Tharus of Dang: Rites de Passage and Festivals

Tharus of Dang. / 217 1 easy premiums or by arranging for a girl to be given back in
exchange a few years later.
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Regarding the marital customs of the Tharus, it seems
that though they are assimilating some Hindu features in their
usual way of life, yet the rites and ceremonies concerning
marriage are rarely influenced by outside customs. But one
cannot predict whether the situation will remain the same
in the future. A few educated and rich Tharus, who are deve-
loping a taste for a Sanskritized way of life have started to
introduce alien patterns such as the abolition of the bride-
price or of the exchange of girls or women for marriage,
though not the rites or ceremonies themselves. Sagunlal
Chaudhari of Sukhrwar, did not accept any bride-price or girl
in exchange for his married sister, though later on he had to
pay the bride-price for his younger brother Balbahadur's wife,
as the parents of the bride were not ready to forego the
price. Campaigns for social reforms are very necessary to
uplift an under-developed community, but the programmes for
such reform must not simply impose the norms and values of
the dominant Hindu culture.
Death
As death is universal, all human beings must come to
terms with the fact of death. Tharus believe in rebirth; but
their ideas concerning the other world are quite vague. Most
of the Tharus believe that there is a shadowy world where
people go after death.
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They also believe that people are
rewarded or punished in that world on the basis of their deeds
in this world.
According to their beliefs there is a continuing wheel
of reincarnation. However, for some individuals, the wheel
may come to a final stop when the dead is reborn in the form