Tharu people

Last updated

Thāru
थारू
Tharu Mahila.jpg
A Tharu woman in traditional dress
Total population
c.  1.96 million
Regions with significant populations
Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal 1,807,124 [1]
        Lumbini 732,069
        Sudurpaschim 397,822
        Madhesh 301,038
        Koshi 209,519
        Bagmati 110,284
        Gandaki 47,619
        Karnali 8,773
Flag of India.svg  India:
        Bihar
159,939 [2]
        Uttar Pradesh 105,291
        Uttarakhand 91,342
Languages
Tharu languages, Nepali, Hindi
Religion
Hinduism 94%, Buddhism 3.2%, Christianity 1.7%, Prakriti 0.7%, Baháʼí 0.03% [3]
Related ethnic groups

The Tharu people are an ethnic group indigenous to the Terai in southern Nepal and northern India. [4] [5] [6] They speak Tharu languages. [7] They are recognized as an official nationality by the Government of Nepal. [8] In the Indian Terai, they live foremost in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The Government of India recognizes the Tharu people as a scheduled Indian tribe. [9] [10]

Contents

Etymology

The word थारू (thāru) is thought to be derived from sthavir meaning follower of Theravada Buddhism. The Tharu people in the central Nepali Terai see themselves as the original people of the land and descendants of Gautama Buddha. Rana Tharu people of western Nepal connect the name to the Thar Desert and understand themselves as descendants of Rajputs who migrated to the forests in the 16th century. [11] Possible is also that the name is derived from the classical Tibetan words mtha'-ru'i brgyud, meaning the 'country at the border', which the Tibetan scholar Taranatha used in the 16th century in his book on the history of Buddhism. [6]

Distribution

Map showing area inhabited by Tharu people in dark green Tharu Area.jpg
Map showing area inhabited by Tharu people in dark green

In 2009, the majority of Tharu people were estimated to live in Nepal. [12] There are several endogamous subgroups of Tharu that are scattered over most of the Terai: [6] [13]

Smaller numbers of Tharu people reside in the adjacent Indian districts Champaran in Bihar, Gorakhpur, Basti and Gonda districts in Uttar Pradesh, and Khatima in Uttarakhand. [5]

As of 2011, the Tharu population in Nepal was censused at 1,737,470 people, or 6.6% of the total population. [24] The percentage of Tharu people by province was as follows:

The percentage of Tharu people was higher than national average (6.6%) in the following districts: [25]

History

According to Alberuni, Tharu people have been living in the eastern Terai since at least the 10th century. [6] The Rana Tharus in western Nepal claim to be of Rajput origin and to have migrated from the Thar Desert in Rajasthan to Nepal's Far Western Terai region after the defeat of Maharana Pratap against a Mughal emperor in the 16th century. [11] Some scholars refute this claim. [26] Another claim posits that the Tharu people are descendants of the Shakya dynasty, who propagated Mahayana Buddhism in Nepal from the late 1st century BC to the early 1st century AD. [27]

13th to 20th centuries

The Tabaqat-i Nasiri chronicle of the Islamic world contains records of an expedition by Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji into Kamrup region between Gauda and Tibet in 1205 AD and refers to the resident people as Kunch, today's Koch people, Mej/Meg today's Mech people and Tiharu as having mongoloid appearances. [28] These people impressed the Turkic peoples who had similar features as them, like slanting eyes, snub noses, high cheek bones, yellow complexion of the Mongols and who spoke a different language than in the rest of the subcontinent. [29]

Following the unification of Nepal in the late 18th century, members of the ruling families received land grants in the Terai and were entitled to collect revenue from those who cultivated the land. The Tharu people became bonded labourers in a system also known as Kamaiya. [30] In 1854, Jung Bahadur Rana enforced the so-called Muluki Ain, a General Code, in which both Hindu and non-Hindu castes were classified based on their habits of food and drink. [31] Tharu people were categorized as "Paani Chalne Masinya Matwali", i.e., touchable enslavable alcohol drinking group, together with several other ethnic minorities. [32] [33] In the late 1950s, the World Health Organization supported the Nepalese government in eradicating malaria in the forests of the central Terai. [34] Following the malaria eradication program using DDT in the 1960s, a large and heterogeneous non-Tharu population from the Nepali hills, Bhutan, Sikkim and India settled in the region. [35] In the western Terai, many Tharu families lost the land, which they used to cultivate, to these immigrants and were forced to work as Kamaiya. [7] In Chitwan, after the eradication of malaria, the U.S. government joined forces with the Nepali government in a project to build a new road, schools and health clinics, and distribute land to migrants from the hills. They invited Tharu people to take land but many Tharus preferred staying "voluntarily landless", as they worried that taking land would make them vulnerable to exploitation from Nepali governmental tax collectors and to attacks from wild animals. They preferred to stay as tenants for large Tharu landlords, who were often relatives. [36]

When the first protected areas were established in Chitwan, Tharu communities were forced to relocate from their traditional lands. They were denied any right to own land and thus forced into a situation of landlessness and poverty. When the Chitwan National Park was designated, Nepalese soldiers destroyed the villages located inside the national park, burned down houses, and beat the people who tried to plough their fields. Some threatened Tharu people at gun point to leave. [13]

