Culture

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 , mustard , corn 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.

The Tharus never went abroad for employment – a life that kept them isolated in their own localities   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  .  The Deukheri Tharu are known for their colorful, shell and/or feather decorated basketry, including ram topne water jug covers.