Tharu
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(From People of India/ National Series Volume VIII. Readers who wish to share additional information/ photographs may please send them as messages to the Facebook community, Indpaedia.com. All information used will be gratefully acknowledged in your name.)
Tharu
Synonyms: Mahato [Bihar and/or Jharkhand] Groups/subgroups: Bantar, Chitwania, GarhwaUa, Khawas, Lampochwa, Mahawat, Rautar [Bihar and/or Jharkhand]
- Sub-divisions: Bana (in Kheri), Batur, Ohaikar, Oingaria, Dingariya (in Gonda), Dingroiya or Dinaria, Gurbans
Katheria, Gurbans Katheria (in Gonda), Kathariya, Majhi, Malwaria, Manjhi Musahra, Pachhami (in Gorakhpur), Purabia (Eastern), Purabi (eastern), Tharkonahra ire the districts of Eastern Oudh districts [W. Crooke]
- Subtribes: Batwar, Bautar, Behar, Bot, Chitwania, Gaurihar, Iswajitauni, Khatkala, Khawasiya, Kochila, Marichwar,
Naua, Nepal, Purabia in Champaran, Rautar [H.H. Risley] Titles: Barwaik, Khan, Mahto, Rai [Bihar and/or Jharkhand] Surnames: Kaji, Khatait, Khojkar, Mahato, Mukhia, Patwari, Ranth [Bihar and/or Jharkhand] Exogamous units/clans: Amara, Batar, Boksa, Dagwariya, Dendwar, Detwar, Dhaker, Dhimar, Dingar, Garhwariya, Jogitharu, Kawasiya, Khun, Khuna, Khusiya, Kositharu, Kuchhila, Kumhar, Kupalithe, Marchahe Musahar Nawalpuriya, Pradhan, Rautar, Tharjogi, Unchdih [W. Crooke] Gotra: Kashyap [Bihar and/or Jharkhand]
- Septs: Bantar, Bhanr, Champarah, Chaudhri, Chautaria, Dahit, Donwar, Gaharwar, Gauro, Guro, Kaji, Katharia,
Khon, Mahto, Majhiour, Nepal, Ojhaiya, Patwari, Rai, Rautar etc. in Behar, Sentha [H.H. Risley]
Dowry shunned
As of 2025
Dilip Kumar TNN, February 15, 2026: The Times of India
Bettiah: At a time when dowry cases continue to reach police stations and courts across the country, a community in Bihar’s West Champaran presents a striking counterpoint — not a single dowry-related complaint has been registered by its members in over a decade.
This is not a coincidence but a social design in the Tharu community, concentrated in a cluster of villages in Bagaha’s Gobarhiya, along the Nepal border.
Mahendra Mahato, secretary of Bharatiya Tharu Kalyan Mahasangh and gumasta (clan head), said, “Taking dowry is considered a sin in our community. If any family is accused of such transactions, a meeting is convened to investigate the matter and a panchayat is held under the chairmanship of the gumasta. If found guilty, punishments ranging from financial penalties to even social boycott are imposed.”
In effect, the Tharus have criminalised dowry within their own moral framework. Social sanctionworks faster than formal complaints.
The Tharus number around three lakh. More than 500 marriages take place within the community each year. The rule is consistent: the groom’s family does not demand dowry, nor does the bride’s family offer it.
Bagaha SP Ramanand Kaushal confirmed no cases of dowry or related harassment of women have been reported during the last decade from the 20-22 Tharu villages in the area. He described the community as a peaceful and responsible one, setting an example to wider society. Even domestic disputes, Kaushal said, were generally resolved amicably in the presence of the gumasta.
Sharda Prasad, president of Tharu Kalyan Bauddhik Vichar Manch, said marriage was regarded a union ordained by God, and both bride and groom were worshipped during the ceremony. Kusumi Devi said while dowry was prohibited, voluntary gifts may be given and relatives often shared wedding expenses. “We treat our daughter-in-law like our own daughter,” she said.
Many Tharu families now have doctors, engineers, administrators and bankers within their ranks. “Despite changes in education, lifestyle and food habits, we have preserved our traditions and remained untouched by the dowry system. As debates on reform continue, the Tharu experience suggests that durable change may come not only through law, but through collective resolve,” said Maheshwar Kazi, a resident of Naurangiya, a Tharu village.