1990 to present

After the overthrow of the Panchayat system in Nepal in 1990, the Tharu ethnic association Tharu Kalyankari Sabha joined the umbrella organisation of ethnic groups, a predecessor of the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities. [11]

In July 2000, the Government of Nepal abolished the practice of bonded labour prevalent under the Kamaiya system and declared loan papers illegal. Kamaiya families were thus enfranchised from debts supposedly incurred, but were also rendered homeless and jobless. [37] Bonded labour shifted to children who work in other households for food for themselves and their families, but rarely with access to school education. [38]

During the Nepalese Civil War, Tharu people experienced an intense period of violence, were recruited by and coerced to help the Maoists, especially in western Nepal; several Tharu leaders were assassinated and infrastructure of the Tharu organisation Backward Society Education destroyed. [39] After the Comprehensive Peace Accord was signed in 2006, Tharu organisations postulated an autonomous Tharu state within a federal Nepal, emphasising equality of opportunity and equal distribution of land and resources. [40] In 2009, Tharu people across the Nepal Terai protested against the government's attempt to categorise them as Madheshi people. [39] [41]

Culture

Wax statues of Tharu people in Tharu Museum, Chitwan District TharuPeople.JPG
Wax statues of Tharu people in Tharu Museum, Chitwan District

The Tharu people comprise several groups who speak different dialects and differ in traditional dress, customs, rituals and social organization. [42]

They consider themselves as a people of the forest. In Chitwan, they have lived in the forests for hundreds of years practising a short fallow shifting cultivation. They plant rice, wheat, mustard, maize and lentils, but also collect forest products such as wild fruits, vegetables, medicinal plants and materials to build their houses; hunt deer, rabbit and wild boar, and go fishing in the rivers and oxbow lakes. [13]

The Rana Tharus never went abroad for employment, a life that kept them isolated in their own localities. [43] They developed a unique culture free from the influence of adjacent India, or from the ethnic groups in Nepal's mountains. The most striking aspects of their environment are the decorated rice containers, colorfully painted verandahs and outer walls of their homes using only available materials like clay, mud, cow dung and grass. Much of the rich design is rooted in devotional activities and passed on from one generation to the next, occasionally introducing contemporary elements such as a bus or an airplane. [44]

Language

Tharu communities in different parts of Nepal and India do not share the same language. Several speak various endemic Tharu languages. In western Nepal and adjacent parts of India, Tharus speak variants of Hindi, Urdu and Awadhi. [42] In and near central Nepal, they speak a variant of Bhojpuri. In eastern Nepal, they speak a variant of Maithili. [22] More standard versions of these dialects are widely spoken by non-Tharu neighbors in the same areas so that there are no important linguistic barriers between Tharus and their neighbors. However, there are linguistic barriers between these dialects standing in the way of communication between Tharus from different regions. [7]

Folk dance

Sakhiya dance is a traditional dance of Tharu community performed during the Dashain and Tihar festivals by the unmarried young girls and boys. [45]

Lathi Nach, also known as Tharu stick dance is a cultural dance mainly performed during the Dashain festival. Laathi Nach has become a popular tourist attraction in Nepal, particularly Chitwan District. [46]

Art

Ashtimki Chitra of Western Tharus on a Dehari Ashtimki.jpg
Ashtimki Chitra of Western Tharus on a Dehari

Ashtimki Chitra is a type of painting drawn on the day of Ashtimki festival celebrated by the Tharus in the western region of Nepal using home-made colors made from red clay (red), bean leaves (green) and burnt wild grass (black). The painting depicts the story of evolution. The main components of the painting are Kanha (Krishna), a kadam tree, a boat, fish, crabs, tortoise, monkeys and other animals, a ten headed demon (Ravana), Pandava, Draupadi, a sun and a moon. [47]

Mokha art of Eastern Tharus Mokha Art16.jpg
Mokha art of Eastern Tharus

Mokha art is a typical style of painting the outer walls and verandas of homes in colourful forms in eastern Nepal. The artists, mostly women, make a mixture of clay and jute or mixture of clay, rice bran and cow dung, depending upon the district, and layers of the mixture are applied to the walls depicting floral and geometric patterns including birds and animals among many other motifs. When the design dries, they apply a layer of white clay to it and use natural colours to give them a facelift. [48] [49] [44]

Denhari is a traditional earthen vessel used to store food grains. It is made by using loamy clay, paddy straw and rice husk and has a round, rectangular or conical shapes. It is mostly made by females and mostly used to store paddy, wheat, rice, maize, lentils and mustard seeds. The vessel is also an integral part of religious festival and cultural activities. [50]

Sikki grass crafts are various handicrafts made from a special kind of grass known as sikki or moonj grass. Sikki baskets known as Dhakiya, Mauni or Daliya depending upon the place are baskets made from sikki or moonj grass plays an important role in everyday household activities of the Tharu community. They are also used in every rituals of Tharu community from the birth to death. [51] [52]

