Terai

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Terai
Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands

The Terai or Tarai is a lowland region in parts of southern Nepal and northern India that lies to the south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas, the Sivalik Hills and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This lowland belt is characterised by tall

Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion.[1]
Nepal's Terai stretches over 33,998.8 km2 (13,127.0 sq mi), about 23.1% of Nepal's land area, and lies at an elevation of between 67 and 300 m (220 and 984 ft). The region comprises more than 50 wetlands. North of the Terai rises the Bhabar, a narrow but continuous belt of forest about 8–12 km (5.0–7.5 mi) wide.[2]

Etymology

The

Urdu word ترائی tarāʼī means "lands lying at the foot of a watershed" or "on the banks of a river; low ground flooded with water, valley, basin, marshy ground, marsh, swamp; meadow".[3] In Hindi, the region is called तराई 'tarāī' meaning "foot-hill".[4] In Nepali, the region is called तराइ 'tarāi' meaning "the low-lying land, plain" and especially "the low-lying land at the foot of the Himālayas".[5][6] It has been described as "low, marshy ground".[7]

Geology

The Terai is crossed by the large perennial Himalayan rivers Yamuna, Ganges,

silting is a rare phenomenon.[8]

A large number of small and usually seasonal rivers flow through the Terai, most of which originate in the Sivalik Hills. The soil in the Terai is alluvial and fine to medium textured. Forest cover in the Terai and hill areas has decreased at an annual rate of 1.3% between 1978 and 1979, and 2.3% between 1990 and 1991.[2] With deforestation and cultivation increasing, a permeable mixture of gravel, boulders and sand evolves, which leads to a sinking water table. But where layers consist of clay and fine sediments, the groundwater rises to the surface and heavy sediment is washed out, thus enabling frequent and massive floods during monsoon, such as the 2008 Bihar flood.[9]

Geography

In India, the Terai extends over the states of Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. These are mostly the districts of these states that are on the India–Nepal border:[1]

Inner Terai

The light green areas indicate the Terai in Nepal

The Inner Terai Valleys of Nepal consists of five elongated valleys located between the lower Himalayan Range and Sivalik Hills.[14] From north-west to south-east these valleys are:

Outer Terai

The Outer Terai begins south of the Sivalik Hills and extends to the

Dhanusa, Siraha, Saptari, Sunsari, Morang and Jhapa Districts.[15]

Protected areas

Several protected areas were established in the Terai since the late 1950s:

Climate

Based on the

Köppen–Geiger climate classification system, the Nepal Terai experiences a dry-winter humid subtropical climate (Cwa) with pleasant to warm winters and sweltering summers, a mean annual temperature of 20–28 °C (68–82 °F), and a mean annual rainfall of 1,600–1,800 mm (63–71 in) in the west and 2,500–3,000 mm (98–118 in) in the east.[22]

Biratnagar, 26°N, 87°E
Climate chart (explanation)
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F
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█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
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Source: Levoyageur
Imperial conversion
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0.4
 
 
73
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72
 
 
0.5
 
 
82
57
 
 
0.2
 
 
77
50
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
█ Precipitation totals in inches
Chandigarh, 30°N, 77°E
Climate chart (explanation)
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33
 
 
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9
 
 
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█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
█ Precipitation totals in mm
Source: World Weather Information Service
Imperial conversion
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
1.3
 
 
69
43
 
 
1.5
 
 
74
47
 
 
1.2
 
 
83
56
 
 
0.4
 
 
94
66
 
 
1.1
 
 
101
74
 
 
5.7
 
 
101
78
 
 
11
 
 
93
75
 
 
12
 
 
91
74
 
 
5.2
 
 
92
71
 
 
0.9
 
 
89
63
 
 
0.4
 
 
81
51
 
 
0.9
 
 
72
44
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
█ Precipitation totals in inches

Ethnic groups

Tharu people of Terai

medicinal herbs.[26] They have been living in the Terai for many centuries and reputedly had an innate resistance to malaria.[27]
Dhimal reside in the eastern Nepal Terai, viz Sunsari, Morang and Jhapa Districts. In the past, they lived in the fringes of the forest and conducted a semi-nomadic life to evade outbreaks of diseases. Today, they are subsistence farmers.[23]

The Bhoksa people are indigenous to the western Terai in the Indian Kumaon division.[11]

Bantawa people reside foremost in two districts of the eastern Terai in Nepal.[28]

Following the malaria eradication program using DDT in the 1960s, a large and heterogeneous non-Tharu population settled in the Nepal Terai.[27]

caste migrants from the hills and traditional Tharu landlords who own agriculturally productive land constitute the upper level of the economic hierarchy. The poor are the landless or near landless Terai Dalits, including the Musahar, Chamar and Mallaah.[29] Several Chepang people also live in Nepal's central and eastern Terai districts.[30][31]
As of June 2011, the human population in the Nepal Terai totalled 13,318,705 people in 2,527,558 households comprising more than 120 different ethnic groups and
Rajbanshi, Teli, Thakuri, Yadav and Majhi speaking people.[32]

