Darai people (Nepali:दरै) are an indigenous ethnic tribal community native to Nepal.
Most of their population live in hills and
inner terai
Interior may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Interior'' (Degas) (also known as ''The Rape''), painting by Edgar Degas
* ''Interior'' (play), 1895 play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck
* ''The Interior'' (novel), by Lisa See
* Interior de ...
of Nepal in the banks of
Narayani river Narayani may refer to:
* Narayani (deity), another name for Lakshmi
* Narayani, an epithet of Yogamaya
* Narayani River, or Gandaki River, in Nepal
* Narayani Temple, in Narayani village, near Khalikote, Odisha, India
* Narayani Zone, a former admi ...
and Madi river with the largest concentration in
Chitwan
Chitwan District (, , ) is one of 77 districts of Nepal, and takes up the southwestern corner of Bagmati Province. Bharatpur, largest city of Nepal after Kathmandu, is its administrative centre. It covers . In 2011 it had a population of 579 ...
,
Tanahu
Tanahun District ( ne, :ne:तनहुँ जिल्ला, तनहुँ जिल्ला , or ), a part of Gandaki Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Damauli as its district headquarters, covers ...
and
Nawalparasi districts. According to census of , their population is 11,595.
Culture and language
Darai people have their distinct language belonging to Tibeto-Burman group.
Most of them follow Hinduism and celebrate festivals such as Tihar(called Sohorai), Jarmathi, Teej, Amawsha, Badkibhat, Faguwa, Ghata Naach and Dashain.
Darai people use earthen pots for daily works, such as to carry water and prepare alcoholic drinks. They use limited metal tools made of iron, bronze, copper and aluminium. They also build a distinct house called
Ghumaune Ghar.
Origin
There are various theory on the origin of Darai people. They are believed to be the inhabitant of Terai region in the banks of Narayani river since several thousand years. Another theory is that they are the Indian Rajputs migrants who came to Nepal to escape Muslim invasion of India. Some theorize they came from Darbhanga of India, hence the name ''Darai''. Next theory is that
Prithvi Narayan Shah
Maharajadhiraj Prithvi Narayan Shah (1723–1775) ( ne, श्री ५ बडामहाराजाधिराज पृथ्वीनारायण शाह देव) was the last ruler of the Gorkha Kingdom and first monarch of the ...
divided the Karnali region into various ''daras'' which is the origin of the word ''Darai''. Darais is also mentioned in the Mahabharat, Manusmriti and Haribanshapurana.
References
Ethnic groups in Nepal
{{Nepal-stub