Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Terai Region
The Terai region is known as Madhesh, and the people of Terai
origin are called Madheshi. They are now the major inhabitants
of the Terai, though the Nepalese Terai used to be densely for-
ested. It was very sparsely settled because of the high incidence
of malaria. After malaria was eradicated in the 1950s, the region
began to be settledﾭfirst quite slowly, but then as a flood of
humanity. A government resettlement program worked as a
catalyst to bring thousands of hill and mountain people into
the Terai. Today, the Terai has become an agglomeration of eth-
nic groups representing people from throughout the country.
Tharus
are believed to be the earliest inhabitants of the
Terai region. They are more concentrated in the far western
part of the lowland. Most Tharus have Tibeto-Burmese physi-
cal characteristics, but their origin is blurred. Today, most of
them are Hindus. For many generations, the Tharus were
exploited as bonded laborers by local landlords. In 2000, the
government freed all the
Kamaiyas
(bonded laborers); none-
theless, many problems relating to land and living have not yet
been resolved.
The Maithili population is concentrated in the central to
eastern Terai region. In the distant past, they were the people
of the Mithila Kingdom, which stretched across the present-day
border into India. Maithili people follow Hinduism and have
their own rich and ancient culture. Their language is similar in
some ways to Hindi and Urdu. Maithili painting is very popular
in Nepal and northern India.
THE CASTE SYSTEM
Casteﾭinto which a person is bornﾭand status are dominant
cultural features in Nepalese society. Each of them contributes
to a sharply defined hierarchical social system and the resulting
respect an individual receives from others. Caste determines a
person's place in society, including profession, marriage, and
personal interaction in the community and even within the