Religion

The spiritual beliefs and moral values of the Tharu people are closely linked to the natural environment. [5] The pantheon of their gods comprises a large number of deities that live in the forest. They are asked for support before entering the forest. [13] Tharus have been influenced by Hinduism for several centuries. However, since the 1990s, some Tharu groups in the Nepal Terai converted to Buddhism in the wake of ethnic movements for social inclusion and against the religious hierarchy imposed by the Hindu State. [53] In recent years a smaller number of Tharu people have converted to Christianity particularly after the rise of democracy in 1990. [54] [55]

Marriage system

Traditionally, Rana Tharus practice arranged marriages, which parents often arrange already during the couple's childhood. The wedding ceremony is held when the bride and groom reach marriable age. The ceremony lasts several days, involving all the relatives of the two families. [56] Among the Rana Tharus in Bardiya District, it is also custom to arrange marriage of a daughter in exchange for getting a bride for a son or vice versa. Parents give particular attention to the working capacity of the groom and bride, rather than the economic situation of the in-law family. Polygamous marriages are also customary among Tharu people, with rich land holders marrying between two and five women. [57]

Household structure

In the western Terai, Rana Tharu traditionally live in Badaghar called longhouses with big families of up to 31 members from four generations and between one and eight married couples. The household members pool their labour force, contribute their income, share the expenditure and use one kitchen. The eldest male person in charge of Badaghar households and associated land holdings is called Mukhiya. He assigns tasks to family members, is responsible for the family's social activities and has to report income and expenditures annually to the family. When families were forced to resettle, some of these Badaghar households broke up into smaller units of up to six households. [58]

Social structure

Tharu people in Rajapur, Nepal are either landholders, cultivate land on a sharecropping basis or are landless agricultural labourers. [57]

Festivals

Tharu people celebrate Maghe Sankranti on the first day of the Nepali month of Magh, usually around the middle of January. Depending on the location they call this day Magh, Maghi, Tila Sankranti, Kichhra and Khichdi. [59] In the western region of Nepal, they celebrate Ashtimki on the day of Krishna Janmashtami. On this day, people of Tharu communities draw a special artwork known as Ashtimki Chitra made on the wall of the living room of the house of the village elder. The art in painting is thought to be related to the creation of the universe. [47] In the eastern Terai, Tharu people celebrate Jur Sital on the first day of the year in the month of Vaisakha by sprinkling water on each other. The elders put water on the forehead and head of the young ones with blessing, while the young people put water on the feet of the elders to pay respect. Compatriots sprinkle water on each other’s body. [60] [61] Tharu women of central and eastern Nepal celebrate Jitiya, which is one of the most important Tharu festivals. They fast or keep “ vrata ” for the welfare of their children. [62] Eastern Tharus celebrate Saama Chakeva in the month of Kartik to honour the relationship between brothers and sisters. The sisters make clay statuettes of Shama, Chakewa, Sathbhainya, Chugala and a dog among others. [63] Atwari is a sacred festival observed by western Tharus predominantly in the western Terai region of Nepal in which they venerate Bhima and offers prayers to the Surya, aspiring to embody Bhima's strength in their traditions. [64] [65]

Cuisine

Tharu food during Maghi festival Tharu food.jpg
Tharu food during Maghi festival

Tharus have a rich and diverse food culture. Their cuisine varies depending on the region they inhabit. [66] Ghonghi is a fresh water snail dish eaten by sucking the snail from its shell. It is served with rice and this combination, for indigenous people in Terai, had been a staple food for ages. [67] Dhikri is a popular western Tharu dish which is prepared by making a dough with warm water and rice flour and is eaten with spicy chutney. [68] Bagiya is similar to dhikri but is popular among eastern Tharus and consists of an external covering of rice flour and an inner content of sweet substances such like chaku, vegetables and other fried items. [69] Bhakkha is a fluffy rice cake popular among Tharus of eastern Nepal and is usually eaten with freshly made chutney or achaar. [70] Sidhara is a mixture of taro root, dried fish and turmeric that is formed into cakes and dried for preservation. The cakes are broken up and cooked with radish, chili, garlic and other spices to accompany boiled rice. [71] Another short compendium of Tharu recipes includes roasted crab, wheat flatbread fried in mustard oil, and fried taro leaf cakes. [72] Drinking and offering home-made alcohols which are also known as Jaar, Raksi or Chhaang are one of the core culture of Tharus. [66]

Genetics

Genetic studies on Y-DNA of Tharu people from two villages in Chitwan district and one in Morang district revealed a high presence of Haplogroup O-M117 (33.3%) followed by Haplogroup H (25.7%), Haplogroup J2a-M410(xM68, M47, M67, M158) (9.9%), Haplogroup R1a (8.8%), Haplogroup R2a-M124 (4.7%), Haplogroup J2b2-M12/M102/M241(xM99) (4.1%), Haplogroup D-M174 (3.5%), Haplogroup L-M20 (2.3%), Haplogroup O-M95 (2.3%), Haplogroup E-M35 (1.8%), Haplogroup O-M134(xM117) (1.2%), Haplogroup Q-M242 (1.2%), Haplogroup C1b1a1-M356 (0.6%), and Haplogroup K-M9(xM70, M20, M214, M74) (0.6%). A genetic study on mtDNA of several Tharus in Nepal showed that the total of South Asian mtDNA haplogroups ranges from 31.6% to 67.5% in the Tharu while the total of East Asian mtDNA haplogroups ranges from 32.5% to 68.4% depending on the Tharu group studied. [73] A genetic survey of Tharus from Nepal, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh showed that they have both a South Asian and an East Asian human genetic origin. [74]

