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{{Short description|indigenous ethnic group of Nepalese and Indian peoples}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Tharu people
| image =Tharu Mahila.jpg
| image_caption = Tharu woman
| region1 = {{flag|Nepal}}
| pop1 = 1,737,470<ref name=cbs2012 />
| region2 = [[Bihar]]
| pop2 = 159,939
| ref2 = <ref>{{Cite web |title=A-11 Individual Scheduled Tribe Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix |publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |author=General & Census Commissioner |year=2011 |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/ST.html |website=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |access-date=2017-11-20}}</ref>
| region3 = [[Uttar Pradesh]]
| pop3 = 105,291
| region4 = [[Uttarkhand]]
| pop4 = 91,342
| languages = [[Tharu languages]], [[Nepali language]]
| religions = [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], traditional beliefs
| related = {{hlist|[[Dhimal]]|[[Bhoksa people]]|[[Pokhariya]]|[[Ban Rawats]]}}
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
}}

The '''Tharu people''' are an [[ethnic group]] [[Indigenous peoples|indigenous]] to the [[Terai]] in southern [[Nepal]] and northern [[India]].<ref name=Bista>{{cite book |last=Bista |first=D. B. |author-link=Dor Bahadur Bista |year=1971 |title=People of Nepal |publisher=[[Ratna Pustak Bhandar]] |edition=Second |location=Kathmandu |chapter=Tharu |pages=108–118}}</ref><ref name="rajaure1981">{{Cite journal |last=Rajaure |first = D. P. |title=Tharus of Dang: the people and the social context |journal=Kailash |volume=8 |issue=3/4 |year=1981 |pages=155–185 |url=http://www.thlib.org/static/reprints/kailash/kailash_08_0304_02.pdf}}</ref><ref name=Krauskopff95>{{cite journal |author=Krauskopff, G. |year=1995 |title=The anthropology of the Tharus: an annoted bibliography |journal=Kailash |volume=17 |issue= 3/4 |pages=185–213 |url=http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/kailash/pdf/kailash_17_0304_05.pdf}}</ref><ref name=Guneratne2002>{{cite book |last=Guneratne |first=A. |year=2002 |title=Many tongues, one people: The making of Tharu identity in Nepal |publisher=Cornell University Press |location=Ithaca, New York |isbn=0801487285 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T7FWQ6dzYZQC}}</ref>
They are recognized as an official [[nationality]] by the [[Government of Nepal]].<ref name=Lewis_the>{{cite book |editor1=Lewis, M. P. |editor2=Simons, G. F. |editor3=Fennig, C. D. |year=2014 |chapter=Tharu, Chitwania: a language of Nepal |title=Ethnologue: Languages of the World |edition=Seventeenth |location=Dallas, Texas |publisher=SIL International |chapter-url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=the}}</ref>

In the Indian Terai, they live foremost in [[Uttarakhand]], [[Uttar Pradesh]] and [[Bihar]]. The [[Government of India]] recognizes the Tharu people as a [[scheduled tribe]].<ref name=Verma2010>{{cite journal |author=Verma, S. C. |year=2010 |title=The eco-friendly Tharu tribe: A study in socio-cultural dynamics |journal=Journal of Asia Pacific Studies |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=177–187 |url=https://www.academia.edu/download/956709/japsvol1no2may2010.pdf#page=83}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Internal Conflicts: Military Perspectives |editor=Raghavan, V. R. |year=2012 |publisher=Vij Books India Pvt Ltd |isbn=9789382573401 |location=New Delhi |chapter=Strategic Overview |pages=15–176 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LgCqCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA62}}</ref>

The word थारू ''thāru''<ref>{{Cite book |title=A Comparative and Etymological Dictionary of the Nepali Language |last=Turner |first=R. L.|publisher=K. Paul, Trench, Trubner |year=1931 |location=London |chapter=थारु thāru |chapter-url=http://dsalsrv02.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.1:1:2790.turner}}</ref> is thought to be derived from ''[[Sthavira nikāya|sthavir]]'' meaning follower of [[Theravada]] [[Buddhism]].<ref name=Skar1995>{{cite journal |author=Skar, H. O. |year=1995 |title=Myths of origin: the Janajati Movement, local traditions, nationalism and identities in Nepal |journal=Contributions to Nepalese Studies |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=31–42 |url=http://lib.icimod.org/record/9900/files/6846.pdf}}</ref>

