Made from one of the longest and strongest natural fibre extracted from inner bark of a high altitude shrub ‘Daphne’ commonly called lokta in Nepali, lokta paper or Nepali paper is one of the most “authentically Nepali” products you can find in the market. Most of the production for this paper happens in rural areas by Nepalese rural entrepreneurs and making it one of the main exports of Nepal and helping the export industry of the country grow considerably.
Lokta has been around in Nepalese culture and history for around 1500 years and the oldest historical scripts of the country have been found to be written in this kind of paper. It’s unique texture and extreme durability has helped the paper be of great utility for government offices to keep legal documentations and this culture seems to have been sticking around since the lichhavi period (400-750 AD) keeping up with manuscripts of historical Nepal.
Handicrafts made out of lokta paper are among the best of handicrafts found in the Nepalese market, the diaries and the lamp shades are so beautiful I bet you wouldn’t want to stop yourself from buying them when you see them. With the rough texture of the paper, it turns out to be the best option available when it comes to making handicrafts.
Having little to no characteristic smell and lightweight in nature, it has made its place in most of Nepalese bags and office documents. Being someone who loves writing and reading, the lokta paper diaries are among the best possessions you could own and also show off.
Good news for the conservationists, it is a perfect eco-friendly paper which doesn’t harm the trees biologically as it is made by harvesting the bark only, without affecting the tree. So lokta paper crafts are the perfect gift option you can think of for a loved one, from greeting cards to diaries to lamp shades and what not, it would never fail to make an impression.
