Traditional ‘Auli Utara Puja’ of Tharu community faces extinction

Kanchanpur: The centuries-old ‘Auli Utara Puja,’ a traditional ritual performed by the Tharu community after the rice harvest, is on the verge of extinction. This ritual, which involves worshipping the sickle and the stone used to sharpen it, symbolizes gratitude towards agriculture and nature.

In the past, after completing the rice harvest, members of the Tharu community would place the sickle and sharpening stone in a corner of the field and perform the ‘Auli Utara Puja.’ “A peacock made of Kush was hung on the tip of a long bamboo pole, decorated with rice ears and flower garlands,” said Tharu leader Dhan Bahadur Kushmi (Chaudhari). “It was once a vibrant part of our culture, but now such scenes are rarely seen in the fields.”

According to Kushmi, after harvesting the rice, the head of the household would leave a small portion of rice in the corner of the cart and worship it. This remaining rice, known as ‘Uiira,’ was offered water, vermilion, flowers, and alcohol during the puja. It was customary to cut the saved rice with the left hand, and a head of rice was poured on the person carrying the sickle as a gesture of respect and prayer for a prosperous harvest in the coming year. “The puja was believed to bring abundance and protect the family from illness,” he said.

The ritual was accompanied by festivities where families prepared jaggery, alcohol, pork, fish, and other dishes. Women would weave garlands of hundred-leaf leaves to adorn participants, and traditional songs and madal music filled the air.

According to Tharu cultural expert Havaldar Chaudhary, the Auli Utara Puja reflects the community’s deep connection to farming, faith, and the environment. “In the past, elders across villages performed this puja after every harvest, but now many young people have never even heard of it,” he said. Chaudhary warned that the tradition may disappear completely if elders fail to pass down its meaning and practice to the younger generation.

He noted that while farming continues, the associated rituals have faded away. “Earlier, agriculture and worship went hand in hand, but now only agriculture remains,” he lamented.

For the older generation, Auli Utara Puja represented a sacred bond between humans and deities, and returning home without performing it was considered inauspicious. However, with the rise of modern agricultural tools, time constraints, and declining interest among the youth, the ritual is now fading into obscurity.

Despite this decline, Tharu leaders remain hopeful that with collective efforts, the revival of Auli Utara Puja could help restore and strengthen the community’s cultural identity.