Bhaktapur is always a famous place for sightseeing. Having Nyatapole (Paanch Talley Mandir), the place is crowded most of the times. Nevertheless, the temple has been a chilling hub among youths.
Beside worshipping and having quality time, the temple area is equally famous for the eateries that serve authentic Newari food. One of the popular food items around the eateries at Nyatapole is bara. Bara is a traditional Newari pancake made up from dal (pulses) with optional ingredients like eggs and buff meat.
Kumar’s ‘Mithu ko bhatti pasal’ out
One of the eateries that serve baras around Bhaktapur is ‘Aama ko Bara Pasal’. Having established in the early 70s, the eatery is one of the famous bara places at the Bhaktapur Durbar Square. The woman behind the shop, Bikumaya Bajracharya says she has been selling baras for 44 years. Now, she is 72 and still runs the eatery with her daughter-in-law. “I used to sell samaybaji and choila. Now, I only sell baras and cold drinks,” adds Bajracharya.
The name behind the shop has its own story. As asked why she used ‘Aama ko Bara Pasal’ as the name of her eatery, she replied it was because of the people who came to enjoy the traditional Newari pancakes in her restaurant. Sharing the story, she explains, “In the beginning, the place was only Bara Pasal. As I made baras, the people here started to denote me as Aama. And that’s how people referred my pasal as Aama ko Bara Pasal."
As the shop has been serving food for 48 years, Bajracharya recalls the early days of her struggle. She said the technologies weren’t advanced as today’s. “There were neither gas cylinders nor the grinding machine. Silautas and dauras were the big help but they would pain the body so much,” Bajracharya summons up selling baras in the early days.
The shop was so famous back then that the profit gained could handle all the family’s costs. “Even now, the shop has been a source of family’s income.”
The people also love the place and its food. The shop welcomes more than 300 people in a day. She adds, “On Saturday, the crowd is even more. We normally serve at least 500 people in a weekend. However, the customers are mostly Newars.”
