Monday, January 16, 2012
About Tharu Museum
About
tharu culture museum
Bachhauli
is a quaint village in the Chitwan District of Nepal, and is located in close proximity to Kathmandu
and Bharatpur. Here visitors will find a community that has a rich heritage and
culture. To explore the roots of the Tharu people, a stroll through the Tharu Museum
is recommended. This fascinating museum takes visitors on a journey into an
ancient culture, and explores the traditions, lifestyle and practices of the
Tharu. The museum is therefore dedicated to their legacy and promotes their
history through the tourism industry. The Tharu people are believed to have
been the inhabitants of the Terai region for over seven hundred years and are
considered to be the region’s indigenous group. Due to their dependence on
nature to provide them with food and water, the Tharu community has always ensured
that they stay close to forests and water sources.
Their
knowledge in regard to the healing properties of certain plants gave them a
form of income, using their medicinal wisdom to heal the sick from a number of
diseases. Other occupations that are popular amongst the Tharu include
laborers, migration labor, agriculture and farming.
Through
modernization and the pressures of an ever changing world, the number of Tharu
have begun to decline, leading to the establishment of the Tharu Museum to
preserve their history and culture. Attractions, such as the replica Tharu
community and cultural traditions depicted on mosaics, lure thousands of
visitors to the museum each year. The exhibits in the museum vary from colorful
paintings adorning the walls to invaluable artifacts, such as instruments and
equipment used by the Tharu. Inside the Gurau Clinic, visitors to the museum
will be able to talk to a traditional Gurau and explore the world of healing
and medicine in the Tharu community. The clinic also features a plant nursery
filled with medicinal plants and a wealth of information. After discovering the
wonders of this unique culture, visitors are invited to select a gift or
memorabilia at the souvenir shop, where beaded and woven items created by the
talented Tharu women are also available
Tharu
Culture Museum
and Research Center
The Tharu
Culture Museum
offers visitors a glimpse of Tharu culture and traditions they perform
that are fast disappearing in the Tharu community. The museum harbors a mosaic
of cultural traditions of the Tharu people during the three periods of their lifecycle - pre-marital,
marital and post marital. It offers visitors a unique opportunity to view
existent Tharu community along the way to the museum, where the museum
showcases culture and traditions as a replica
It
contains a wealth of information regarding the Tharu's culture and
traditions that are depicted in paintings and display materials that are
showcased in the museum. It presents agricultural practices and various rituals
performed by the community during their lifecycle accompanied by displayed
antiquates, equipments, instruments etc
The
museum consists of a Gurau clinic. A Gurau is a traditional
healer in the Tharu community. The clinic is managed by a Gurau group
under the Chitwan Tharu Traditional Knowledge Management Group. The visitors
have a unique opportunity to be acquainted with the traditional healing
practices of the Tharu community. The Tharu community is known
for the diversity in hea ling methods and practices in their community.
In
the periphery of the museum, a medicinal plant nursery has been established
that harbors diversity in plant species that are used by the local healer for
medicinal purposes. The other features of the museum include a souvenir shop that
sells handicrafts made by a Tharu women group of Bachhauli VDC, who are
particularly known for their distinctive weaved baskets and woodwork
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