By BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THARUS:
Tharus are one of the indigenous tribal people scattered all along the southern foothills of the Himalayas from a long time ago. The greater part of their population resides in the inner terai region of Nepal. Some are scattered in the adjacent Indian districts of Champaran, Basti, Gonda, and Nainital. They are the largest and the oldest ethnic group of people, living in villages near dense-infested regions. They have developed a unique culture and the Tharu language is officially recognized in the country. There are several endogamous sub-groups of Tharus, such as Rana, Katharia, Dangaura, Kochila, Mech, and more. (Rajaure, Tharus of dang)
DANGAURA THARUS AND THEIR MOVEMENTS:
‘Dangaura’ refers to the Tharu who claim Dang as their original home which includes the Deokhuri valley. Since the nineteenth century, the Dangaura have migrated, partially eastward, in Rupandehi and Kapilvastu district but mostly westward, settling in Banke and Bardiya district and in the inner Terai valley of Surkhet.
During the past few decades of this century, particularly after the land reform of the early sixties, a new wave of Dangaura emigrants have gone further west to the Farwestern districts of Kailali and Kanchanpur. (Krauskopff, The anthropology of Tharus)
The total population of the Tharus, according to the 2011 census, is 17,37,470. Among this population in the Far-west development, the region is 4,39,236, which is 25.28% of the total Tharu population. The total population of 4,39,236 is in the Terai region of the Far-west development region accounts for 35.69% of a total population of 12,26,957.
SETTLEMENT PATTERN OF DANGAURA THARUS VILLAGE
Tharus lives in a fairly compact nucleated settlement. A village is an important unit, being the focus for much activity and having bounded and defined territory. Villages are situated a couple of miles apart on average and range in size from around 150 to 600 inhabitants. In consideration of the orientation and layout of the house, the first point to note is that all Tharu houses are oriented along the north-south axis.
According to Tharu mythology, the orientation of village and the houses are north south oriented because the almighty god guru baba resides in “Harikabilas”, to the north up in the mountain. The Villages are made up of houses built in two lines running north-south, on either side of a central village lane. Apart from the village and household the most important unit in the structure of Tharu society is the clan. Society is divided into an indefinite number of exogamous patriclans. Like clans of-
- Dalit Tharu
- Baidh Tharu
- Ratgaiya Tharu
- Bhagoriya Tharu
- Sukhoriya Tharu
- Gammuwa Tharu etc.
(Source :The Tharus House opposition and hierarchy: Christian McDonough)
Dangaura Tharu is divided into villages ranging from 50 to 200 habitants. The villages are situated at a distance of about 20 minutes by foot from each other and connected by a network of mud paths. (Source :Man and his House in Himalayas: A Tharu Houses in The Dang Valley: Camille Milliet-Mondon ; Edited by Gerard Toffin )
TYPICAL THARU HOUSE AND ITS LAYOUT
The internal layout of the house does not vary except in the size and number of rooms. The location of the kitchen and the deity room does not vary. So in addition to the north-south axis we find a constant distribution of features on the east and west of house. From North to South the house is divided into three sections:
- The southernmost area is “Ghari” (place to keep cattle’s cows, buffalo, goats, etc.)
- The next middle section “Bahari” is a semi-public area.
- The northern section called “Bhitar” contains the “Konti” sleeping room, “Bhansa” the kitchen, and “Deurar” the deity room. The “Bhitar” is entered via a doorway situated at the middle of the north wall of ‘Bahari” which gives into the central corridor of silos ” Dehari” on either side. To the north most part of the house is “Bhansa ” on the north-west side and “Deurar” on the northeast side, where the deities face east. On the hierarchy basis, the highest level north will always be dominating, so in case of extension of the house, the house is always extended towards the south. . (Source: The Tharus House opposition and hierarchy: Christian McDonough )
MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY
The materials used in construction are procured from the natural environment: wood, bamboo, soil, rise husk, cow dung etc. The wood of young trees, section varying from 12 to Typical plan of Tharu House 14 cm is used to make posts and beams, which form the frame work of the ceiling and the false ceiling for the drying of maize.
Bamboo is cut within the village. Bamboo stems are used to make the fences while bamboo lathes are used in the framework and the roofing. The grass (straw) used in the roofing is cut to a length of about 1 meter and tied into a bundle. The yellow ochre clayey soil mixed with the rice husk forms cohesive cement. A coating of clayey soil and dried cow dung is applied on the cob walls, the floors, and the household equipment: silos, fire stoves, etc. The dwelling building is covered by a large thatched roof supporting entirely by several rows of wooden poles.
The framework, driven 2 cubits into the ground, is arranged according to a fixed order formed by 7 rows of equidistance poles running across the length of the building and divides the building into 6 bays. Each row consists of 7 poles “Duri” placed at a distance of one meter from each other. On either side of the longitudinal axis, the heights of the poles keep decreasing from the ridge pole to the extremities. The framework is constituted by the ensemble of poles that support the purlin. The 7 purlins rest on the forkhead of the pole to which they are firmly fixed. The purlin are made up of 2 or 3 pieces of wood joined together so as to cover the entire length of the building. The roof is made of rafters “Keri” which extends from the ridge to the roof. The rafter is tied to the purlin with the help of a plant strap and is placed at the interval of 60 -80 cm. The Bamboo laths “Bati” are placed on the purlins at a distance of 30 cm parallel to the ridge. Together with the purlin, they form a light frame on which the straw is placed.
