As Tihar, one of Nepal’s most vibrant and joyous festivals, approaches, communities across the country prepare to celebrate with customs that blend spirituality, music, and colorful rituals. Among these, the tradition of lighting oil lamps holds special significance. These oil lamps, crafted from clay, burn steadily, symbolizing the enduring light that dispels darkness and brings warmth into homes during Tihar.
In Bhaktapur, the heart of Nepal’s pottery tradition, the Prajapati community is in full swing crafting these clay oil lamps to meet the season's high demand. With Tihar just around the corner, artisans in areas like Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Thimi, Bolachen, Byasi, and Pottery Square work tirelessly, day and night, crafting clay to create thousands of these traditional oil lamps essential for the festival.
Potters like Ram Bahadur Kumal share that a skilled artisan can produce up to a thousand oil lamps in a single day. These lamps, along with other earthenware items like incense holders and kalash (ceremonial water pots), are popular among buyers during Tihar. Well-crafted oil lamps can bring in up to Rs 50,000 to 60,000 for potters during this festive season.
Typically, oil lamps are made in four sizes, with prices starting at Rs 2 per small lamp and increasing with size. Although the work is intensive and earnings modest, the demand for these lamps surges during Tihar, helping keep this age-old craft alive. The popularity of traditional clay oil lamps also stems from safety concerns, as these lamps are considered safer than alternatives like wax candles.
However, sustaining the pottery craft has its challenges. The price of raw materials, such as clay, has surged as potters now have to source it from distant places like Dang, adding to production costs. Despite advancements in pottery-making technology, including electric wheels and automated clay preparation machines, the younger generation is increasingly turning away from this ancestral profession due to limited profitability.
Seventy-year-old potter Nareshbhakta Prajapati, who has devoted 54 years to the craft, notes that the rising cost of clay without a proportional increase in lamp prices has made it difficult for potters to sustain their livelihood. Sanjay Prajapati, another potter, adds that while technology has eased the physical labor involved, economic pressures are pushing the younger generation toward other professions.
During Tihar, the demand for clay oil lamps, theki (traditional milk vessels), and incense holders reaches its peak. Families in the Kumal community, Bhaktapur’s pottery-making caste, come together to fulfill these orders. Despite modernization, the traditional clay oil lamp remains irreplaceable, keeping alive a heritage that celebrates light, warmth, and tradition.