Bricks are used for the purpose of building houses. In the Kathmandu Valley and outside, the tradition of building houses using bricks has been prevalent for a long time. It is said that houses made using bricks and clay have no age. This is because they can be dismantled and new houses can be built again, so houses made only with clay and bricks are said to have no age. Houses built using modern cement last only 50 to 100 years. In comparison, due to the traditional method of using interlocking techniques and local materials at various places, the 320-year-old Nyatapola Temple and the 600-year-old building, which only sway during earthquakes but do not collapse, were prepared.The Dattatreya Temple, said to be from the time of Yaksha Malla, which was built, is still standing tall, as everyone has seen. It is estimated that houses made of bricks and clay, even 700 years old, are still standing strong in Bhaktapur without collapsing.
Appa Making Method
First, the grain is ground to make flour, from which 'Appa Chhit' flour is extracted. Sufficient water is added to that flour and it is kneaded with feet to make it firm. Once the firm dough becomes smooth, the Appa Chhit is ready. From the dough prepared that evening, from early morning, thin discs are made by flattening them with hands. Using a wooden mold, the Appa is prepared there with the logo indicating which Bhatta's Appa it is. To prepare Appa, in the past, wooden molds were used, but nowadays, plastic molds or sheets are used, where the required amount of dough is spread and perfectly shaped. The excess is cut off with a knife. This AppaWhen preparing, to prevent it from drying out a bit, it must be placed on a surface. By carefully placing it on a flat ground, that surface is covered. The Appa is ready.
The appa prepared and stored in the khãlhey in this manner is held by a 'sili' as soon as it is slightly heated. It is held like this to heat both the bottom and the top evenly. After that, it is taken for frying while it is still slightly uncooked. The appa, some cooked and some uncooked, are counted by placing them in different places. Then they are taken to the hearth and served.
Hearth
In the past, bricks were baked in large kilns using straw, wood, and coal. But now, with modern fans rotating back and forth with wood inside, many bricks are baked at once using less wood. Bricks are stacked in layers in the kiln or furnace, arranged with holes to allow fire to pass through. Before lighting the fire and placing wood in front of the kiln, rice husks or brick powder are spread on top. In some places, a layer of non-flammable material is used, and this practice has also come into use. After making holes for smoke to escape and completing this preparation work, fire is lit in the brick kiln. Fire in front.The fire-feeding hole is large.
Depending on the size of the kiln, firewood should be added for two to four days. During this time, efforts will be made to spread the fire throughout the kiln from the front using a fan. Similarly, another machine will be used from the back to quickly spread the fire, ensuring that fire or smoke comes out. Once it is confirmed that the fire has spread throughout all the bricks, the addition of firewood will be stopped.
The bricks are left to cool naturally without fire for seven to ten days. Even after signs of the fire dying out, nothing is done for another four to five days. After that, the ashes, rice husks, or coverings on top are removed. Once the bricks are seen to be cool and baked, they are gradually removed from the kiln and stored in a safe place. This is the process of baking bricks. From molding the bricks using dies or molds to removing the baked bricks from the kiln, it takes approximately twenty-eight days to one month.
Ayapa
Aãypā is a special type of tile prepared for roofing during the construction of temples, rest-houses (falchas), or homes. This tile is designed to be smooth and grooved, so that water flowing from one side goes into the groove of its underlying tile. This aãypā, prepared as a roof to protect the house from rain, is smooth yet strong. When it rains, this tile ensures that water does not leak anywhere, collecting it and channeling it downwards. When laying this aãypā for roofing, first a layer of clay is firmly placed. Above that clay, these tiles are laid one by one, overlapping, from bottom to top. Because of this, all the water flowing from above......will only go downwards into the gutter, eaves, or drainpipes.
Kachi Appa
Kachi Appa is primarily used for religious purposes. On the seventh day after a person's death, Kachi Appa is used to make a 'bhutu' (a small mud structure) for offering seven measures of rice. The daughter prepares the 'bhutu' and offers seven measures of rice. After taking the seven 'chapu' brought by the locals and the Kachi Appa used to make the 'bhutu' to the river, the 'pakhaja' rice for the seventh day is finally prepared.
Similarly, during religious events like Saptah (week-long rituals), Nawah (nine-day rituals), and Bhagwat Puran recitations, Kachi Appa is used to construct the Yagya (sacrificial) site. It is also customary for those who light the funeral pyre on the day of a person's death to carry the Kachi Appa, wrapped in a cloth, to the cremation ground. Kachi Appa is also used to prepare and arrange the Yagya site for Homa (fire rituals), religious festivals, and various types of worship.
Tile
Tiles are bricks produced by industries for roofing modern houses. These bricks are made to be very smooth and protected from heavy rain. These strong yet smooth bricks, measuring one foot in length and ten inches in width, are exclusively produced in modern scientific machine-driven brick kilns at Bhaktapur Brick Tile Factory and Harisiddhi Brick Industry. The visible upper part is covered with a reddish coating. These are machine-made bricks used for roofing, where wood planks are laid, wired, or tar is used to fix them.
Ridge Tile
Dhuri Appa (ridge tile) is the brick that sits at the very top of the frame when roofing. This roof is covered by using Dhuri Appa or Lak Dhuri on the frame, with five-cornered pieces at the corners. First, the roofing work on both sides is completed, and then Lak Dhuri is placed at the very top on both sides so that water can drain off.
Dachhi Appa
Dachhi Appa is a slightly smooth and artistic brick that has been used since ancient times for constructing temples and 'phalchas' (public resting places). Being coated and reddish, this brick looks more beautiful and slightly reddish than ordinary bricks. Temple walls built with Dachhi Appa are seen to have very little mortar used, and despite more clay being used inside, the visible gaps between the bricks on the outside are very small. When walls are built using Dachhi Appa, they appear smooth. Therefore, temples, 'phalchas', and 'sattals' (public shelters) built with this brick look very attractive.