== Distribution ==
[[File:Tharu Area.jpg|thumb|Map showing area inhabited by Tharu people in dark green]]
As of 2011, the Tharu population of Nepal was censused at 1,737,470 people, or 6.6% of the total population.<ref name=cbs2012>{{cite book |author=Central Bureau of Statistics |year=2012 |title=National Population and Housing Census 2011 |url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/sources/census/wphc/Nepal/Nepal-Census-2011-Vol1.pdf |publisher=Government of Nepal |location=Kathmandu}}</ref> In 2009, the majority of Tharu people were estimated to live in Nepal.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Central Bureau of Statistics |title=Statistical Year Book of Nepal 2009 |chapter=Chapter 1: Area and Population; Table 1.7: Population Distribution by Caste/Ethnic Groups and Sex for Nepal, 2001 |location=Kathmandu |publisher=Government of Nepal |year=2009}}</ref> There are several [[Endogamy|endogamous]] sub-groups of Tharu that are scattered over most of the Terai:<ref name=Krauskopff95/><ref name="mclean">{{cite journal |author=McLean, J. |year=1999 |title=Conservation and the impact of relocation on the Tharus of Chitwan, Nepal |journal=Himalayan Research Bulletin |volume=XIX |issue=2 |pages=38–44 |url=http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1628&context=himalaya}}</ref>
* Rana Tharu in the [[Kailali District|Kailali]] and [[Kanchanpur District]]s of the far western Nepal Terai;<ref name=Krauskopff95/> also in India, in [[Khatima|Udham Singh Nagar district]], [[Uttarakhand]] and [[Kheri district]] in [[Uttar Pradesh]]. Rana Tharu are [[Rajput]] origin.<ref name=thr>{{cite book |editor1= Lewis, M. P. |editor2=Simons, G. F. |editor3=Fennig, C. D. |year=2014 |title=Ethnologue: Languages of the World |edition=Seventeenth |location=Dallas, Texas |publisher=SIL International |chapter=Tharu, Rana: a language of Nepal |chapter-url= http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=thr}}</ref>
* Kathariya Tharu mostly in Kailali District and in India;<ref name=Krauskopff95/><ref>{{cite book |editor1=Lewis, M. P. |editor2=Simons, G. F. |editor3=Fennig, C. D. |year=2014 |title=Ethnologue: Languages of the World |edition=Seventeenth |location=Dallas, Texas |publisher=SIL International |chapter=Tharu, Kathoriya: a language of Nepal |chapter-url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=tkt}}</ref>
* Sonha Tharu in [[Surkhet District]];<ref name=soi>{{cite book |editor1= Lewis, M. P. |editor2=Simons, G. F. |editor3=Fennig, C. D. |year=2014 |title=Ethnologue: Languages of the World |edition=Seventeenth |location=Dallas, Texas |publisher=SIL International |chapter=Sonha, a language of Nepal |chapter-url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=soi}}</ref>
* Dangaura Tharu in the western Terai: [[Dang Deukhuri District|Dang-Deukhuri]], [[Banke District|Banke]], [[Bardia (Nepal)|Bardia]], Kailali, Kanchanpur, [[Rupandehi District|Rupandehi]] and [[Kapilvastu District]]s;<ref name=Krauskopff95/><ref>{{cite book |editor1= Lewis, M. P. |editor2=Simons, G. F. |editor3=Fennig, C. D. |year=2014 |title=Ethnologue: Languages of the World |edition=Seventeenth |location=Dallas, Texas |publisher=SIL International |chapter=Tharu, Dangaura: a language of Nepal |chapter-url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=thl}}</ref>
* Chitwan Tharu in central Terai: [[Sindhuli District|Sindhuli]], [[Chitwan District|Chitwan]] and Nawalparasi Districts;<ref name=Krauskopff95/><ref name=Lewis_the/>
* [[Kochila Tharu]] in eastern Terai: [[Saptari District|Saptari]], [[Bara district|Bara]], [[Parsa district|Parsa]], [[Rautahat district|Rautahat]], [[Sarlahi district|Sarlahi]], [[Mahottari district|Mahottari]] and [[Udayapur district]]s;<ref name=Krauskopff95/><ref>{{cite book |editor1=Lewis, M. P. |editor2=Simons, G. F. |editor3=Fennig, C. D. |year=2014 |title=Ethnologue: Languages of the World |edition=Seventeenth |location=Dallas, Texas |publisher=SIL International |chapter=Tharu, Kochila: a language of Nepal |chapter-url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=thq}}</ref>
* Danuwar in eastern Terai: [[Udayapur District|Udayapur]], [[Saptari District|Saptari]] and [[Morang District]]s;<ref>{{cite book |editor1=Lewis, M. P. |editor2=Simons, G. F. |editor3=Fennig, C. D. |year=2014 |title=Ethnologue: Languages of the World |edition=Seventeenth |location=Dallas, Texas |publisher=SIL International |chapter=Dhanwar: a language of Nepal |chapter-url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=dhw}}</ref>
*[[Lampucchwa Tharu]] in Morang and Sunsari District.<ref name=Krauskopff95/>

