Khokana
Encyclopedia
Khokana is a village development committee in Lalitpur District
in the Bagmati Zone
of central Nepal
. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census
it had a population of 4258 living in 699 individual households.
Khokana, a traditional and tiny Newari village eight kilometers south of Kathmandu (on the outskirts of Patan), which has its own history and has retained its tradition and culture. It is a living museum
and recalls medieval times. The farming community of Newars who live here are mostly dependent on agriculture and much of their daily activities take place outside of their dwellings.
There are women sitting outside spinning, men crushing seeds, and other daily activities. The village is famous for its unusual mustard-oil
harvesting process in which a heavy wooden beam is used to crush the mustard seeds in order to extract the oil. It is believed that a share system was used in the past here. This oil can be consumed if desired, but it can also be used for therapeutic massage. This was also the first village, indeed the first habitation, to be electrified, before Kathmandu.
In the center is a three-storey temple, Shree Rudrayani, with a particularly wide main street, especially for a village of such small size. Khokana has been nominated to be listed as a World Heritage Site, Khokana, representing a vernacular village and its mustard-oil seed industrial heritage.
"Khokana is a unique village which can be taken as a model of a medieval settlement pattern with a system of drainage and chowks. It houses chaityas and a Mother Goddess temple. The mustard-oil seed industry has become the living heritage of the village." Unesco World Heritage.
In January the Khokana festival is held to showcase the unique aspects of the village. Cultural Newari dances, such as the Thimi dance and Devi dance, Newari food, such as Newar Pancake (Who), a sweat steamed snack bursting with golden syrup and sesame (Yomari) and strong Nepali wine (Yela), crafts, music and the towns mustard production were all on display.
Lalitpur District, Nepal
Lalitpur District of 337,785. It is one of the three districts in the Kathmandu Valley, along with Kathmandu and Bhaktapur.Lalitpur District has many schools, colleges and hotels. Adarsha Vidya Mandir, St. Xavier's School, St...
in the Bagmati Zone
Bagmati Zone
Bagmati Zone Bagmati is divided into eight districts:- See also :*Zones of Nepal*Regions of Nepal*Districts of Nepal...
of central Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census
1991 Nepal census
The 1991 Nepal census was a widespread national census conducted by the Nepal Central Bureau of Statistics.Working with Nepal's Village Development Committees at a district level,...
it had a population of 4258 living in 699 individual households.
Khokana, a traditional and tiny Newari village eight kilometers south of Kathmandu (on the outskirts of Patan), which has its own history and has retained its tradition and culture. It is a living museum
Living museum
A living museum is a type of museum, in which historical events showing the life in ancient times are performed, especially in ethnographic or historical views, or processes for producing a commercial product in terms of technical and technological developments are shown, especially the craft...
and recalls medieval times. The farming community of Newars who live here are mostly dependent on agriculture and much of their daily activities take place outside of their dwellings.
There are women sitting outside spinning, men crushing seeds, and other daily activities. The village is famous for its unusual mustard-oil
Mustard oil
The term mustard oil is used for three different oils that are made from mustard seeds:*A fatty vegetable oil resulting from pressing the seeds,...
harvesting process in which a heavy wooden beam is used to crush the mustard seeds in order to extract the oil. It is believed that a share system was used in the past here. This oil can be consumed if desired, but it can also be used for therapeutic massage. This was also the first village, indeed the first habitation, to be electrified, before Kathmandu.
In the center is a three-storey temple, Shree Rudrayani, with a particularly wide main street, especially for a village of such small size. Khokana has been nominated to be listed as a World Heritage Site, Khokana, representing a vernacular village and its mustard-oil seed industrial heritage.
"Khokana is a unique village which can be taken as a model of a medieval settlement pattern with a system of drainage and chowks. It houses chaityas and a Mother Goddess temple. The mustard-oil seed industry has become the living heritage of the village." Unesco World Heritage.
In January the Khokana festival is held to showcase the unique aspects of the village. Cultural Newari dances, such as the Thimi dance and Devi dance, Newari food, such as Newar Pancake (Who), a sweat steamed snack bursting with golden syrup and sesame (Yomari) and strong Nepali wine (Yela), crafts, music and the towns mustard production were all on display.