Craft · Bhaktapur
Throw a pot in Bhaktapur's Pottery Square
Spend a morning with a Prajapati potter in Talako, the pottery quarter just south of Taumadhi. Watch pots thrown on hand-spun wheels and set out to dry, then try the wheel yourself and learn how kilns of straw and ash are fired.
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Bhaktapur's potters belong mainly to the Prajapati community, and their quarter is a small square south of Taumadhi known as Pottery Square. On dry mornings the paving is covered with rows of drying pots, water jars, piggy banks and oil lamps. Potters spin heavy wheels by pushing them with a stick, then throw the clay while the wheel turns.
We sit with a family potter, who shows how clay from the valley's fields is soaked, trodden and kneaded, and how a pot is thrown, trimmed and stamped. Then you try the wheel. It is harder than it looks, and most first pots collapse, which the potters find very funny. You can keep a piece if it survives.
We also look at how the pots are fired in open kilns of straw and ash, which you may see smoking in a corner of the square, and talk about how the trade is changing with plastic and steel. Buying a small piece directly from the maker is the best way to support the craft.
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Questions
Can I try pottery in Bhaktapur?
Yes. Several potter families in Pottery Square let visitors try the wheel for a small fee, usually 20 to 45 minutes with help. It is best on dry mornings from October to May. Book through a guide if you want a longer session with a particular family.
Where is Pottery Square in Bhaktapur?
It is in Talako, a few minutes' walk south-west of Taumadhi and the Nyatapola temple, inside the old town. Locals call it the potters' square. Look for rows of drying pots on the ground and smoke from the straw kilns.
Is Pottery Square good for children?
Very. Children love watching the wheels and trying to throw a pot, and the square is car-free. Keep them from stepping on drying pots, which cover much of the ground, and bring wet wipes for clay-covered hands. A small pot or piggy bank makes a good souvenir.
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