Inside a Chainpur karuwa workshop

Our guide takes you to a family workshop in the bazaar, a small room or courtyard with a furnace, anvils, files and piles of half-finished pieces. Depending on the day you may see metal being melted and poured into moulds, rough castings filed and turned, or finished jugs being polished and engraved with fine patterns on the body and spout. The work is done by hand, often by several generations of the same family.

The family explains the steps and the tools, many of them handmade, and how long each piece takes, often several days for a single large karuwa. They talk about the karuwa's role in weddings and household rituals across eastern Nepal, and why a heavy, well-carved Chainpur jug is still prized over factory-made ones. You can hold pieces at different stages and feel the difference in weight and finish.

If you want to buy, you buy directly from the maker at a fair price, usually set by weight plus the amount of work. Small bowls, lamps and cups make easier souvenirs than a full karuwa, which can weigh a few kilograms. We pay the family for their time whether you buy or not, so there is no pressure. Ask before photographing, and be careful around the furnace and hot metal.