Smaller numbers of Tharu people reside in the adjacent Indian districts [[Champaran District|Champaran]] of [[Bihar]], [[Gorakhpur district|Gorakhpur]], [[Basti district|Basti]] and [[Gonda district]]s in [[Uttar Pradesh]] and [[Khatima|Udham Singh Nagar]] in [[Uttarakhand]].<ref name="rajaure1981" /> In 2001, Tharu people were the largest of five [[Scheduled castes and scheduled tribes|scheduled tribes]] in Uttarakhand, with a population of 256,129 accounting for 33.4% of all scheduled tribes.<ref name="census-uttar2001">{{cite web |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_st_uttaranchal.pdf |author=Office of the Registrar General |date=2001 |title=Uttaranchal. Data Highlights: The Scheduled Tribes. Census of India 2001 | access-date = 2008-03-16}}</ref> In the same year, they constituted 77.4% of the total tribal population of Uttar Pradesh with a population of 83,544.<ref name="census-up2001">{{cite web |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_st_up.pdf |author=Office of the Registrar General |date=2001 |title=Uttar Pradesh. Data Highlights: The Scheduled Tribes. Census of India 2001}}</ref>

==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 (Y-DNA)|Haplogroup H]] (25.7%), [[Haplogroup J-M172|Haplogroup J2a-M410(xM68, M47, M67, M158)]] (9.9%), [[Haplogroup R1a]] (8.8%), [[haplogroup R-M479|Haplogroup R2a-M124]] (4.7%), [[haplogroup J-M172|Haplogroup J2b2-M12/M102/M241(xM99)]] (4.1%), [[Haplogroup D-M174]] (3.5%), [[Haplogroup L-M20]] (2.3%), [[Haplogroup O-K18|Haplogroup O-M95]] (2.3%), [[Haplogroup E-M35]] (1.8%), [[haplogroup O-M122|Haplogroup O-M134(xM117)]] (1.2%), [[Haplogroup Q-M242]] (1.2%), [[Haplogroup C-F3393|Haplogroup C1b1a1-M356]] (0.6%), and [[Haplogroup K-M9|Haplogroup K-M9(xM70, M20, M214, M74)]] (0.6%). Genetic studies on [[Mitochondrial DNA|mtDNA]] of various Tharus shows 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.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Fornarino, S. |author2=Pala, M. |author3=Battaglia, V. |author4=Maranta, R. |author5=Achilli, A. |author6=Modiano, G. |author7=Torroni, A. |author8=Semino, O. |author9=Santachiara-Benerecetti, S. A. |pmc=2720951 |pmid=19573232 |doi=10.1186/1471-2148-9-154 |volume=9 |title=Mitochondrial and Y-chromosome diversity of the Tharus (Nepal): a reservoir of genetic variation |year=2009 |journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology |page=154}}</ref>