Resistance to malaria

The Tharu are famous for their ability to survive in the malarial parts of the Terai that were deadly to outsiders. [7] Contemporary medical research comparing Tharu with other ethnic groups living nearby found an incidence of malaria nearly seven times lower among Tharu. [75] The researchers believed such a large difference pointed to genetic factors rather than behavioural or dietary differences. This was confirmed by follow-up investigation finding genes for thalassemia in nearly all Tharu studied. [76] [77] Tharu people have limited, not complete, immunity to malaria. Many Tharus, particularly babies, died from malaria. [36]

Notable Tharu people

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapti Zone</span> Former administrative area in Nepal

Rapti Zone was one of the fourteen zones, located in the Mid-Western Development Region of Nepal. It was named after the West Rapti River which drains Rolpa, Pyuthan and part of Dang districts. The remainder of Dang and part of Salyan district are drained by the Babai. The remainder of Salyan and all of Rukum districts are drained by the Bheri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terai</span> Region in northern India and southern Nepal

The Terai or Tarai is a lowland region in parts of southern Nepal and northern India that lies to the south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas, the Sivalik Hills and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This lowland belt is characterised by tall grasslands, scrub savannah, sal forests and clay rich swamps. In North India, the Terai spreads from the Yamuna River eastward across Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. The Terai is part of the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion. Nepal's Terai stretches over 33,998.8 km2 (13,127.0 sq mi), about 23.1% of Nepal's land area, and lies at an elevation of between 67 and 300 m. The region comprises more than 50 wetlands. North of the Terai rises the Bhabar, a narrow but continuous belt of forest about 8–12 km (5.0–7.5 mi) wide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhangadhi</span> Sub-Metropolitan City in Sudurpashchim, Nepal

Dhangadhi is a sub-metropolitan city and the district headquarters of Kailali District in Sudurpashchim Province of Nepal. It shares a border with India in the south, Godawari and Gauriganga Municipality in the North, Kailari Rural Municipality in the east and Kanchanpur District in the west. Dhangadhi is a sub-metropolis divided into 19 wards. It has an area of 271.74 Sq. KM. It is one of the major cities of Far - West Province of Nepal along with Mahendranagar. The city is connected with the Mahakali Highway, about 750 kilometers west of Kathmandu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bardiya District</span> District in Lumbini Province, Nepal

Bardiya District, one of the seventy-seven Districts of Nepal, is part of Lumbini Province of Nepal. The district, with Gulariya as its headquarters, covers an area of 2,025 km2 (782 sq mi) and according to the 2001 census the population was 382,649 in 2011 it has 426,576.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chitwan District</span> District in Bagmatti Pradesh, Nepal

Chitwan District is one of 77 districts of Nepal, and takes up the southwestern corner of Bagmati Province. Bharatpur, largest city of Nepal after Kathmandu, is its administrative centre. It covers 2,238.39 km2 (864.25 sq mi), and in 2011 had a population of 579,984 people. Bharatpur is the commercial and service centre of South Central Nepal and a major destination for higher education, health care and transportation in the region. Chitwan lies in the Terai region of Nepal. It is in the drainage basin of the Gandaki River and is roughly triangular, taking that river as its meandering northwestern border, and a modest watershed border, with India, as the basis of its southern limit. Local government: Bharatpur Metropolitan, Rapti Municipality, Ratnanagar Municipality, Kalika Municipality, Khairahani Municipality, Madi Municipality, Ikshyakamana Gaupalika

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kailali District</span> District in Sudurpashchim Province, Nepal

Kailali District, a part of Sudurpashchim Province in Terai plain, is one of the 77 districts of Nepal. The district, with Dhangadhi as its district headquarters, covers an area of 3,235 square kilometres (1,249 sq mi) and has a population of 911,155 and, .

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanchanpur District</span> District in Sudurpashchim Province, Nepal

Kanchanpur District, a part of Sudurpashchim Province in the Terai plain, is one of seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Bhimdatta as its district headquarters, covers an area of 1,610 square kilometres (620 sq mi) and had a population of 134,868 in 2001 and 171,304 in 2011. It is located in south-western of Nepal. It is bordered by Kailali district in the east, Dadeldhura district in the north and with India in the south and west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doti</span> Former region in Nepal

Doti, also known as Dotigarh (डोटीगढ़) or the Far-Western Development Region was a development region of Nepal situated between River Kali bordering Kumaon division of Uttarakhand, India in the west and the Karnali river on the east. Doti was one of eight different princely states of the Katyuri Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birgunj</span> Metropolitan City in Madhesh Province, Nepal

Birgunj is a metropolitan city in Parsa District in Madhes Pradesh in southern Nepal. It lies 135 km (84 mi) south of the capital Kathmandu, attached in the north to Raxaul on the border of the Indian state of Bihar. As an entry point to Nepal from Patna, Birganj is known as the "Gateway of Nepal". It is also called the "Commercial Capital of Nepal". The town has significant economic importance for Nepal as most of the trade with India is via Birganj and the Indian town of Raxaul. The Tribhuvan Highway links Birgunj to Nepal's capital, Kathmandu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madheshi people</span> Indo-Aryan Nepalese ethnic group in Terai-Madhesh

Madheshi people is a term used for several ethnic groups in Nepal living in the Terai region of Nepal. It has also been used as a political pejorative term by the Pahari people of Nepal to refer to Nepalis with a non-Nepali language as their mother tongue, regardless of their place of birth or residence. The term Madheshi became a widely recognised name for Nepali citizens with an Indian cultural background only after 1990.

The Inner Terai Valleys of Nepal comprise several elongated river valleys in the southern lowland Terai part of the country. These tropical valleys are enclosed by the Himalayan foothills, viz the Mahabharat Range and the Sivalik Hills farther south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Nepal</span> Overview of and topical guide to Nepal

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Nepal:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tharu languages</span> Indo-Aryan language group of Nepal and India

The Tharu or Tharuhat languages are any of the Indo-Aryan languages spoken by the Tharu people of the Terai region in Nepal, and neighboring regions of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in India.

Lampucchwa Tharu or Morangiya Tharu is one of the endogamous subgroups of Tharu people which are an ethnic group indigenous to the Terai, the southern foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal and India. Likewise Morangiya Tharu dwells in the Eastern plain or Terai of Nepal. They can be found mainly in the districts of Morang and Sunsari. Though found in two districts, they are called by Morangiya Tharu as those two districts were one district before 1962. Within the group, they refer to themselves as Morangiya Tharu, but people from other regions would call them Lampucchwa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madhesh Province</span> Province of Nepal

Madhesh Province is a province of Nepal in the Terai region with an area of 9,661 km2 (3,730 sq mi) covering about 6.5% of the country's total area. It has a population of 6,126,288 as per the 2021 Nepal census, making it Nepal's most densely populated province and the smallest province by area. It borders Koshi Pradesh to the east and the north, Bagmati Province to the north, and India’s Bihar state to the south and the west. The border between Chitwan National Park and Parsa National Park acts as the provincial boundary in the west, and the Kosi River forms the provincial border in the east. The province includes eight districts, from Parsa in the west to Saptari in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kochila Tharu</span> Indo-Aryan language of Nepal

Kochila Tharu, also called Morangiya, Saptari or Saptariya Tharu, Madhya-Purbiya Tharu, and Mid-Eastern Tharu, is a diverse group of language varieties in the Tharu group of the Indo-Aryan languages. The several names of the varieties refer to the regions where they dominate. It is one of the largest subgroupings of Tharu. It is spoken mainly in Nepal with approximately 250,000 speakers as of 2003. In addition to language, cultural markers around attire and customs connect individuals into the ethnic identity Kochila.

Bardagoriya is a rural municipality in Kailali District of Nepal. Bardagoriya Rural Municipality lies 65 km east of Dhangadhi and 605 km west of the capital, Kathmandu. It is surrounded by Ghodaghodi Municipality to the west, Lamki Chuha Municipality to the east, Joshipur Rural Municipality to the south and Mohanyal to the north. Bauniya Bazar is its largest market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rana Tharu people</span> Ethnic group in Nepal

Rana Tharu is an ethnic group generally classified as part of the Tharu people of Nepal and India. They are living in Kailali and Kanchanpur Districts of the far western Nepali Terai and also in India, in Udham Singh Nagar district, Uttarakhand and Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh. As of 2001, Rana Tharu people were the largest of five scheduled tribes in Uttarakhand, with a population of 256,129 accounting for 33.4% of all scheduled tribes.

Danguara Tharu also known as Dangauli Tharu, Dangora Tharu, or Dangura Tharu is one of the Tharu languages spoken by the Tharu people in the Dang, Kapilvastu, Banke, and Bardiya districts of the Lumbini Province and in Kailali and Kanchanpur district of Sudurpaschim Province of Nepal, primarily in the Western Terai Region as well as in Bahraich, Gorakhpur, and Lakhimpur Kheri districts of Uttar Pradesh in India.

Rana Tharu is a Indo Aryan language spoken by the Rana Tharu people who are part of the Tharu ethnic group in the Sudurpashchim Province of Nepal, specifically in the Kanchanpur district's southern municipalities and Dhangadhi in the Kailali district. Rana Tharu is also spoken in specific areas of Uttar Pradesh, India including the Lakhimpur Kheri district, particularly in Palia Kalan and Chandan Chauki block, situated on the India–Nepal border. Additionally, it is spoken in the Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand state. It exhibits high intelligibility among its dialects, with reported percentages ranging from 96% to 99%. The language has linguistic distinctions with dialects in India and shows lexical similarities with Awadhi and Buksa as well.

