Nepal is a country of different languages, communities, and cultural background. Tharus are one of the indigenous people and ethnic groups of Nepal. They are the inhabitants of Terai region from Jhapa in the east to Kanchanpur in the west. According to the cencus 2002, they constitute 6.75 per cent of the total population of the country. The largest concentration of Tharu population is found in the mid-western Terai. Tharus migrated towards eastward Kapilvastu and Rupandehi, and mostly in Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, and Kanchanpur districts where the concentration is the highest. They call them 'Chaudhari'. Chaudhari as title was given to the land revenue collector in the Terai. Tharus made the Terai into fertile and cultivable land. Majority of them are still peasants. They are the followers of animistic beliefs and practices handed down for ages.
Family Life
Family is the primary institution of Tharu society. It is the basic unit of production, social, cultural, and religious life. Tharus live in the joint family and they have a simple life. The household consists of a large extended family. Tharu family is organized on the patriarchal system. Family relations are based on age, seniority, and gender. Father as the head of the family plays the major role in the decision- making. Tharu women also hold a good and strong position in the family. After the death of the father, the eldest son becomes the head of the family. Tharu village is centred around a headman (Mahato) and village assembly. Guruwa is also an important person of the Tharu society. He is taken as the healer and the protector against the evils. Tharus believe that the Guruwa can rescue from the witches, diseases, and natural disasters. There are two types of Guruwa; Deshbandhya and Ghar Guruwa. Deshbandhya Gururwa has a privilege recognized by the entire village and Ghar Guruwa is the family Guruwa who is assigned to the few individual families of the village. Now a significant change is seen in the family structure and system. The joint and extended family is being replaced by segmented nuclear family. The process of modernization has tended to strengthen the nuclear family as against the extended.
Language is an important property of ethnic identity. Tharus have their own mother tongue. They speak Indo-Aryan language with regional variations. Tharu language is influenced by Maithili in the east, Bhojpuri in the central region, and Awadhi in the west of the Terai. They use the Devnagari script in writing.
Dress and ornaments
Tharus put their on typical dresses and ornaments. Dresses vary from region to region. Western Tharu women wear long and loose skirt called Lehanga and short-sleeved blouse(Kurtha). In Dang valley, married women wear white skirt and long-sleeved blouse. Men wear Dhoti, shirt, and Nepali cap. Women tattoo their hands and legs after marriage. Banka, Tarki, Bijait, Sutiya, Churi, Jhumki, Jhilmiliya, and Tadiya are popular ornaments. They wear silver armlets, bangles, necklace, and ring made up of silver coins as their ornaments. The tradition is changing and less practiced in the Tharu society.
Cultural practices
Tharus from east to west are composed of various endogamous groups with different languages and cultural practices. They have their own cultural practices from birth to death. The birth of a child is usually assisted by the traditional mid-wife (Sorinnya). Ghatwa Karaina ceremony is normally held after five or six days in order to purify the mother and child. There is an interesting tradition of naming the baby in Tharu society. It depends upon the particular day, time, and other events. For instance, if the baby is born during the absence of the father, the baby is named as 'Pradeshi'.
Tharus have the system of arranged marriage. Marriage is not allowed between the same clan, but within the community is preferred. Parents of the would-be bride and groom consult each other and make the decision for marriage. After mutual compromise, two families fix to get the young couple married. Phalgun month is preferred to marriage. On the day of wedding, the groom with marriage procession goes to bride's house and brings the bride and at the same time completes the ritual worship under the direction of the family Guruwa. Maagar song is sung in the marriage. There is also practice of exchange marriage, wherein the bride is brought from the same house where the daughter is sent if the condition is made. This system of 'marriage by exchange' is known as Satta Patta. Now it is less practised. Widow remarriage and divorce are socially acceptable. Liqour and pork are served as special feast during marriage. Relatives and neighbours are invited in the marriage day. Arranged marriage like in the Hindu society is becoming more common these days. Love, elopement, and inter-caste marriages are preferred by the new generation.
Tharus usually bury the dead body. A cot is used for carrying the dead body from the house to burial ground outside the village. A deep pit is dug and the dead body is buried inside it. The position differs according to sex, if it is male, the position is made face down and face up of female. The cot is kept in the reverse position where the dead body is buried. The sons perform the death ritual up to a period of eleven days. During these days they do not touch any one nor do they eat meat and alcoholic beverages. Most of the Tharus do not burn the corpse. Some affluent Tharus burn the dead body. On the final day, all the rituals for the dead are completed and the feast is given to relatives and neighbours. Guruwa completes the last funeral rite.
Marwathan
Where Tharus Worship Twice In a Year
Every Tharu village has a Marwathan or Bhuinyar (village shrine) in the centre of the village. Marwathan contains the hands like wooden carved posts erected on the ground and a thatched-roof house is built there. The villagers worship in the shrine twice in a year. The worship is conducted by the Mahato. At the time of worship, all the villagers assemble and Deshbandhya Guruwa performs the ritual with cock, goat or pig. The worship is performed in order to preserve the community from fire, flood, pest, epidemics, and other disasters. There is belief that the worship helps in the growth of crops and ample harvest.
Traditional knowledge
Tharus are rich in traditional skills and knowledge. Their indigenous skills, technologies, and expertise are age old which they are still using to address their major problems. They are mostly engaged in agrarian activities and depend upon manual labour. They have developed important tools like plough, sickle, axe, fishing instruments, and other objects at home. They also know herbal medicines for treatment. Now the local knowledge of herbal medicine among Tharus is in jeopardy of being lost owning to modern technology.
At present, Tharus are in search of their identity. They are greatly concerned at the loss of their traditions and culture. Their traditional dances, festivals, and music are performed every year. In addition, Tharu Welfare Society (TWS) is empowering Tharu community for social, cultural, and economic development. BASE (Backwards Society Education), a local level NGO is also promoting awareness through its non-formal education. Despite their complex system of beliefs and practices based on animistic traditions, they are bringing modifications in their traditional way of life. Their rites, customs, dresses, and marriage are influenced by the Hindu culture. These cultural transformations are taking place in the Tharu society. Modernization and Sanskritization are forcing them to be assimilated into the mainstream of Nepali culture. Globalization is another factor of bringing homogenization in the world. To become modern is to undergo changes in cultural and social practices and modernization is the adoption of modern technologies and reorganization of society. There is a trend of reform among educated Tharus.
