Farmers returng home from field

Woman in Bungamati separates the chaff from her wheat crop at the entrance to Macchendranath temple. Also seen here.

On the very Occasion of Khokana Festival .

Women planting paddy in the fields of Khokana

The paddy fields of Khokana, lalitpur, Nepal

Woman on the rice field in Khokana

Women came to the village well in Khokana to do their laundry. The well water was remarkably free of turbidity. A separate spout elsewhere in the village was surrounded by empty vessels for collecting drinking water.

Man carving wood in Khokana

A Khokana woman preparing chillies for drying

Khokana is a village development committee in Lalitpur District in the Bagmati Zone of central Nepal. 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.