References

  1. ↑ National Statistics Office (2021). National Population and Housing Census 2021, Caste/Ethnicity Report. Government of Nepal (Report).
  2. ↑ General & Census Commissioner (2011). A-11 Individual Scheduled Tribe Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix. Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India (Report). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  3. ↑ Central Bureau of Statistics (2014). Population monograph of Nepal (PDF) (Report). Vol. II. Government of Nepal.
  4. ↑ Bista, D. B. (1971). "Tharu". People of Nepal (Second ed.). Kathmandu: Ratna Pustak Bhandar. pp. 108–118.
  5. 1 2 3 Rajaure, D. P. (1981). "Tharus of Dang: the people and the social context" (PDF). Kailash. 8 (3/4): 155–185.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Krauskopff, G. (1995). "The anthropology of the Tharus: an annoted bibliography" (PDF). Kailash. 17 (3/4): 185–213.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Guneratne, A. (2002). Many tongues, one people: The making of Tharu identity in Nepal. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. ISBN   0801487285.
  8. 1 2 Lewis, M. P.; Simons, G. F.; Fennig, C. D., eds. (2014). "Tharu, Chitwania: a language of Nepal". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (Seventeenth ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International.
  9. ↑ Verma, S. C. (2010). "The eco-friendly Tharu tribe: A study in socio-cultural dynamics". Journal of Asia Pacific Studies. 1 (2): 177–187.
  10. ↑ Raghavan, V. R., ed. (2012). "Strategic Overview". Internal Conflicts: Military Perspectives. New Delhi: Vij Books India Pvt Ltd. pp. 15–176. ISBN   9789382573401.
  11. 1 2 3 Skar, H. O. (1995). "Myths of origin: the Janajati Movement, local traditions, nationalism and identities in Nepal" (PDF). Contributions to Nepalese Studies. 22 (1): 31–42.
  12. ↑ Central Bureau of Statistics (2009). "Chapter 1: Area and Population; Table 1.7: Population Distribution by Caste/Ethnic Groups and Sex for Nepal, 2001". Statistical Year Book of Nepal 2009. Kathmandu: Government of Nepal.
  13. 1 2 3 4 McLean, J. (1999). "Conservation and the impact of relocation on the Tharus of Chitwan, Nepal". Himalayan Research Bulletin. XIX (2): 38–44.
  14. ↑ Lewis, M. P.; Simons, G. F.; Fennig, C. D., eds. (2014). "Tharu, Rana: a language of Nepal". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (Seventeenth ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International.
  15. ↑ Rana, B. (2022). "Five misconceptions about Rana Tharus". The Record. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  16. ↑ Lewis, M. P.; Simons, G. F.; Fennig, C. D., eds. (2014). "Tharu, Kathoriya: a language of Nepal". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (Seventeenth ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International.
  17. ↑ "Copula Construction in Kathariya Tharu".
  18. ↑ Lewis, M. P.; Simons, G. F.; Fennig, C. D., eds. (2014). "Sonha, a language of Nepal". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (Seventeenth ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International.
  19. ↑ Chaudhary, Anil Dutt. "Phonological study of the Sonaha language".
  20. ↑ Lewis, M. P.; Simons, G. F.; Fennig, C. D., eds. (2014). "Tharu, Dangaura: a language of Nepal". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (Seventeenth ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International.
  21. ↑ Lewis, M. P.; Simons, G. F.; Fennig, C. D., eds. (2014). "Tharu, Kochila: a language of Nepal". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (Seventeenth ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International.
  22. 1 2 Eichentopf, S.R.; Mitchell, J.R. (2013). A Sociolinguistic Study of Kochila Tharu in Southeast Nepal (PDF) (Report). Linguistic Survey of Nepal (LinSuN) Central Department of Linguistics Tribhuvan University, Nepal and SIL International.
  23. ↑ Lewis, M. P.; Simons, G. F.; Fennig, C. D., eds. (2014). "Dhanwar: a language of Nepal". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (Seventeenth ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International.
  24. ↑ Central Bureau of Statistics (2012). National Population and Housing Census 2011 (PDF). Kathmandu: Government of Nepal.
  25. ↑ Central Bureau of Statistics (2018). Nepal Census, District Level Detail Report 2011 (PDF). Kathmandu: Government of Nepal. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  26. ↑ Shukla, P.K. (1994). "The Tharus of Bihar : A historical and anthropological study". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 55: 646–654.
  27. ↑ Peoples, nations and cultures : an A-Z of the peoples of the world, past and present. Internet Archive. London : Weidenfeld & Nicolson. 2005. p. 552. ISBN   978-0-304-36550-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  28. ↑ Nath, D. (1989). "The Koches: their racial affinities and original homeland". History of the Koch Kingdom, C. 1515–1615. Delhi: Mittal Publications. pp. 1–14. ISBN   8170991099.