=== Resistance to malaria ===
The Tharu are famous for their ability to survive in the [[malaria]]l parts of the Terai that were deadly to outsiders.<ref name=Guneratne2002/>
Contemporary medical research comparing Tharu with other ethnic groups living nearby found an incidence of malaria nearly seven times lower among Tharu.<ref>{{Cite journal |author1=Terrenato, L. |author2=Shrestha, S. |author3=Dixit, K. A. |author4=Luzzatto, L. |author5=Modiano, G. |author6=Morpurgo, G. |author7=Arese, P. |title=Decreased Malaria Morbidity in the Tharu People Compared to Sympatric Populations in Nepal |journal=Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology |volume=82 |issue=1 |year=1988 |pages=1–11 |pmid=3041928 |doi=10.1080/00034983.1988.11812202}}</ref> The researchers believed such a large difference pointed to [[Heredity|genetic factors]] rather than behavioural or dietary differences. This was confirmed by follow-up investigation finding [[gene]]s for [[thalassemia]] in nearly all Tharu studied.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Modiano |first1=G. |last2=Morpurgo |first2=G. |last3=Terrenato |first3=L. |last4=Novelletto |first4=A. |last5=Di Rienzo |first5=A. |last6=Colombo |first6=B. |last7=Purpura |first7=M. |last8=Marianit |first8=M. |last9=Santachiara-Benerecetti, S. |last10=Brega, A.; Dixit, K. A.; Shrestha, S. L.; Lania, A.; Wanachiwanawin, W. and Luzzatto, L. |title=Protection against Malaria Morbidity – Near Fixation of the Alpha Thalassemia Gene in a Nepalese Population |journal=American Journal of Human Genetics |volume=48 |issue=2 |year=1991 |pages=390–397 |pmid=1990845 |pmc=1683029}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Genes and Resistance to Disease |editor1=Boulyjenkov, V. |editor2=Berg, K. |editor3=Christen, Y. |location=Heidelberg |publisher=Springer |author=Luzzatto, L. |chapter=Genetic Factors in Malaria Resistance |year=2012 |isbn=9783642569470 |pages=105–111 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XK19CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA110}}</ref>

==History==
The origin of the Tharu people is surrounded by [[myth]]s and oral tradition. The Rana Tharus claim to be of [[Rajput]] origin and to have migrated from the [[Thar Desert]] Rajasthan to Nepal's [[Far Western Region, Nepal|Far Western]] Terai region. Tharu people farther east claim to be descendants of the [[Śākya]] and [[Koliya]] peoples living in [[Kapilavastu (ancient city)|Kapilvastu]].<ref name=Skar1995 />
According to [[Alberuni]], Tharu people have been living in the eastern Terai since at least the 10th century.<ref name=Krauskopff95/>

===Modern history (1700–1990)===
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. Tharu people became [[bonded labour]]ers, a system also known as [[Kamaiya]].<ref name=Regmi1994>{{cite journal |author=Regmi, R. R. |year=1994 |title=Deforestation and Rural Society in the Nepalese Terai |journal=Occasional Papers in Sociology and Anthropology |volume=4 |pages=72–89 |doi=10.3126/opsa.v4i0.1086 |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/1325105.pdf|doi-access=free }}</ref> In 1854, [[Jung Bahadur Rana]] enforced the so-called ''Muluki Ain'', a General Code, in which both Hindu and non-Hindu [[Caste system in Nepal|castes]] were classified based on their habits of food and drink.<ref>{{cite book |author=Stiller, L. F. |year=1993 |title=Nepal: Growth of a Nation |publisher=Human Resources Development Research Center |location=Kathmandu}}</ref> Tharu people were categorized as "Paani Chalne Masinya Matwali" (touchable enslavable alcohol drinking group) together with several other ethnic minorities.<ref name=Gurung2005>{{cite conference |author=Gurung, H. |year=2005 |title=Social exclusion and Maoist insurgency |conference=National Dialogue Conference on ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples |location=Kathmandu, 19–20 January 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Krauskopff, G. |year=2007 |title=Resistance and the State: Nepalese Experiences |editor1=Gellner, D. |publisher=Berghahn Books |edition=Revised |location=New York |chapter=An 'indigenous minority' in a border area: Tharu ethnic associations, NGOs, and the Nepalese state |pages=199–243 |isbn=9781845452162 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7DS0BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA199}}</ref>

In the late 1950s, the [[World Health Organization]] supported the Nepalese government in eradicating [[malaria]] in the forests of the central Terai.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Brydon, H. W., Joshi, G. and Pradhan, S. P. |year=1961 |title=''Anopheles'' distribution and its relation to the malaria eradication programme in central Nepal |journal=Mosquito News 21|issue=2 |pages=102–105 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/content/part/JAMCA/MN_V21_N2_P102-105.pdf}}</ref> 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.<ref name="terrenato88">{{Cite journal |author=Terrenato, L., Shrestha, S., Dixit, K.A., Luzzatto, L., Modiano, G., Morpurgo, G., Arese, P. |title=Decreased malaria morbidity in the Tharu and Maithil people compared to sympatric populations in Nepal |journal=Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology |volume=82 |issue=1 |year=1988 |pages=1–11 |pmid=3041928 |doi=10.1080/00034983.1988.11812202}}</ref>
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.<ref name=Guneratne2002/>

