Communal Life in a Baha

In the towns of Kathmandu Valley, houses were built adjoining each other while the other two sides opened up onto a road, chowk, or baha. The bahas with Buddhist chaityas were usually paved with brick or stone. People used the bahas for sitting in the sun in the winter, for drying and husking foodgrains, for washing clothes, cleaning dishes, taking care of new mothers, spinning thread, for sculptor crafts, or for doing other chores. Every baha had a uniquely decorated aagan dya chhye (house of god) with a large turret on top.

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