  29. ↑ Chatterji, S.K. (1951). "The Turki invasion of Kāma-Rūpa". Kirata-Jana-Krti. Calcutta: The Asiatic Society. pp. 100–101.
  30. ↑ Regmi, R. R. (1994). "Deforestation and Rural Society in the Nepalese Terai" (PDF). Occasional Papers in Sociology and Anthropology. 4: 72–89. doi: 10.3126/opsa.v4i0.1086 .
  31. ↑ Stiller, L. F. (1993). Nepal: Growth of a Nation. Kathmandu: Human Resources Development Research Center.
  32. ↑ Gurung, H. (2005). Social exclusion and Maoist insurgency. National Dialogue Conference on ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples. Kathmandu, 19–20 January 2005.{{cite conference}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  33. ↑ Krauskopff, G. (2007). "An 'indigenous minority' in a border area: Tharu ethnic associations, NGOs, and the Nepalese state". In Gellner, D. (ed.). Resistance and the State: Nepalese Experiences (Revised ed.). New York: Berghahn Books. pp. 199–243. ISBN   9781845452162.
  34. ↑ Brydon, H. W.; Joshi, G. & Pradhan, S. P. (1961). "Anopheles distribution and its relation to the malaria eradication programme in central Nepal" (PDF). Mosquito News 21 (2): 102–105.
  35. ↑ Terrenato, L.; Shrestha, S.; Dixit, K.A.; Luzzatto, L.; Modiano, G.; Morpurgo, G. & Arese, P. (1988). "Decreased malaria morbidity in the Tharu and Maithil people compared to sympatric populations in Nepal". Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology. 82 (1): 1–11. doi:10.1080/00034983.1988.11812202. PMID   3041928.
  36. 1 2 Robertson, T. B. (2018). "DDT and the Cold War: American Social and Environmental Engineering in the Rapti Valley (Chitwan) of Nepal". Journal of American History. 104 (4): 904–930. doi:10.1093/jahist/jax429.
  37. ↑ Chhetri, R.B. (2005). "The plight of the Tharu Kamaiyas in Nepal: A review of the social, economic and political facets". Occasional Papers in Sociology and Anthropology (9): 22–46.
  38. ↑ Giri, B.R. (2012). "The bonded labour system in Nepal: Musahar and Tharu communities' assessments of Haliya and Kamaiya labour contracts". Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences. 4 (2): 518–551.
  39. 1 2 Guneratne, A. (2010). "Tharu – State relations in Nepal and India". Himalaya, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies. 29 (1): 19–28.
  40. ↑ Maycock, M. (2011). "The Influence of the Tharuhat Autonomous State Council (TASC) in Kailali District in the Far-Western Region". Nepal Journal of Social Science and Public Policy. 1 (1): 78–89. doi: 10.53037/na.v1i1.43 . S2CID   245428543.
  41. ↑ Pandey, K. (2017). "Politicising ethnicity: Tharu contestation of Madheshi identity in Nepal's Tarai". The South Asianist. 5 (1): 304–322.
  42. 1 2 Guneratne, A. (1998). "Modernization, the State, and the Construction of a Tharu identity in Nepal". The Journal of Asian Studies. 57 (3): 749–773. doi:10.2307/2658740. JSTOR   2658740. S2CID   59415768.
  43. ↑ Gurung, G. M. (1992). "Socioeconomic Network of a Terai Village: An account of the Rana Tharus of Urma-Urmi" (PDF). Contributions to Nepalese Studies. 19 (1): 19–25.
  44. 1 2 Meyer, K. W. & Deuel, P. (1997). "The Tharu of the Tarai". Kathmandu: Indigo Gallery. Retrieved 7 December 2006.
  45. ↑ Dangaura, M. (2022). "The Memory of Performance: From Contents to Contexts of Selected Tharu Folk Dances". Scholars: Journal of Arts & Humanities. 4 (1): 11–28. doi: 10.3126/sjah.v4i1.43050 .
  46. ↑ "The folk dances enriching Nepali culture". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  47. 1 2 "थारू समुदायमा अष्टिम्की अनुष्ठान". Annapurna Post. 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  48. ↑ "As Nepali villages modernize, mokha art is on the verge of disappearing". Global Voices. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  49. ↑ "Mokha : Symbolic Expression of the Morangiya Tharu". S.C. Suman. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  50. ↑ Sen, S. (2020). "Denhari, the indigenous craft of Tharus, on verge of disappearance". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  51. ↑ Bhuju, K. "Tharu sikki / thatch grass / mujella". The Encyclopedia of Crafts in WCC-Asia Pacific Region (EC-APR). Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  52. ↑ "Local arts and crafts". Farwest Nepal. 2019. Archived from the original on 7 October 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  53. ↑ Letizia, C. (2014). "Buddhist Activism, New Sanghas, and the Politics of Belonging among some Tharu and Magar Communities of southern Nepal". In Toffin, G.; Pfaff-Czarnecka, J. (eds.). Facing Globalization in the Himalayas: Belonging and the Politics of the Self. Governance, Conflict and Civic Action. Vol. 5. New Delhi: SAGE Publications. pp. 289–325. ISBN   978-9351500483.
  54. ↑ Central Bureau of Statistics (2014). Population monograph of Nepal (PDF) (Report). Vol. II. Government of Nepal.
