The strategies and abilities for manufacturing handicraft products that have been passed down through generations exhibit not just the talent and skill of craftsmen, but also the social, religious, and cultural values that exist in various sections of the country.
Because it is a labor-intensive product, it is difficult to create in big quantities with consistency and comparable quality. Handicraft manufacture is a long-standing tradition in Nepal. Novel handicrafts are often created in response to shifting market preferences. The country’s handcraft exports have increased significantly over the last 27 years. Therefore, the growth of handicrafts contributes to the preservation of the country’s national history while also helping to alleviate poverty by offering job possibilities. Hundreds of thousands of Nepalese people have been employed by the country’s handicraft industries. It has also served as a major source of foreign currency for the importation of essentials.
Handicrafts may be found practically everywhere throughout Nepal. Even so, the Newar people in the Kathmandu valley, particularly the Bajrachary, Shakya, and Chitrakar groups, have accepted handicraft-related employment as a traditional occupation. Metal craft (statue and utensil), pashmina products, paubha (thanka), silver and gold jewelry, stone carving, woodcraft, bags and accessories, basketry products, filigree products, handmade paper products, hand loom products, ceramics, decorative items, leather products, horn and boar products are among the 42 groups of products covered by the Handicraft Association of Nepal (HAN).
Nepalese handicrafts have been exported since the mid-sixties of the previous century. Unfortunately, systematic export did not begin until the early 1970s. Nepalese handicrafts have long been a popular export. In addition to ready made clothing and carpets, it is currently the country’s greatest international export item. Over 20 handicraft products, mostly pashmina, woolen goods, silver jewelry, Nepalese handmade paper and paper products, metal craft, woodcraft, cotton goods, and so on, are exported to over 85 countries.
The United States (which consumes almost a quarter of all handicraft exports), the United Kingdom, India, Canada, Germany, Japan, Italy, France, Australia, the Netherlands, and China are the top overseas consumers. Nepalese handicrafts are unlike anything else in the world, with their various cultures, faiths, ethnicity, and lifestyles. Handicrafts in Nepal encourage these riches by assisting artisans in marketing and selling their wares. Some of the types of handicrafts found in Nepal are: