Skilled Potters Busy Making Clay Lamps for Approaching Festival

As Nepal’s vibrant festival of lights, Tihar approaches, people across the country are preparing to brighten homes with traditional earthen lamps known as Diyos or Palas. Among those at the heart of this cultural revival are the Kumal people renowned for their pottery and fishing skills who are busy crafting thousands of clay lamps to meet soaring demand.

Tihar, celebrated with dazzling displays of light and color, involves the lighting of Pala and Diyos that illuminate homes and streets in a symbolic gesture of welcoming prosperity and warding off darkness.Potters in districts like Bhaktapur, Nawalparasi and Mahottari are working tirelessly to fulfill the rising orders as households across Nepal gear up for the festival.

For many artisans, Tihar is not just a cultural occasion but also the most lucrative time of the year.The surge in demand of festive items provides economic boost to these communities reinforcing the importance of preserving age-old craft.