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The Depository documents 25 techniques in Nepal; by risk level: 11 critically endangered, 12 endangered, 2 vulnerable. Each record opens with a public summary; the full research record is free to view once registered.
The forging of the khukuri (kukri) — Nepal's iconic curved single-edged blade, internationally recognized through its association with Gurkha soldiers and, per Nepali blacksmiths themselves, described as the world's most famous knife.
The Sunar (goldsmith) caste of Patan maintains Nepal's finest continuous gold granulation tradition — unbroken since the Malla period (12th-18th CE).
Tamrakar is the hereditary Newar metalworking tradition of Patan, producing gilt copper repoussé deity images exported throughout the Himalayas for over a thousand years.
The Tamang people of eastern Nepal (Sindhupalchok, Dolakha, and Ramechhap districts) maintain a distinct silver jewelry tradition producing the large circular sun-and-moon earrings (chandrahar), heavy silver necklaces (hansuli), and upper…
Limbu backstrap weaving is the textile tradition of the Limbu people of far eastern Nepal (Taplejung, Panchthar, Ilam districts) — producing the yangdang (wrap skirt) with supplementary weft geometric patterns in red, black, and white on a…
Nepalese Dhaka is a fine cotton supplementary weft weave from Terhathum District, eastern Nepal — distinct from Bangladeshi Dhaka muslin.
Sherpa yak wool textile weaving of the Khumbu district (home of Mount Everest) produces the thick, dense blankets (radi) and floor mats used in high-altitude Sherpa households.
Tibetan carpet weaving in Nepal is maintained by Tibetan refugee communities in Boudhanath and Jawalakhel using the Tibetan loop-pile technique: a temporary rod laid across the warp, wool looped around both warp threads and rod, cut along…
The extraction, spinning, and weaving of fiber from the Himalayan giant nettle (Girardinia diversifolia), locally called allo, into cloth, cordage, and functional objects — a wild-harvested fiber tradition distinct in raw material and…
Pashmina uses the undercoat fiber (pashm) of the Changra goat from high-altitude pastures of Mustang, Humla, and Dolpo (12-16 microns diameter).
Tharu bamboo and grass weaving is the functional basketry and mat-making tradition of the Tharu people of Nepal's Terai lowland — the country's most biodiverse zone, adjacent to Chitwan National Park.
Mithila painting is the women's ritual painting tradition of the Mithila cultural region straddling the Nepal-India border (Janakpur, Nepal and Madhubani, Bihar, India).
The Patan school of thangka painting is Nepal's distinct contribution to the broader Tibeto-Buddhist thangka tradition — distinct from both Tibetan thangka (Menri or Karma Gadri styles) and Bhutanese Lhazo (CRAFT-0533) in its…
Paubha is the Newar Buddhist scroll painting tradition in the Chitrakar caste's distinct iconographic vocabulary.
The bansuri (बाँसुरी) is Nepal and India's primary classical bamboo flute — a side-blown transverse flute made from a single bamboo culm with 6 or 7 finger holes.
Himalayan singing bowls are hammered metal bowls producing sustained multi-tonal singing when struck or when a mallet circles the rim.
Maithili embroidery encompasses two distinct traditions of the Mithila cultural zone of Nepal's southern Terai: sujani (quilted narrative embroidery) and godna (body tattoo-inspired embroidery).
Tankha metal thread embroidery is Nepal's tradition of producing Buddhist ceremonial textiles using gold and silver metal thread couched onto silk backgrounds — producing altar coverings, ceremonial bags, and the decorative textile borders…
Nau is the hereditary Newar carpenter-carver tradition producing the elaborate architectural wood carving of Kathmandu Valley temples — the peacock window of Bhaktapur, erotic temple struts, and the torana (door pediments).
Lakhe Kam is the Newar tradition of producing lacquered wooden vessels on a pole-lathe (Dhand) — one of the few surviving pole-lathe turning traditions in Asia.
Beyond the terracotta Indra Jatra masks of Thimi (CRAFT-0549), the Kathmandu Valley produces a separate tradition of painted papier-mâché and metal masks for Dasain and other major festivals — particularly the Mahakali (fierce goddess)…
The Prajapati caste of Thimi (near Bhaktapur) produces Nepal's primary terracotta festival masks for Indra Jatra using press-molding into carved wooden molds — a Nau-Prajapati inter-caste collaboration (Nau carvers the mold, Prajapati…
The Gurung people of Lamjung and Gorkha districts in central Nepal maintain a distinctive double tradition: a wool and cotton pattern weaving tradition and a lokta paper dyeing practice used for ceremonial packaging and religious offerings.
Lokta Kagaj (लोक्ता कागज) is Nepal's traditional handmade paper produced from the bark of Daphne bholua and Daphne papyracea shrubs (called lokta in Nepali) — the same botanical genus as Bhutanese dzo-sho (CRAFT-0538) but using a…
Shilpakar is the hereditary Newar stone carving caste producing the sandstone and schist reliefs of Kathmandu Valley temples, most famously at Changu Narayan (UNESCO, 5th century CE).