Tokha Bazaar, found in the northern portion of Kathmandu, is best known for its Chaku. 

Chaku is a traditional Nepali delicacy made from boiled and hardened molasses, a few particular flavors and dry natural products. It is one of the important delicacies that individuals share as portion of the celebration of the Maghe Sankranti celebration, the other being the Sesame laddu (a sweet ball made of sesame and molasses).

When the Maghe Sankranti celebration is around the corner, this ancient town holding historic, religious, and archaeological value is active planning Chaku. 

Chaku is particularly popular among the Newar community of the Kathmandu Valley, and Tokha, which has a predominantly Newar settlement, plays a central part in providing Chaku for the Maghe Sankranti celebration, celebrated on the to begin with day of the Nepali month Magh. This year, the celebration will be celebrated on January 14. 

Tokha Bazar, which spans Ward Numbers 2 and 3, is domestic to 14 Chaku businesses. Agreeing to local people, most of the Chaku supply starts from Tokha, pulling in providers from different parts of Kathmandu Valley who put progressed orders for the product.

Over 50 laborers are included in making Chaku at the Shreekrishna Chaku Industry. 

The industry’s proprietor, Santamaya Shrestha, shared that her family has been in the trade for the past four eras, and she started centering on chaku-making right after the Tihar celebration. 

The Chaku delivered here is disseminated over the Kathmandu Valley, counting in places like Asan, Indrachowk, Bhaktapur, Kirtipur, and Patan, as well as exterior the valley to areas such as Narayangadh, Pokhara, Butwal, Biratnagar, and other parts of Nepal. Furthermore, there is request for Chaku universally, especially in nations where Newar communities reside.

Krishna Shrestha, Chair of the Tokha Conventional Chaku Preservation Society, expressed that the Chaku businesses in Tokha stay particularly active from the months of Kartik (October-November) to Push (January-February), creating Chaku and other molasses-based items. Yearly, each industry supplies the item between Rs. 3 to 4 million. 

It is said chaku-making has been practiced in Tokha since 519 Advertisement. The Tokha Traditional Chaku Preservation Society was set up on November 7, 2016, to save the conventional chaku-making industry of Tokha, which has been making chaku for a long time.

Rajkaji Shrestha, who has been creating chaku in Tokha for the final 50 a long time, said that there is a request for Tokha-made chaku not as it were from Nepal but moreover from different countries of the world.

source: risingnepaldaily