Nepalese Indigenous Paper Products
Paper pulled by hand, from the bark of the Himalaya.
Raja Paper & Crafts is a manufacturer, wholesaler and exporter of Nepalese indigenous paper products, working from our showroom in Thamel, Kathmandu. Every sheet starts as bark from the Daphne shrub, harvested in the high hills and pulled, pressed and sun-dried by hand.
The catalog at a glance
The Origin Material
A paper made from a shrub, not a tree.
Lokta paper is made from the inner bark of the Daphne Cannabina shrub, known locally as lokta, which grows wild between 2000 and 3500 metres in the Nepalese hills. The bark is stripped by hand and the plant is left to regrow. After six to eight years the same shrub can be harvested again, so the harvest never depletes the hillside. Bark is collected with environmental awareness, and the fragile forest ecology of Nepal is preserved.
In the workshop the bark is cooked twice, washed, chopped and beaten with a wooden hammer until it becomes pulp. The pulp is poured over a wooden frame, spread by gently shaking the frame in water, then dried in the sun. One sheet at a time.
The oldest surviving Hindu and Buddhist manuscripts, royal edicts and legal documents were written on this same paper. It was chosen for centuries for its exceptional durability and its soft, fibrous texture.
More than 80% of our products are made by Nepalese indigenous people, and every purchase supports households in the remote parts of the country.Raja Paper & Crafts, About Us
The Catalog
Fourteen families of paper goods.
Every specimen below is our own work in Nepalese indigenous paper, shown at close to its true size from the site's own archive. No stock photography here, and no invented prices. Where no photograph exists, the entry stands as a numbered plate.
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Decoration Hangings
Cut-paper wall hangings in layered Lokta, strung for the home or the shop.
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Paper Sheets
Blank Lokta sheets with deckled edges, natural and dyed, for print and craft.
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Greeting Cards
Cards folded from textured paper, in our own designs, ready for your message.
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Photo Albums
Covered albums with Lokta pages, bound by hand in the workshop.
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Incense
Fragrant Himalayan incense from Nepal, made alongside the paper.
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Photo Frames
Paper-covered frames in carved and painted styles.
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Lampshades
Lokta lampshades that turn warm when the lamp is lit.
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Prayer Flags
Strings of paper prayer flags in the classic five colours.
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Mithila Arts
Hand-painted Mithila art on Lokta sheets and panels.
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Stationery Sets
Coordinated desk sets in soft handmade paper.
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Notebooks
Stitched notebooks with the paper's natural grain on the cover.
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Telephone Diaries
Spiral diaries with Lokta covers, a classic of the trade.
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Paper Bags
Rope-handled Lokta bags for shops, gifts and carry.
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Wooden Stamps
Hand-carved block stamps, cut for paper and fabric.
Wholesale & Custom
Most of our products are our own special designs, and we accept your designs too.
Our Own Designs
The catalog is our own work.
The motifs, colourways and finishing you see in the specimens above are developed in our Thamel workshop. As manufacturer, wholesaler and exporter we supply paper goods in volume to shops, importers and brands around the world.
Your Designs
Send us a drawing, a sample, or an idea.
We accept customer designs and will produce them in Lokta paper in the quantity you need. Tell us the size, colours and finishing, and we will quote a wholesale price for your order.
Prefer to talk first? Email rajathamel@hotmail.com or info@rajapaper.com, or visit the showroom in Thamel.
Showroom
Find us in Thamel, Kathmandu.
Our showroom sits in one of the most prominent business locations for foreign buyers in Kathmandu, at the heart of the city's trade quarter. Call, write or drop by.
- Showroom
- Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal
- Telephone
- +977-1-5350828
- Mobile
- +977-9841203712, +977-9841203713