Disappearance of Tharu folk art from house walls

Dhangadhi: The traditional Tharu folk art of creating mud paintings on house walls is vanishing as modern construction practices take over.

With the rising trend of pucca houses, the once-distinctive Tharu wall paintings—featuring elephants, horses, peacocks, people carrying dola-doli, and trees—are disappearing. Even in kutchi houses, where such paintings once symbolized Tharu identity, the practice has faded, said Madhav Chaudhary, former vice-president of Tharu Kalyankarini Sabha Kailali.

"This traditional folk art that reflects our original identity is no longer seen," he lamented. While rural areas still have some kutchi houses, the painted decorations that once adorned them are missing.

To preserve Tharu folk art, a campaign has been launched in Fakalpur village, Kailali, where Tharu homestays operate. The Jagriti Youth Club and local communities are working to revive the tradition by constructing mud houses and painting traditional designs on them.

Chaudhary noted that no houses in Fakalpur resemble authentic Tharu homes anymore, but the initiative aims to reintroduce traditional aesthetics. Similarly, Ranatharu and Katharia Tharu communities, once known for their mud house paintings, have also abandoned the practice.

"In the past, Ranatharu houses featured such paintings, but now they have disappeared," said Surya Chaudhary of Dhangadhi.