Karuwa () is traditional vessel used in Nepali households to serve water and liquor. Generally, a karuwa is made of brass for daily use. However, decorative karuwas are made from precious metals such as silver and gold.

Construction

Karuwas have a curved body and a neck to pour liquid, like a

kettle A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a type of pot specialized for boiling water, commonly with a ''lid'', ''spout'', and ''handle'', or a small electric kitchen appliance of similar shape that functions in a self-contained ...

. The mouth of the karuwa is covered with a cap that has various artefacts welded to it. To allow smooth pouring when locked, a small hole is also made in the cap to balance air pressure.

Traditional uses

Karuwa is required in various Nepalese rituals, events and festivals. It is used in various functions such as weddings, ''bratabandha'',

Pasni (celebration) Pasni (the Weaning Ceremony or the Rice Feeding Ceremony) is a Nepali celebration in which a child is fed rice or solid food for the first time. Although centuries old tradition, modern science has established the fact that child's digestive syste ...

, etc. In Newari culture, karuwa is worshipped on the day of

Mha Puja Mha Pujā (Newar Script: ) (Devanagari: म्हपुजा) is an annual ritual performed by the Newar people of Nepal to purify and empower the soul as part of New Year celebrations. It is performed on New Year's Day of Nepal Sambat, the natio ...

, alongside other household utensils and appliances.

Major manufacturing places

Most karuwas in Nepal are manufactured in the Palpa,

Sankhuwasabha Sankhuwasabha District ( ne, सङ्खुवासभा जिल्ला ) is one of 14 districts of Province No. 1 of eastern Nepal. The district's area is 3,480 km2 with a population of 159,203 in 2001 and 158,742 in 2011. ...

and Bhojpur districts. However, the industry has shrunk due to lack of demand. One of the biggest karuwas is found in

Palpa district Palpa District ( ne, पाल्पा जिल्ला, a part of Lumbini Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal, a landlocked country of South Asia. The district, with Tansen as its headquarters, covers an area of and ha ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

and it is considered the biggest of its kind in world. The karuwa is installed outside the

Tansen municipality Tansen is a Municipality and the administrative center of Palpa District in the "hills" of western part of Nepal. It is located on the highway between Butwal and Pokhara, on the crest of the Mahabharat Range or Lesser Himalaya overlooking the vall ...

office. The same district also have built the world's largest portable karuwa, which is cast in bronze and weighs 150 kg.

Gallery

File:Karuwa.jpg, alt=Silver karuwa, A small karuwa File:Palpali karuwa.jpg, World's largest bronze ''Karuwa'' located at

Tansen, Nepal Tansen is a List of cities in Nepal#Alphabetical list, Municipality and the administrative center of Palpa District in the "hills" of western part of Nepal. It is located on the highway between Butwal and Pokhara, on the crest of the Mahabharat Le ...

File:Karuwa ( water Jar), Patan Museum.jpg, Karuwa in

Patan Museum The Patan Museum is a museum located in Patan, Lalitpur, Nepal. The museum falls under the UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. The Patan Museum was inaugurated in 1997 by Late King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah. The Patan Museum displays the traditional ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karuwa Nepalese culture Kitchenware

Construction

Traditional uses

Major manufacturing places

Gallery

See also

References