Kohar, the Potters of Terai: An Ethnicity Sustaining the Art of Pottery

Abstract

Potters are artists, and pottery is an ancient art of making artifacts from clay. The earthenware mainly includes items like lamps, pots, idols, etc., which are baked in fire and have been used in day-to-day activities, including cooking, decorations, and religious functions since the earliest date of human civilization. This paper is based on the descriptive method and aims to assess the traditional lifestyle of Kohar, the potter community in the Terai of Nepal. The direct interview was conducted with active pot makers residents of Rupandehi district, Nepal, to know they utilize what raw materials and equipment, what procedures for making a typical pottery are, what kinds of general earthenware are being produced, and what current difficulties affecting their tradition and culture. This cross-sectional study was conducted on the occasion of Dipawali, a Hindu festival in November 2023, and leads to the conclusion that the Kohar community of Nepal is encountering issues like shortage of quality soil, lack of market, and decreased interest of new generation in the pottery