Pottery Square, Bhaktapur, Bagmati Nepal

Pottery, an extraordinary craft of Bhaktapur, still practiced today plays a part of living cultural heritage. At 'Talako' the pottery square the art of pottery is displayed with expertise handed down as family trade from one generation to another for centuries.

The earthen artifacts created on potter's wheel are mostly utensils used for religious, cultural and daily purposes. To make their wares the potters use black clay, a special type of clay dug from the fields around Bhaktapur. The clay mixed with sand and water is molded and placed at the center of the potter's wooden wheel. The potter uses a stick to rotate the wheel to an ideal speed so that he can use his both hands to create his crafts, which are later dried out in sun and ultimately put inside traditional oven to bake them ready for use.