Company History

Even though it was founded only two years ago, Eastern Knot Rugs’ actual history dates back almost thirty years ago when our father set up a small carpet shop to attract the many tourists visiting Nepal back then. Go back further in time and it is clear how many Tibetans like our father Ngawang, possessed this carpet weaving method that was passed on from generations to generations from Tibet.

It was during the occupation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China in the 1950’s when Tibetans fled their country to find safe haven in India and Nepal. Like so many other fellow Tibetans, our parent’s families fled the country and found refuge in a tiny settlement in Jawalakhel, Nepal. Many organizations and governments sought to help us during the time but it was the Swiss Government that cleverly incorporated the ancient method of Tibetan carpet weaving and turned it into a revenue generating economy for the countless Tibetan refugees now living in Nepal. This helped sustain the Tibetan refugees by providing a livelihood to support themselves. Seeing this as an opportunity, Ngawang set up a small shop in Jawalakhel which would eventually turn into our parent company Inter Lama Carpet, also known as Eastern Lama Carpet. As he dealt with the shop and its many tourists, Ngawang bumped into a German wholesale dealer and very soon found himself immersed in countless orders from Germany and the rest of Europe. Business grew and expanded and soon enough, Inter Lama Carpet was one of the top leading exporters of Nepal.

Our father checking the inventory in the early years