Where barter system is still in existence

By Kabiraj Ghimire,Hile, Jan. 22: You mostly hear about the market where you can buy goods and commodities with money. But there is still a traditional market called Budhabare Hatiya (Wednesday market) in Dhankuta, especially known for exchanging goods.

Dhankuta’s Mahalakshmi Municipality-4 Chanuwa organizes weekly haat (open-air market) every Wednesday. But the market is very different from others. They exchange goods for goods, not for money. 

From ancient times to the present, the exchange of goods has been practised in the market which seems strange to many people.Along with modernity, this practice has disappeared everywhere. But this custom is still preserved in Dhankuta.

Residents who come to fill the market with lampate surti (tobacco) from Jarayotar in Bhojpur and almonds from Homtang exchange vegetables with the residents of Dandagaon, Chanuwa, Marekkathare of Mahalakshmi Municipality. 

Exchange is a practice that precedes the transaction of currency in ancient times. But the tradition of exchanging is still going on in the market, the only market in Chanuva’s Haatdanda.

Presently, it has become a habit to buy and sell goods online without going out of the house physically. Most of the transactions in urban areas have started to be done online, thanks to digital technology. But Dhankuta is still preserving the traditional market which can be exciting for the newer generation.

Sukra Bahadur Budhathoki, Chairman of Mahalakshmi Municipality Ward No. 4, said that goods are not only sold in cash but also exchanged in this market. Due to the tradition of exchange, the farmers of the lowland can get goods produced in the highland, and vice-versa.

Farmers who come with goods in the market are tagged based on the item. When exchanging, they settle according to the item. The farmers who come to the market with vegetables will search for favourable items to exchange. Even after the road network reached the village, the practice of bringing agricultural products to the market is still the same. 

Local Kul Bahadur Sunda, who is also a member of the Mahalakshmi Municipality, said that he heard that the market started with the exchange of goods in the beginning.The Budhabare Hatiya (market) is located at the junction of four districts. Locals from Dhankuta, Bhojpur, Sankhuwasabha and Tehrathum come here to exchange their products with others.