The origin of the Tharu is not clear. Some claim them to be migrants from the Thar desert in Rajasthan, India. Others say that these are the descendants of the children who were born out of the liaisons between the Rajput women and their servants who fled the Muslman invaders. They are, however, clearly Mongoloid in their facial features.

What are their lives like?
The Tharu live on the edge of the forests, farming and raising livestock on the plains. They also use the forests to trap animals, collect fruits, roots, herbs, and to fish the small rivers and streams. Their staple foods are rice (eaten with fish), chicken, pork, rabbit, pigeon, and tortoise, as well as dahl (a mash eaten with rice), and vegetables. Using wheat and barley, the women make alcohol.

Traditional Tharu homes are usually single-storied structures with straw roofs, their sizes depending upon the size of each family. While some are only 30 feet in length, others may be 125 feet long and have a width of up to 25 feet. They take great pride in keeping their homes clean. The women commonly decorate the walls of their homes with colorful paintings of elephants, horses, parrots, and flowers. Married women also adorn their hands, legs, and breasts with elaborate and artistic tattoos, although this practice is becoming less common.

The Tharu family is an extended structure and remains so for a period of three to four generations. The family unit is headed by the oldest member whose word is law. Within each village, one of the wiser, older men is selected and made the village representative or sort of "chieftain." He is authorized to select a group of elders with whom he can sit and discuss various matters pertaining to the welfare of the village, making beneficial decisions with their help.

Most Tharu marriages occur when the children are quite young. A boy of 8 or 9 will be married off to a girl of 15 to 16. They reason that this age imbalance provides an extra worker (the woman). Generally, there are two types of marriages. One is the magi bawaha, where all the relevant rituals are completed. The other is the chori biwaha, where the female is abducted.

While the women handle the household chores, the outside work is done entirely by the men, except for collecting fodder, which is done by the young girls of the village.

What are their beliefs?
The Tharu are traditionally animistic in their beliefs, worshipping various animals such as monkeys, snakes, and cows. Today, these beliefs are overlaid with Hinduism. Every Tharu home contains a household god who is offered blood sacrifices of a chicken and a pigeon, as well as milk and silk cloth. In many Tharu homes they also appease this god with the blood of the male of the household. This takes place in a ceremony where he makes superficial cuts on his forehead, arms, throat, legs, and chest.

"Badka Itvar" is one of the great festivals of the Tharu. This celebration, held on the last Sunday of the month of Bhadra, is a day when they worship their gods, wear new clothes, and enjoy a time of feasting.

What are their needs?
Most Tharu have a concept of a creator or supreme god, but would not have heard of the name of Jesus. At the present time, there are neither scriptures nor Christian broadcasts available in the Saptari language. No missions agencies are currently targeting them, and today there are only 130 known Saptari Tharu believers.

Prayer Points

• Pray against the spirits of Hinduism and ethnic religions that have kept the Saptari Tharu bound for many generations.
• Ask the Lord to call people who are willing to go to Nepal and share Christ with the Tharu.
• Pray that the doors of Nepal will soon open to missionaries.
• Ask God to strengthen, encourage, and protect the small number of Saptari Tharu Christians.
• Pray that God will raise up qualified linguists to translate the Bible into Saptari.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of the Tharu towards Christians so that they will be receptive to the Gospel.
• Pray that God will open the hearts of Nepal's governmental leaders to the Gospel.
• Ask the Lord to raise up a strong local church among the Saptari Tharu.

THE PEOPLE

• People name: Saptari Tharu
• Country: Nepal
• Their language: Saptari
• Population: (1990) 569,100
  (1995) 647,900
  (2000) 734,300
• Largest religion: Ethnic religionist 98%
  Hindu 1.9%
• Christians: <1%
• Church members: 130
• Scriptures in their own language: None
• Jesus Film in their own language: None
• Christian broadcasts in their own language: None
• Mission agencies working among this people: None
• Persons who have heard the Gospel: 77,900 (12%) Those evangelized by local Christians: 19,600 (3%)
  Those evangelized from the outside: 58,300 (9%)
• Persons who have never heard the Gospel: 570,000 (88%)

• Country: Nepal
• Population: (1990) 19,253,000
  (1995) 21,917,700
  (2000) 24,841,500
• Major peoples in size order: Nepalese (55.1%)
  Maitili (10.8%)
  Bhojpuri Bihari (7.8%)
  Newar (2.9%)
  Saptari Tharu (2.9%)
• Major religions: Hindus (87.5%)
  Buddhists (6.9%)
  Muslims (3.5%)
• Number of denominations: 27