BHAKTAPUR: With the festival of lights Tihar around the corner, manufacturers of clay potteries are finding it difficult to meet the high demand for oil lamps (diyas or palas), which are traditionally used for celebrations.
“Some makers produce between one thousand to five thousand in a day, it depends on the manpower, and those with higher manpower can produce more compared to those with lesser manpower,” Prajapati said.
Even on the day of Laxmi Pooja, potters say they do not get time to rest as they have to meet the rush of the orders.”On the day of Laxmi Pooja also we make Palas. Here in Bhaktapur people purchase those which are not baked over the fire.
Those who have to transport it to other places they buy the baked ones so that it won’t break,” Prajapati added.
On average, it takes a week for the potters to prepare clay pots, lamps and other by-products that will be used for the festival.
The average income of the potters here during the festive seasons sees a surge to as much as 50,000 Nepali rupees per month whereas it stands at around 20,000 Nepali rupees a month at other times.
Pottery is the ancestral business of people of a majority of people living in and around Bhaktapur who has been preserving and promoting it for years.
Most potters here have inherited it from their grandparents with some practicing the craft for over 50 years.
(Agencies)
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