One side of Dachhi Appa is slightly sloping, and the visible outer part is slightly thicker or smooth. The other side has a different coating and color. Specifically, when building walls, Dachhi Appa is used with varying coatings to make them look good. Besides ordinary Dachhi Appa, other types of Dachhi Appa are somewhat difficult to make, and their price also differs from ordinary bricks. Traditionally, the Awal Prajapati community has been making Dachhi Appa.
Method of preparing Dachhi Appa
To make Dachi Appa, Ganti clay is first sourced and processed. Traditionally, clay and water were mixed in a pit and kneaded with feet. Nowadays, however, modern machines are used to easily process the clay, mixing it with water and pressing it into firm, ready-to-use pieces. This prepared clay is then cut into cake-like pieces to form individual Appas as needed. Since the base layer is soft, a slightly harder layer of Ganti clay is required for this Dachi Appa compared to making regular Appa. If Ganti clay is unavailable, then black dyacha can also be used with the base.Even by adding small amounts of ingredients, the use of reinforced Appa has begun. Nowadays, with the start of a scientific process where adding certain chemicals causes very soft clay, like cotton, to become lumpy or firm, brick kiln owners are now strengthening the base itself, eliminating concerns About the clay's quality.
The prepared sweet cakes are placed in the same type of molds or frames that are used to make the special cakes (appa). Previously, all molds or frames were made of wood. Now, however, molds made of plastic, brass, or iron are also being prepared. After that, a heavy iron tool is used to press the appa. The pressed appa are then placed one by one on a drying rack. If there are any missing corners or excess dough, skilled artisans or workers add to it, and if there is a little extra dough, they use a blade or knife to trim it and smooth out the corners to prevent any rough edges. As soon as the appa come out of the machine, skilled workers who know the job......artisans or workers finish the design of the embossed appa in this way. The appa that come out of the machine are dried on a rack for eight to ten days. If they can be dried on the rack, they will dry in just four days. If they need to be dried in a dark place, it takes ten to fifteen days. They are arranged in layers. If they are brought outside and dried on a rack, during the monsoon season when it rains, they are mostly dried a bit indoors by stacking them in layers.
When constructing the Daachi Appa house with carvings, the visible outer parts are painted with 'lancha'. Designs such as lotus, cloud, banana flower, facial mask, and serpent designs need to be painted with 'lancha' in different ways. In the past, when 'lancha' was readily available from mines, genuine 'lancha' was used to beautifully paint Daachi Appa. However, the practice of obtaining 'lancha' from mines has now disappeared. According to the new tradition, 'syucha' (red brick powder) and 'appachu' (limestone powder) are mixed with some medicinal powder, water is added to form a paste, and this is then considered 'lancha' and used for painting.
Significance of Daachi Appa
Carved bricks with simple and various patterns are used to build houses and temples. Round, oval, flower pattern, fan/leaf bricks, elephant head, Garuda, and face bricks are types of carved bricks used to build houses. Similarly, Purna Kalasha, bell pattern, triangular, leaf pattern, banana flower, water jar, wave pattern, star pattern, conch shell, frill, small water jar, and 'Nhay' pattern are types of carved bricks used to build temples. Moreover, carved bricks with patterns such as corner decorations, lion, Garuda, Naga Kanya, Ganesha, Kumara, Tara, Pancha Buddha, Ashtamangala, Bhindya, Toran or Kshap, and square pillars are used in temples. When designing Ashtamangala, Srivatsa,Pundarika (lotus flower), banner, vase, fly-whisk, fish, parasol, and conch shell are the eight brick patterns used in sequence.
According to Dachi Appa's modern design, curtain motifs, banana flower motifs, peacock feather motifs, Ilambu motifs, bhallar, face motifs, Sikhara motifs, Nasikh, Vajra creeper, small tree motifs, ribbons, large ribbons, Vajratara motifs, leaf-flower motifs, flower stalks, Kalasha stalks, Parimey, Mhaykhamey, Mhutupau, etc. are separately used.
Ma Appa
Ma Appa refers to the thick bricks used in the past when building houses. Now, with the advent of local bricks, the use of these Ma Appa bricks has almost disappeared. However, these old Ma Appa bricks are now being used for laying foundations and building strong walls. These bricks do not have any specific shape. Ma Appa are bricks prepared to be thick from top to bottom. When building walls using only earth and bricks, Ma Appa is used because walls up to 18 inches wide are built with an almost empty space in the middle or only earth is used. Due to its thickness, it does not break easily. Ma Appa bricks that are thousands of years old are still existing today.It is also being used by the general public for laying foundations and building internal walls. Ma Appa is also used on the upper part of the staircase.
Oil Cake
Chikam Appa is an appa used to seal the well by placing a Kasi Pancha to prevent water from accumulating in the well. This appa is made in a square shape, slightly bulging upwards, and one side is covered with a reddish layer. While MaAppa is used for the well's opening, this Chikam Appa is used throughout the well. Before sealing the well with Chikam Appa, a layer of Kasi Pancha is applied. This Kasi Pancha is applied to prevent water accumulation. The quality of this Kasi Pancha is that when it comes into contact with water, it solidifies into a single mass and does not allow water to pass through. This Chikam Appa is used in the well, placed directly above the yellow, soft Kasi Pancha that has such qualities. When making Chikam Appa, it is made slightly thick and bulging.However, because it is made very finely and well, the quality of this appa is also good.
