Description of Bhurti

Bhurti is a mixed caste Hindu village, lying at around 4,500 feet in the middle hills. In 1969, it comprised almost equal numbers of high castes such as Upadhyaya (Brahmins) and Jaisi, and untouchable castes - mainly Sarki (leatherworkers), with some Damai (tailors and musicians). There was also a small kuti (nunnery) of ascetic Giri women and a hilltop temple to Bhairab called Belaspur. Crops grown included rice and wheat, but these were also imported into the area from Surkhet to the south.

Bhurti village in West Nepal contains 22 dry stone masonry pillars, constructed in typical Malla style. This is probably the largest concentration in west Nepal of such pillars, although it is unclear what their original purpose was. In January, 2008 the Nepal Department of Archaeology designated them the "Bhurti Temple Complex" and applied to UNESCO for World Heritage status.

See the detailed discussion in Priests and Cobblers: Social Change in a Hindu Village in West Nepal by Patricia Caplan (San Francisco; Chandler, 1972, republished by Mandala Publications, Kathmandu 2007). Here is photo gallery on Pat Caplan's Goldsmiths web page: http://www.gold.ac.uk/anthropology/staff/pat-caplan/nepal-photo-gallery/bhurti-village/