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.<ref name="mclean"/>

===Recent history (1990–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]].<ref name=Skar1995/>

In July 2000, the Government of Nepal outlawed the practice of bonded labour prevalent under the Kamaiya system, prohibiting anyone from employing any person as a bonded labourer, and declared that the act of making one work as a bonded labourer is illegal.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}

Though democracy has been reinstated in the country, the Tharu community has called for a more [[inclusive democracy]] as they are fearful of remaining an underprivileged group.<ref>{{cite web |author=Gorkhapatra Sansthan |year=2007 |url=http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/content.php?nid=6001 |title=Tharu community calls for inclusive democracy |publisher=The Rising Nepal |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928102719/http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/content.php?nid=6001 |archive-date = 2007-09-28}}</ref>

==Culture==
[[File:Tharu village scene.jpg|frame|Tharu village near [[Bardia National Park]]]]
[[File:Tharu man on our front porch.jpg|thumb|A Tharu man]]
[[File:TharuPeople.JPG|thumb|Wax statues of Tharu people in Tharu Museum, Chitwan]]
The Tharu people themselves say that they are a people of the forest. In Chitwan, they have lived in the forests for hundreds of years practicing a short fallow [[shifting cultivation]]. They plant [[rice]], [[wheat]], [[Mustard seed|mustard]], [[Cereal|corn]] and [[lentils]], but also collect forest products such as wild fruits, vegetables, [[Herbalism|medicinal plant]]s and materials to build their houses; hunt [[deer]], [[rabbit]] and [[wild boar]], and go fishing in the rivers and oxbow lakes.<ref name="mclean" />

The Tharus never went abroad for employment – a life that kept them isolated in their own localities.<ref name="gurung1992">{{cite journal |author=Gurung, G. M. |year=1992 |title=Socioeconomic Network of a Terai Village: An account of the Rana Tharus of Urma-Urmi |journal=Contributions to Nepalese Studies |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=19–25 |url= http://www.thlib.org/static/reprints/contributions/CNAS_19_01_02.pdf}}</ref> In this isolation they developed a unique culture free from the influence of adjacent India, or from the mountain groups of Nepal. 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, 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.<ref name="asianart">{{cite web |url=http://www.asianart.com/tharu |author=Meyer, K. W., Deuel, P. |year=1997 |title=The Tharu of the Tarai |publisher=Indigo Gallery, Kathmandu |access-date=2006-12-07}}</ref>

===Language===
Tharu communities in different parts of Nepal and India do not share the same language. Several speak various endemic [[Tharu language]]s. In western Nepal and adjacent parts of India, Tharus speak variants of [[Hindi]], [[Urdu]] and [[Awadhi]]. In and near central Nepal, they speak a variant of [[Bhojpuri]]. In eastern Nepal, they speak a variant of [[Maithili language|Maithili]]. 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.<ref name=Guneratne2002/>

===Household structure===
In the western Terai, Rana Tharu traditionally live in ''Badaghar'' called [[longhouse]]s 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.<ref name="lam2009">{{cite thesis |author=Lam, L. M. |year=2009 |title=Park, hill migration and changes in household livelihood systems of Rana Tharus in Far-western Nepal |type=Doctor of Philosophy thesis |publisher=University of Adelaide |location=Adelaide |chapter=Land and associated changes in Rana Tharu households |pages=160–186 |chapter-url=https://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/2440/58136/8/02whole.pdf}}</ref>

===Social structure===
Tharu people in [[Rajapur, Nepal]] are either landholders, cultivate land on a [[sharecropping]] basis or are landless agricultural labourers.<ref name=Pun2000>{{cite book |author=Pun, S. |year=2000 |chapter=Gender, land and irrigation management in Rajapur |chapter-url=https://edepot.wur.nl/336541#page=201 |pages=195–216 |title=Water, land, and law. Changing rights to land and water in Nepal. Proceedings of a workshop held in Kathmandu, March 1998 |editor1=Pradhan, R. |editor2=Benda-Beckmann, F. v. |editor3=Benda-Beckmann, K. v. |publisher=Legal Research and Development Forum, Wageningen Agricultural University, Erasmus University Rotterdam |location=Kathmandu, Wageningen, Rotterdam |isbn=9993316008}}</ref>