  55. ↑ Dalzell, V. (2018). ‘Our God is not a foreign God’: Ritual Music Practice and Tharu Ethnicity within Western Nepal’s Christian Community. The Annual Kathmandu Conference on Nepal and the Himalaya. Kathmandu, Nepal.
  56. ↑ Kittelsen, T. C. & Gurung, G. M. (1999). "Symbols of tradition, signs of change: marriage customs among the Rana Tharu of Nepal". In Skar, H. O. (ed.). Nepal: Tharu and Tarai Neighbours. Bibliotheca Himalayica. Vol. 16. Kathmandu: Educational Enterprises. pp. 205–222.
  57. 1 2 Pun, S. (2000). "Gender, land and irrigation management in Rajapur". In Pradhan, R.; Benda-Beckmann, F. v.; Benda-Beckmann, K. v. (eds.). Water, land, and law. Changing rights to land and water in Nepal. Proceedings of a workshop held in Kathmandu, March 1998. Kathmandu, Wageningen, Rotterdam: Legal Research and Development Forum, Wageningen Agricultural University, Erasmus University Rotterdam. pp. 195–216. ISBN   9993316008.
  58. ↑ Lam, L. M. (2009). "Land and associated changes in Rana Tharu households" (PDF). Park, hill migration and changes in household livelihood systems of Rana Tharus in Far-western Nepal (Doctor of Philosophy thesis). Adelaide: University of Adelaide. pp. 160–186.
  59. ↑ "Maghi the Tharu way". The Kathmandu Post. 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  60. ↑ "'Jur Sital/Shiruva', the festival of cold and blessings". Himal Sanchar. 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  61. ↑ "Joorshital/Siruwa: A unique tradition of celebrating the New Year among Tharus in southern Nepal". Online Khabar. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  62. ↑ "Tharu festival 'Jitiya' begins". The Himalayan Times. 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  63. ↑ "Tharu people celebrate Sama-Chakeva festival". My Republica. 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  64. ↑ Sammohan, Aayush. "Atwari Festival". Wonders of Nepal.
  65. ↑ "Badka Atwari festival celebrated with fanfare". GorakhaPatra. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  66. 1 2 "Tharu Cuisines and Delicacies (in Pictures)". The Nepali Food Blog | theGundruk.com. 16 January 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  67. ↑ "Tharu Tradition: Ghonghi Recipe - The Buzz Nepal". thebuzznepal.com. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  68. ↑ "Dhikri in Maghe – Boss Nepal" . Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  69. ↑ diwakar (13 November 2023). "Bagiya: Try this traditional Tihar-special Tharu dish this festive season - OnlineKhabar English News" . Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  70. ↑ Katuwal, Sita (12 August 2017). "Bhakka- Eastern Tharu Delicacy". The Nepali Food Blog | theGundruk.com. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  71. ↑ Sankuchy (21 December 2011). "VOICE OF THARUS: Sidhara – the colocasia concoction". VOICE OF THARUS. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  72. ↑ Sankuchy (26 July 2013). "VOICE OF THARUS: Three mouth-watering Tharu dishes". VOICE OF THARUS. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  73. ↑ Fornarino, S.; Pala, M.; Battaglia, V.; Maranta, R.; Achilli, A.; Modiano, G.; Torroni, A.; Semino, O.; Santachiara-Benerecetti, S. A. (2009). "Mitochondrial and Y-chromosome diversity of the Tharus (Nepal): a reservoir of genetic variation". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 9: 154. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-9-154 . PMC   2720951 . PMID   19573232.
  74. ↑ Chaubey, G.; Singh, M.; Crivellaro, F.; Tamang, R.; Nandan, A.; Singh, K.; Sharma, V.K.; Pathak, A.K.; Shah, A.M.; Sharma, V.; Singh, V.K. & Rani, D.S. (2014). "Unravelling the distinct strains of Tharu ancestry". European Journal of Human Genetics. 22 (12): 1404–1412. doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2014.36 . PMC   4231405 . PMID   24667789.
  75. ↑ Terrenato, L.; Shrestha, S.; Dixit, K. A.; Luzzatto, L.; Modiano, G.; Morpurgo, G.; Arese, P. (1988). "Decreased Malaria Morbidity in the Tharu People Compared to Sympatric Populations in Nepal". Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology. 82 (1): 1–11. doi:10.1080/00034983.1988.11812202. PMID   3041928.
  76. ↑ Modiano, G.; Morpurgo, G.; Terrenato, L.; Novelletto, A.; Di Rienzo, A.; Colombo, B.; Purpura, M.; Marianit, M.; Santachiara-Benerecetti, S.; Brega, A.; Dixit, K. A.; Shrestha, S. L.; Lania, A.; Wanachiwanawin, W. and Luzzatto, L. (1991). "Protection against Malaria Morbidity – Near Fixation of the Alpha Thalassemia Gene in a Nepalese Population". American Journal of Human Genetics. 48 (2): 390–397. PMC   1683029 . PMID   1990845.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  77. ↑ Luzzatto, L. (2012). "Genetic Factors in Malaria Resistance". In Boulyjenkov, V.; Berg, K.; Christen, Y. (eds.). Genes and Resistance to Disease. Heidelberg: Springer. pp. 105–111. ISBN   9783642569470.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.