Your experience starts with a pick-up from your hotel in Kathmandu, Patan, or Bhaktapur, and then will be transferred to Thimi. Here, you will get to join a 2 to 3-hour pottery-making workshop, where you can create items like a flower vase, diyo (oil lamp), and small pots.
After the workshop, you will be heading to Bhaktapur Durbar Square for a sightseeing tour with an English-speaking guide, exploring the historical and cultural highlights of the area. Once both activities complete, you will be dropped back at your booked hotel.
You will be visiting Manav Sewa Ashram to donate food supplies. This Ashram (center) is on the way to Bhaktapur Durbar Square, when you are driving to Bhaktapur from Kathmandu or Patan.
Starting from the basics, you can get your hands on the potter’s wheel and learn the age-old technique. With friends and families or by yourself, and get your hands dirty! You can relax and take your time to set your hands to make your own piece of pottery. In the session, your instructor will guide you how to create pottery through techniques. You will be provided with the clay, tools, and any materials you need to create your own artwork. You will be shown how your artwork is fired and glazed.
Thimi, the leading pottery hub in town, attracts visitors seeking an authentic and immersive experience. With its close proximity to Bhaktapur, Thimi makes for a perfect day trip, offering a glimpse into the age-old craft and the bustling side streets brimming with skilled artisans.
The ancient art of traditional pottery making in Nepal dates back to a long time. Pots play an integral part of everyday life for storage, carrying water, lamps and decorative purposes. Pottery serves more than just household purposes – it holds great meaning in cultural and ritual affairs. In the Newar culture, clay pots are integral, representing a crucial element of their traditions. The creation of traditional Newari rice wine, known as aila, relies on a specialized ceramic setup consisting of various clay containers and a large vessel with holes, enabling the distillation process.
While ceramics and glazing were not traditionally part of Nepal’s clay art, the introduction of the Ceramic Project in Bhaktapur has added new dimensions to the craft. Though natural color coats are used to give a smooth red finish to the products, most clay crafts in the region remain in the timeless terracotta style, radiating their distinctive red hue.
Despite the influence of modernization and development, the potters of the valley remain steadfast in their dedication to their craft. Their potter’s wheels continue to spin, sustaining a century -old tradition that holds strong socio – cultural values in local livelihoods. Thimi, with its remarkable pottery heritage, offers a captivating journey into the world of Nepali clay artistry. The art of clay pottery that you can witness in Thimi reminds us of the rich heritage that shapes the region’s identity.
Bhaktapur, originally to service the old trade route between Tibet and India, the city was formed in the 12th century around Tachupal Tol, the oldest part of the city. Between the 14th and 16th centuries, Bhaktapur was at its heyday, more powerful than any of the other Valley kingdoms. Once the capital of the Valley, Bhaktapur is the most unchanged of the three cities of Kathmandu and Patan. Retaining something of its medieval atmosphere, Bhaktapur embodies the essence of the Newari city. It is another of the five important World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu Valley; a real ‘must see’ place.
The city’s architecture and organization remain an excellent example of town planning. Neighborhoods, roughly organized by caste, are centered on a main square with a public water source, temples and a Ganesh shrine. In the 12th century, the King of Banepa moved his capital here and ruled a unified Valley for the next three centuries. It was the last of the cities to fall to Prithvi Narayan Shah in 1768, since then its importance diminished considerably.
Made up of three large squares, each are filled with temples showing some of the finest architecture in Nepal. Surrounded by countryside, local people here are predominantly farmers, if not engaged in the traditional crafts of pottery, metalwork, art and woodwork.
At the end of the itinerary you will be dropped back to the hotel.
