Bhaktapur, like potters all around Nepal, use rudimentary techniques. The hefty antique wooden wheels have mostly been replaced with lighter weighted truck tires that spin faster. Wet black clay cones are molded and smoothed into yoghurt bowls, washbasins, enormous grain storage jars, and little oil lamps by skillful hands. The craftsmen have passed down this technique from generation to generation, and the majority still employ traditional methods today.

Seeing so many generations of a family at work together is fascinating. Pottery is a method. In the making of a pot, everyone has a role and a part to perform. The ancient men, the skilled craftsmen, transform the mud into magnificent vessels in a matter of minutes, while the old ladies tend after the pots that are preserved for drying and coloring. Young males are frequently seen dragging big mud heaps from one corner of the plaza to the other, while young ladies are commonly seen beating and processing clay.

Although potters’ machinery and tools have evolved in recent years, the majority of potters still utilize basic tools. The potters have ensured the authenticity of the mud vessels they have been manufacturing from time immemorial, using either modern or primitive tools. The younger generation is likewise enthusiastic about pottery, but their parents are concerned that their children will not be denied an education as they were. Because of the declining market value and the government’s lack of support for the business, pottery has a bleak future in Nepal.