Pottery: A Traditional Craft of Thimi’s Prajapati Community

Pottery is one of the traditional and primary occupations of the Prajapati community in Thimi, establishing the town as a center of traditional handicrafts and cultural identity. Those engaged in pottery-making are known as Kumale. The potters of Thimi primarily use red clay found in the Kathmandu Valley to create a variety of earthenware.

To collect clay, the potters visit farmers’ fields a few times a year, removing the topsoil to dig out the clay beneath. The clay is then transported to workshops, where it is broken into smaller pieces, moistened with water, and kneaded with feet to achieve the required texture. Air bubbles are removed by further kneading the clay by hand. After preparation, the clay is placed on large wheels to begin the pottery-making process.

Traditionally, large wooden wheels were used, but with the rising cost and scarcity of wood, potters now use cement-filled truck tires as wheels. A long bamboo stick called balbans is used to rotate the wheel, ensuring a steady motion. As the wheel spins, the potter shapes the clay into vessels. Each spin typically produces one or two pots, requiring the wheel to be spun again for further work.

The finished pots are dried under the sun. Once dried, they are fired using a traditional method in which the pots are covered with straw, broken pottery, and ash to harden them through smoke-firing. The traditional pottery made in Thimi includes flowerpots, water and grain storage jars, large pots for brewing liquor, and cooking utensils.

These clay products have been crafted in Thimi for centuries, and even today, thousands of potters are engaged in this age-old craft. Although modern metal utensils have claimed a share of the market, the pottery tradition continues to sustain Thimi’s cultural identity and supports the livelihood of the local community.

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