This tour offers you a wondrous experience in the richly forested and fertile environs of the Terai region, home to the splendid Chitwan National Park and the friendly Tharu community, which is indigenous to the Chitwan region. The guided walk takes you through the Tharu Village to the boundary of the Chitwan National Park. In the course of the walk, you will discover many aspects of the community’s culture, history, religion and language. Living within the bounds of the forest or outside of it, it matters not to the people who are very close to its ways. They subsist partially on forest produce and partially on some agricultural activities.
In many of the villages surrounding Lumbini, you’ll find the indigenous Tharu people. These ethnic communities are indigenous to the southern plains of Nepal and some research suggests they are the descendants of the kingdoms that existed here when Buddha was born. During a visit to a Tharu home there’s a good chance of participating in a cooking experience, see performances of local music and dance, and learn more about the architecture and handicrafts of the communities.
Homes are generally wrapped around a central courtyard, with an adjoining space for their cattle. The popular homemade brew is roksi, a rice beer and said to have quite a kick. The walls of the house feature patterns in handprints, reminiscent of villages in Rajasthan, from where the womenfolk in the village are said to have migrated here from the Thar Desert. There is a legend that says that after the Mughals invaded India in the 16th century, one of the kings wanted to marry a Rajput woman. The women and children fled east and settled in this forested region while their men stayed behind to fight the Mughals. They never returned, on learning that their menfolk had been killed in battle with the Mughal king, so eventually, the married the local Nepali men folk in the region. The community then started adopted its particular traditions and customs.