Nepal · Ceramics / Pottery / Mask Making
थिमि माटोको काम (Thimi Pottery)
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 press the clay). Critical knowledge: clay body stiffer than wheel clay. Assessed by thumb press at mold edge — correct: 'no fingerprint but pressure felt.' Too soft: thumbprint remains. Too stiff: clay doesn't fill mold recesses. Iconographic color codes strictly mandatory: Bhairab (terrifying deity) always red with gold; Kumari (living goddess) always cream with red. Color error makes mask unusable for festival.
Risk level: Endangered · Indra Jatra: UNESCO Representative List (2008); Nepal national ICH list
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