The straw, tied into bales, is arranged in successive layers held in position by bamboo lath. The cob walls of the façade below the roof and the two gable ends are constructed separately. the two underhung façade walls 3 cubits high and about 10 cm thick are plastered on the outside over made of crisscrossed bamboo sticks, taken between horizontal laths, this enables “ Jakra “is maintained vertically by 2 intermediate poles “ Doasa”.The gables of the building are made by ensemble “Jakra” taken between poles of the frame work to the other pole“Biata” which can be seen from outside. Door openings, small windows, and “Moaka” are provided on external walls below the roof for light and ventilation for the inhabitant area. The door consists of a wooden framework and two pivoting leaves, allow the passage of 63 cm wide and 150 cm high. The thatched roof is cut for the easier access. (Source :Man and his House in Himalayas: A Tharu Houses in The Dang Valley: Camille Milliet-Mondon ; Edited by Gerard Toffin ) Roof Section Structural Members
DIFFERENT SIZE AND VARIATION IN DIMENSION
The size of the house is proportional to the number of inhabitants, the dwelling building being capable of sheltering 4-25 people. However, the three dimensions height, width, length vary. The height of the building above the platform is determined by the height of the framework poles placed on the axis. The medium size houses are 10 cubit height i.e. 5.20 m in the case of small houses, the pole is 9 cubits high i.e. 4.90 m. The width varies according to the spacing of the poles in a single row. Even though the number of the poles is fixed at 7, the space in between can vary from 2 to 3 cubits. Consequently, the width can vary from 5.4 m to about 7.8 m depending upon pole spacing. Of the three dimensions, the length varies the most. It is determined by the number of constructive rows of the pole. The width of the bay – space left between two rows is more or less constant at 3.15 m. The smallest house has 4 bays, the largest 12. The total length of the building thus varies from 12.8m to 54 m. The 4 bays house is inhabited by 4 to 6 people, 6 bay houses by 6 to 10 people and the largest house can in exceptional case shelter up to 32 members of the same family. Whatever the size of the building, the hall occupies only a single space left between 2 rows of poles where the cattle shade can cover one, two, or three bays and the dwelling area can occupy 2 to 8 bays. House Sizes and Dimensions FAMILY ACTIVITIES All the family members take part in performing of daily work. The tasks are allocated according to sex, age, and following hierarchy. The young men (son) do most of the agricultural work: ploughing, getting the rice field ready, sowing, and looking after the field. The father is responsible for the animals, chancing of litter, milking the cow, etc. he cultivates the kitchen garden, makes the mats, nets, and ropes, and repairs the implements. The mother, who is in charge of food stocks, takes out an adequate quantity of grains from silos for the day. She feeds the pigs and hens in the “Gharik Angna”, plucks the vegetable from the kitchen garden and looks after the baby. During her spare time in the afternoon, she is engaged in basket work or weaving. The daughter-in-law crushes the grain, presses the oil, carries the fuel, lights the fire and prepares the meals. She washes the dishes and looks after the upkeep of the dwelling. The daughter draws and carries the water from the well, helps in cleaning the grain, does the washing and short out the vegetables. At the time of harvest, they are all out in the field or in communal threshing ground “ Khryan”. The house is not occupied for the entire day. The dwelling area, in particular, can be closed for several hours as meals are taken only in the morning and the evening and if the women are not in the field they work in the courtyard.
BUILT ENVIRONMENT OF A HOUSE
In the case of all the dwelling units of Tharu consist of three district zones, a building which includes the cattle shade and inhabitation area, separate activities are assigned to each zone. The main construction is preceded by an open space separated partially on all sides by a cactus hedge. The “Gharik-ang-na” covers an area of 3.20 sqm and a rectangular passage running across it links the building to the road. A portion of the space is reserved for the animals and the area is delimited with the help of wooden posts. It also includes a pigsty as the pig is not allowed to stay under the family roof. Straws and dung are stocked in the “Gharikang-na”, a part of the area that is used for the drying of grains and vegetable products. The oil crusher “Kad” is placed near the space reserved for the animals. The second space outside the dwelling unit is situated at the back of the main building. It forms a small courtyard enclosed by a partition made of branches. Access to the kitchen garden is possible by the means of a narrow passage allowed for in the barrier. The courtyard is used to perform domestic tasks requiring an abundant supply of water such as the washing of large vessels, cleaning with ash, personal washing (for this purpose a basin is dug in the earthen floor to collect the rainwater) and for the preparation and shorting of vegetable picked from the kitchen garden; also for temporary activities such as a basketwork, weaving, manufacture of ropes, fishing nets and alcohol. Next to the courtyard is a store “Chapra” where wood, agricultural and fishing implements and vessel for distillation are stored. The kitchen garden “Bari” is enclosed by hedge. A path running through it connects the house to the fields. The family garden is used for growing vegetables for daily consumption: peas, yellow lentils, radish, gourd, onions, and chilies. Banana and guava trees are also planted. A rice husk grinder, “Paira” is placed close to the bamboo. The dried dung cakes Built Environment of a house “Gugi-tak” are also piled up nearby. A circular earthen surface is used for the drying of pottery wear and vegetable products. The dwelling building is located in the center of the settlement on the right and left-hand side of the main road coming from the north. Running parallel to the road, its longitudinal axis is oriented north-south as in the case of all the village construction. Traditionally, one of the façades under the roof should face the east or west looking at the main road. (Source: Man and his House in Himalayas: A Tharu Houses in The Dang Valley: Camille Milliet-Mondon; Edited by Gerard Toffin )
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