Thimi, between Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, is one of Nepal’s oldest pottery villages. About 10,000 potters (Newar Kumale / Prajapati families) still work in ~2,000 workshops, mixing farm work with clay production.
Tradition: Red valley clay, foot-mixed by hand, thrown on heavy tire/concrete wheels, fired in straw kilns (~700°C). Men throw and paddle; women finish and decorate; neighbors fire together. Goods were once traded for rice; metal and plastic have crushed that market.
Pressure: Young people leave for city jobs; caste stigma and low pay make pottery feel unsustainable. Elders fear the craft will die.