Tharu people
The Tharu ( Nepali: थारू, Tharu ) are a people in the Terai in Nepal and northern India. The majority of the Tharu live in Nepal, where they account for 13.5 % of the population and are officially recognized as minority
The Tharu are divided into several endogamous sub-groups:
- Rana Tharu
In the districts of Kailali and Kanchanpur Nepali and India in the districts of Nainital, Uttarakhand and Kheri ( Uttar Pradesh ). The Rana Tharu consider themselves to be descendants of the Rajputs.
- Kathoriya Tharu
Mainly in Nepal in Kailali District and in India.
- Sonha
In Nepal in Surkhet district,
- Dangaura Tharu
- Paschuhan ( Western Tharu )
In the districts of Rupandehi and Nawalparasi
- Rautar Tharu
Nepal in Rupandehi and Nawalparasi districts in the
- Purbaha Tharu
In Nepal in the districts of Rupandehi and Kapilbastu
- Aarkutwa or Chitwania Tharu
In the central Terai in Nepal in the districts Sindhuli, Chitwan and Nawalparasi
- Kochila Tharu
In the eastern Terai in Nepal in the districts of Saptari, Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Mahottari and Udayapur
- Danuwar
In the eastern Terai in Nepal in the districts Udayapur, Saptari and Morang.
- Lamputchwa Tharu
In the eastern Terai in Nepal in the district of Morang Smaller groups of Tharu live in the adjacent Indian districts.
The Tharu refer to themselves as people of the forest. They lived a long time isolated predominantly in the jungles on the border between India and Nepal, where they developed a relatively autonomous culture. They are known for their pottery and wall painting.
Apart from Nepali, the common language of the country, not all control, there is no common language of the Tharu. Some speak different endemic Tharu languages; in the western Nepal and neighboring India, they speak Urdu and Awadhi, in the middle Terai they speak a variant of Bhojpuri and Maithili in the eastern Terai.
The Tharu were already living in the Terai before the arrival of Indo-Europeans.
According to the 2001 census, the Tharu to 97.63 % and 1.95% Hindus, Buddhists.
Resistance to malaria
The habitat of the Tharu was until the 1960s, malaria- infested high. The Tharu attributed a degree of resistance to malaria. Investigations revealed that neighboring ethnic groups are seven times more susceptible to malaria than the Tharu. Because of these striking differences, researchers suspect a genetic predisposition rather than specific behaviors or habits.