Thimi

Thimi, formally Madhyapur Thimi, is a Newar town between Kathmandu and Bhaktapur known for pottery, papier-mâché masks and its exuberant Bisket and Sindoor Jatra festivals. Its long ridge-top main street is lined with brick houses and small temples, and courtyards where masks of Hindu deities are painted for ritual dances. During the New Year celebrations, palanquins bearing gods are jostled through the streets in clouds of vermilion powder. Visitors come for the craft workshops and the festival spectacle in a market town that keeps strong.