Know My Village

Khokana

A living museum of Newari life on the southern rim of the Kathmandu Valley — where mustard oil has been hand-pressed for five centuries, ducks paddle the village ponds, and the goddess Rudrayani rides her chariot while the rest of Nepal celebrates Dashain.

Discover Khokana Back to portfolio

01Location

Khokana sits about 8 kilometres south of Kathmandu in the Lalitpur district, on a small plateau above the Bagmati river at the quiet southern edge of the valley. It is a compact settlement of around 5,000 people, almost entirely from the indigenous Newar community, whose stone-paved main street, tiered temple, and communal courtyards still follow the pattern laid down in the Malla era. Its twin heritage village, Bungamati — birthplace of the rain god Rato Machhindranath — is a short walk across the fields.

District
Lalitpur, Bagmati Province, Nepal
Distance
~8 km south of Kathmandu
Community
~5,000 people, Newar heritage

02Fun Facts

One of Nepal's first electrified towns

Khokana was lit with electricity back in 1911, during the rule of Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher — before most of the country had ever seen an electric lamp.

On the UNESCO tentative list

In 1996 Khokana was nominated for UNESCO World Heritage listing as a vernacular village and a living example of mustard-oil industrial heritage.

Five centuries of liquid gold

Newar families here have hand-pressed mustard oil for more than 500 years — seeds are roasted over open hearths and crushed under heavy wooden beams, just as they always were.

Ducks, not chickens

By tradition, villagers don't raise chickens. Ducks are the household bird of Khokana, and you'll see them paddling around the village ponds.

The village that skips Dashain

While the rest of Nepal celebrates its biggest festival, Khokana holds its own — the nine-day Sikali Jatra in honour of the goddess Rudrayani.

A name with a story

The name Khokana is said to come from the Newari word khona — "telling while weeping" — one of many legends woven into the village's long history.

03Festivals

  1. Sep — Oct 9 days

    Sikali Jatra — the heart of Khokana

    Khokana's defining festival begins on Ghatasthapana (the first day of Dashain elsewhere) and runs for nine days. Eight unmarried boys perform secret Tantric rituals at the Sikali temple; on the fifth day the goddess Rudrayani is carried on a wooden chariot in the Khat Jatra; and on the sixth, sixteen dancers in the masks of deities — Bhairav, Kumari, Ganesh, Chamunda Kali and more — parade through the village with 46 musicians. It ends with the idol's reinstatement and a communal feast.

    • Rudrayani
    • Masked dances
    • Chariot procession
  2. August Village showcase

    Khokana Festival

    A celebration of everything that makes the village unique — Dhime drum and Devi dances, traditional Newari food, and demonstrations of the centuries-old mustard-oil pressing craft.

    • Dhime dance
    • Newari cuisine
    • Mustard oil
  3. Apr — May Next door

    Rato Machhindranath Jatra

    The towering chariot of the valley's rain god begins its months-long journey from neighbouring Bungamati — Machhindranath's birthplace — and the whole area, Khokana included, joins one of Nepal's greatest chariot festivals.

    • Chariot festival
    • Bungamati
  4. Early July Asar 15

    Ropain — the rice-planting festival

    On National Paddy Day the fields around Khokana fill with song, mud, and dhime drums as families transplant rice seedlings to welcome the monsoon. Visitors are welcome to roll up their trousers and join in.

    • Paddy Day
    • Monsoon

Festival dates follow the Nepali lunar calendar, so they shift a little each year.

04Fun Things to Do

Watch mustard oil being pressed

Step into a working mill and watch seeds roasted over an open hearth, then crushed under massive wooden beams — and take home a bottle of Khokana's famous cold-pressed oil.

Visit the Rudrayani temple & De Pukhu

The three-tiered pagoda of the harvest goddess rises at the centre of the village square beside the historic De Pukhu pond — visible from nearly every lane in the village.

Wander the medieval main street

Stone-paved lanes lined with carved windows, grain drying in the sun, women spinning wool in doorways — everyday life here is the attraction.

Taste real Newari food

Try bara, chatamari, and choila the way they're made in Newar kitchens, washed down with home-brewed aila if you're brave.

Walk the fields

Rice terraces glow green in the monsoon and the mustard fields turn gold in winter — the walk between them is the valley at its calmest.

Stroll to Bungamati

Khokana's twin heritage village is a short walk away — home of Rato Machhindranath and a community of master woodcarvers.

05A Year in Khokana

  1. April

    Nepali New Year & spring

    The valley warms up, courtyards fill with festivities, and the fields are prepared for the season ahead.

  2. April — May

    Rato Machhindranath Jatra

    The rain god's chariot sets out from neighbouring Bungamati, drawing crowds from across the valley.

  3. June — July

    Monsoon & Ropain

    Rice-planting season peaks on Asar 15 — mud, songs, and dhime drums in the paddies around the village.

  4. August

    Khokana Festival

    The village opens its doors with Newari dance, food, and mustard-oil demonstrations.

  5. Sep — Oct

    Sikali Jatra

    Nine days of Tantric ritual, chariot processions, and masked deity dances — Khokana's answer to Dashain.

  6. Oct — Nov

    Harvest & Tihar

    Rice is cut and dried in the square as the festival of lights brings oil lamps to every carved window.

  7. Dec — Feb

    Mustard season

    The fields bloom gold and the wooden mills run — roasting, crushing, and pressing the seeds into Khokana's famous oil.