Tharus from the mid west and far west of Nepal have been practicing the ''Badghar'' system, where a ''Badghar'' is elected chief of a village or a small group of villages for a year. The election generally takes place in January or February after celebrating the ''Maghi Festival'' and after completing major farming activities. In most cases, each household in the village which engages in farming has one voting right for electing a ''Badghar''. Thus the election is based on a count of households count rather than a headcount. The role of the ''Badghar'' is to work for the welfare of the village. The ''Badghar'' direct the villagers to repair canals or streets when needed. They also oversee and manages the cultural traditions of the villages. They have an authority of punishing those who do not follow their orders or who go against the welfare of the village. Generally the ''Badghar'' has a Chaukidar to help him. With the consent of the villagers the ''Badghar'' may appoint a "Guruwa" who is the medic and chief priest of the village.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}

Tharu people are mainly involved in farming, thus irrigating fields is important. Tharus in western Nepal built canals that irrigate thousands of hectares of land. Hundreds of years ago, without using any sophisticated tools, they built hundreds of kilometers of irrigation canals in Nepal's Kailali and Bardiya districts. These canals are used by several villages. Its water and diversion works need to be managed fairly. For this purpose, the Badghars of different villages elect a person for the position of ''Chaudhary'' to manage a canal system. When needed, the ''Chaudhary'' orders the ''Badghars'' to send people to repair or build the canals. In most cases the Badghars and Chaudharis are unpaid leaders of the community. However, they are exempt from compulsory physical labor for the betterment of the society. As a token of respect, the community members may also help them in farming for a day free of cost.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}

===Marriage system===
Traditionally, Rana Tharus practice [[arranged marriage]]s, 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.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Kittelsen, T. C. |author2=Gurung, G. M. |year=1999 |chapter=Symbols of tradition, signs of change: marriage customs among the Rana Tharu of Nepal |pages=205–222 |title=Nepal: Tharu and Tarai Neighbours |editor1=Skar, H. O. |location=Kathmandu |publisher=Educational Enterprises |series=Bibliotheca Himalayica |volume=16}}</ref>
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.<ref name=Pun2000/>

===Religion===
The spiritual beliefs and moral values of the Tharu people are closely linked to the natural environment. The [[Pantheon (gods)|pantheon]] of their gods comprises a large number of [[deities]] that live in the forest. They are asked for support before entering the forest.<ref name="mclean" />

===Cuisine===
{{More citations needed section|date=December 2019}}
Tharu people of Nepal have different and special food items like Bagiya<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012 |url=https://tharuculture.blogspot.com/2012/12/bagiya-rice-flour-dumplings-made-tharu.html |title=Bagiya – the rice flour dumplings made the Tharu way |last=Chaudhary|first=S. |website=Voice of Tharus |access-date=2018-09-15}}</ref> or Dhikri.
Dhikri is made of [[rice flour]]. The dough from the rice flour is given different shapes – many are stick-like but some are also given the shapes of birds, fish and animals. It is cooked over steam and eaten together with chutney or curry.

{{Gallery |title= Tharu dishes |width=80 |height=80
|File:Jhunna (Mussels).jpg|Jhunna
|File:Tharu Cuisine.jpg|Dried fish dish
|File:Bagya .jpg|Bagiya
|File:Tharu Beverage.jpg|Rice wine
|File:Dhikri.jpg|Dhikari
|File:Boiled Corn.jpg|Boiled corn with chili pickles
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{Cite book |last=Krauskopff |first=G. |title=Maîtres et possédés: Les rites et l'ordre social chez les Tharu (Népal) |place=Paris |publisher=Editions du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique |year=1989 |language =fr}}
* {{Cite book |editor-last=Meyer |editor-first=K. |editor2-last=Deuel |editor2-first=P. |title=The Tharu Barka Naach: a rural folk art version of the Mahabharata |place=Lalitpur |publisher=Himal Books |year=1998 |isbn=0-9666742-0-0}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Tharu people}}
*[http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/org230298.jsp Tharu Nepal - NGO promoting cultural exchange via community projects]

{{Ethnic groups in Nepal}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Uttarakhand}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tharu People}}
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Nepal]]
[[Category:Scheduled Tribes of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Social groups of Bihar]]
[[Category:Scheduled Tribes of Uttarakhand]]
[[Category:Schools of Indian painting]]
[[Category:Adivasi]]
[[Category:Indigenous peoples of Nepal]]
[[Category:Gorakhpur district]]

Tharu people - Revision history

imported>BhagyaMani: Restored revision 1041055213 by BhagyaMani (talk): Unexplained removal of sourced text