Great Introduction to Tharu History and Culture. Not to be missed. Guidebooks have outdated info about this small Tharu run museum. There are murals, statues and a new exhibit of large historical photos, with info written by anthropologists and historians. Covers topics like hunting, but also the US led development of the valley in the 1950s and 1960s.Will change your entire view of Chitwan. –Peter
A Must Visit Place to understand Chitwan! Amazing collection of Tharu life style and culture. An anthropological treat while enjoying the wildlife in Chitwan. Helps you understand the people and their connection with the place. –Shashank
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The Tharu are one of Nepal’s largest and most marginalized ethnic groups. They outnumber Gurungs, Limbus, and Newars.
The Tharu are the original inhabitants of much of the tarai because they could withstand the region’s deadly malaria better than hill people and people from the plains. The U.S./WHO malaria eradication project in the late 1950s and 1960s changed their lives dramatically. In Chitwan, in 1955, the Tharu (and related groups such as the Darai) formed almost 100% of the population. By 1970, Tharu were only 14% of the population because of the in-migration of hill people.
The national park, established in 1973, also changed Tharu lives in important and complicated ways.
“The Tharu have responded in numerous ways to the challenges posed by the social and economic transformation of the Chitwan valley. They are acutely aware that their culture is being transformed through the influence of both Nepali hill culture and Indian plains culture. Some Tharu welcome these changes, which they view as positive. Others deplore them.” Dr. Arjun Guneratne,“The Tharu of Chitwan, Nepal,” in Disappearing Peoples?, 2007.