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Nepal is one of those few nations where ancient traditional arts and architectures are well preserved. It was once the destination for arts and architecture and even today, many of its craft skills are still undiminished. Nepalese arts touch the pulse of the people across the globe and it reflects the spirit and mystery of its culture and tradition. The best examples of Nepalese creativity lies in the variety of traditional handicrafts found today all over. The Newars of Kathmandu valley, Once a lake, Kathmandu valley is the union of three Newar sister cities namely Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. Surrounded by hills on all the sides, Kathmandu valley has always remained the center of Nepalese civilization and current modern urbanization of Nepal. Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal are the most creative ones of all. They are the best in arts like Wood carvings and their creative excellence can be found practically in anything like temples, statues, photo frames, household items, windows. The Newars are till date devoted to their ancient cultural skills and have been passing it to forthcoming generation since history. This is why their works are so perfect that they have been loved and valued by all, all over the world.
Likewise, Newars the best sculptures especially of gods which are also very popular amongst all. Nepalese use them for rituals while the tourists take them back home as souvenirs. Apart from wood, these sculptures are made of metal and stones. Newars love creative arts and Metal carving is no exception. Beautifully carved metal replicas of temples and decorative items like singing bowl, bell, cymbals and many more are popular.
In the same way, stone sculpture art work is popular too amongst the Newars and it is more ancient than metal arts and the evidential history shows stone sculptures that go back at least two thousand years. It was the first art form to be developed in the country and is evident in
wealth of architectural monuments and art items found within the valley. Similarly, Pashmina or the Cashmere products are also popular handicrafts of Nepal worn worldwide. Pashmina is the softest, warmest and natural Cashmere woolen textile made from the inner wool of the Himalayan lambs. The popular pashmina products are shawls and mufflers and many more which are manually spun and woven in the higher altitude mountain regions.
Another well known indigenous product is the Thanka which actually is the sacred scroll religious Buddhist Buddhist are people who follow Buddhism. Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the
Another art form that is equally popular is the Mithila Painting
Mithila Painting . These paintings are bright and colorful with themes of terai culture. This art form is practiced traditionally by the women in the terai villages on mud walls of 
their huts, but now it is also done on cloth, hand-made paper and canvas. Lokta paper is another unique indigenous Nepalese product that has been in production since thousand years and is well known for its durability and softness. It is prepared from the bark of a particular tree found in the high Himalayan altitudes of Nepal. Due to its durability compared to normal paper, it has mandatorily been used for all legal and government writings. Another unique fact is that the writings in Lokta paper remain unaffected even after soaked in water. Even the paper eating insects cannot damage this paper. Besides diaries and note books, Lokta products like wrapping papers, carry bags and lamp shades are popular.
Another product that reflects the Nepalese culture is the wooden mask . Masks are compulsory in all major Hindu ritual and cultural performances as they are worn by performers in ritual dances. These masks have
high traditional cultural values and are beautifully colored. They serve a very important function in the community as they are believed to bring luck and protect from demons. These religion reflecting pieces are usually made of wood or clay and can be a good for decoration usually when hung on walls or on doors. Likewise, Nepal is one of the major exporters of woolen carpet in the region. Carpet weaving is a household occupation in the hilly regions of the country. These carpets are still hand woven in Hindu and Buddhist themes in both traditional and modern designs. The weaving process is dedicated, complex as well as interesting and the result is the visible quality and craftsmanship. These carpets are very popular in Europe and America for flooring as well as hanging on the walls.
Nepal is also popular for its rich array of jewels and precious stones which are available in fine workmanship in lesser price. Abounding with rare jewels endowed with significant protective, religious and talismanic significance. Various tribes of Nepal have the rarest and most exquisite jewelry astounding in its stylistic variety.
After a hard day’s work, Nepalese even 30 years back used to gather in the evenings and play music to relax and express their feelings. While the Newars of the valley used to play instruments imported from neighboring India, the villagers in the rural parts developed their own instruments like the Sarangi
Man Playing Sarangi , Madal
Madal: Nepali Music , Bansuri , Murchunga and Panchebaja
Panchebaja: Nepali Music . These later went on to be Nepal’s own musical instruments and today are played all over the nation.
As evident, production of handicraft is an age-old practice in Nepal and its hereditary continuity has contributed in its survival. This has helped in preserving the heritage, cultural values, aspects and tradition. Lately, the increase in the export of handicrafts is seen as the growing popularity of these products and it in turn has helped in the development of handicrafts and the protection of national heritage and culture. This is essential for Nepal as it contributes to conciliate poverty, creating job opportunities and take ahead the historic legacy.
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