Introduction to Tharu people
The Tharu people are officially one of the 59 indigenous ethnic groups of Nepal, chiefly residing in the southern parts of Nepal and northern parts of India. They make up about 6.6% of the total population, By the government of India, they are recognized as a scheduled tribe of India. They have a well family system in their community. An interesting fact about this tribe is that the women have a high reputation and enough social and economic rights in their families. They are an eco-friendly tribe and all activities and cultural things are deeply related to nature.
History
The origin of the Tharu people is unclear, surrounded by myths and oral traditions. The Rana clan of Tharu, claims to be of Rajput origin and migrated from the Thar Desert to Nepal’s Far western terai region. Tharu from farther east claims to be a descend of the Sakya and Koliya, who lived in ancient Kapilvastu. While other claims to be migrated from Mongolia. According to Khwarazmian-Iranian scholar Al Biruni, Tharu people have been living in the eastern terai since the 10th century.
During the 18th century, following the unification of Nepal, the ruling families started to collect revenue from those who cultivated in the lands of Terai. Due to this, they were bonded in a system known as Kamaiya, During the Nepalese civil war, many of western Nepal’s Tharu joined and helped Maoists due to intense violence on them
In 1954, Jung B. Rana enforced a Muluki Ain, where he classified both Hindu and non-Hindu castes according to their habit of eating and drinking. In Muluki Ain, Tharu was classified as a Touchable enslavable alcohol drinking group. Panchayat system ended in Nepal in 1990. The Tharu ethnic association Tharu kalyankari Sabha joined the umbrella organization, a predecessor of The Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities.
In 2000, the government of Nepal, abolish the bonded labor tradition prevalent under the kamaiya system. In 2009, Many Tharu from Terai protested against the Nepal Government after attempting to categorize them as Madheshi people.
Language
The language of Tharu communities varies with place. There is several endemic Tharu language. In the central Terai of Nepal, they speak a variant of Bhojpuri. The variant of Maithili is spoken in the eastern Terai of Nepal. In western Nepal, Tharus speak variants of Awadhi, Hindi, and Urdu.
Religion
They are a very eco-friendly tribe and their spiritual belief and moral values are linked with nature. They worship large no of deities that live in the forest. Nowadays, Tharus are influenced by Hinduism. Some groups of Tharu are also converted to Buddhism.
Culture and Traditions
The Tharu people call themselves a people of the forest. In the forest of Chitwan, they have lived for more than hundreds of years. In that isolation, they established a unique culture free from the other group of Nepal and even India. However, nowadays they have freely engaged with others.
Tharu celebrates various festivals throughout the year. Maghi is one of the important festivals of the Tharu people. It falls in the month of Magh in the Nepali calendar. It is considered the new year in the Tharu community. They take bath in the nearest river or pond. They enjoy the whole day by singing, dancing, and eating delicious foods like rice pudding(Khichadi), laddus, yam, fish, meats, etc. Various cultural events are organized in various places. Chhath is another important festival of the Tharu people. On this day, they worship the sun and women keep fasting throughout the day. Thekuwa is an important fruit in this festival. Jitiya is another important festival of the Tharu people. it is celebrated before Dashian. During the festival, women keep fast for the better health and wealth of their sons. other celebration and festivals include Dashian, Fagu, etc.
Traditionally, The Tharu community practices arranged marriages, where parents often arrange their marriage during childhood. Polygamous Marriages are also customary among the Tharu community Mainly rich landholders marry 2 to 5 women. Far west Tharu practice the Badghar system, where a Badghar is elected as chief of a village or community.
LIFESTYLE
The living of the Tharu people mainly depends on agro-industries. They are mainly involved in farming. Rana Tharu generally lives in a longhouse(Badaghar) with big families of up to 4th generation. The Tharu people of Nepal have developed elaborate irrigation techniques for agriculture.
Also Read: About Tamangs