History

Jungle in Uttarakhand

The

Muslim invasion of northern India during the 14th century forced Hindu and Buddhist people to seek refuge from religious persecution. Rajput nobles and their entourage migrated to the Himalayan foothills and gained control over the region from Kashmir to the eastern Terai during the following three centuries.[33]

By the 16th century, the rulers of

Dhanusa, Mahottari and Sarlahi.[35] The rulers of Makwanpur controlled the central Terai region of present-day Nepal, and the rulers of Vijayapur controlled today's Sunsari, Morang and Jhapa Districts.[36] The Shah dynasty conquered the eastern Nepal Terai in the 1770s.[37] They also conquered land in the eastern Terai that belonged to the Kingdom of Sikkim.[38]
The
Bahadur Shah of Nepal during the unification of Nepal.[39] Until the mid 18th century, the Nepal Terai was divided into several smaller kingdoms, and the forests and wild places were, largely, left undisturbed.[40]
Since the late 18th century, however, the Shah rulers encouraged Indians to settle in the Terai, and supported famine-stricken Bihari farmers in efforts to convert to a more productive agricultural lifestyle in the eastern Nepal Terai.[41] From at least 1786 onward, they appointed government officers in the eastern Terai districts of Parsa, Bara, Rautahat, Mahottari, Saptari and Morang to levy taxes, collect revenues and maintain civil order, as well as to hunt wild game, including Indian elephants and Indian rhinoceros, mostly for their ivory.[42][43] At the end of the 18th century, between 200 and 300 elephants were caught annually, using snares or nooses.[44]

The far-western and mid-western regions of the Nepal Terai (called '

Sugauli Treaty was ratified; as a reward for Nepal's military aid in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, they returned some of this region in 1860, namely today's districts of Kanchanpur, Kailali, Banke and Bardiya.[15]
To promote economic development of the Nepal Terai, people from the hills were invited to settle in the region. Since only a few moved to the Terai, Indian people were further encouraged to settle.[45] Immigration of Indian people increased between 1846 and 1950.[41] They settled in the eastern Nepal Terai, living in close proximity with native Terai peoples.[15]

The Indian Terai remained largely uninhabited until the end of the 19th century, as it was arduous and dangerous to penetrate the dense marsh- and malaria-filled jungle with its predators.[46]

Dacoit gangs retreated to the Terai jungles, and the area was considered lawless and wild by the British, who sought control of the region's valuable timber reserves.[47] The region was densely forested with stands of foremost Sal.[15]

Heavy logging began in the 1920s. Extracted timber was exported to India to collect revenues. Cleared areas were subsequently used for agriculture.[40] But still, the Terai jungles were teaming with wildlife.[48]

Inner Terai valleys historically were agriculturally productive but extremely malarial. Some parts were left forested by official decree during the Rana dynasty as a defensive perimeter called Char Kose Jhadi, meaning 'four kos forest'; one kos equals about 3 km (1.9 mi). A British observer noted, "Plainsmen and paharis generally die if they sleep in the Terai before November 1 or after June 1." British travelers to Kathmandu went as fast as possible from the border at Raxaul to reach the hills before nightfall.[15]

Malaria was eradicated using DDT in the mid-1950s, at the unfortunate expense of future generations of birds, especially vultures, which were especially sensitive to the chemical. Subsequently, people from the hills migrated to the Terai.[49] About 16,000

Burma in 1964, from Nagaland and Mizoram in the late 1960s, and about 10,000 Bihari Muslims from Bangladesh in the 1970s.[50]
Timber export continued until 1969. In 1970,
King Mahendra granted land to loyal ex-army personnel in the districts of Jhapa, Sunsari, Rupandehi and Banke Districts, where seven colonies were developed for resettling about 7,000 people. They acquired property rights over uncultivated forest and 'waste' land, thus accelerating the deforestation process in the Terai.[49]
Between 1961 and 1991, the annual population growth in the Terai was higher than the national average, which indicates that migration from abroad occurred at a large scale. Deforestation continued, and forest products from state-owned forest were partly smuggled to India. Community forestry was introduced in 1995.[51] Since the 1990s, migration from the Terai to urban centres is increasing and causing sociocultural changes in the region.[52]

Politics

Since the early 1950s, several political parties advocated for autonomy and independence of the Nepal Terai, such as the Nepal Terai Congress and Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha.[53][54] Several armed groups were formed, which pursued this aim using violent means.[55] In 2013, more than 24 Madheshi political parties were registered for the

Constituent Assembly of Nepal election.[56]

Border disputes

The most significant border dispute of the Indo-Nepal boundary in the Terai region is the Susta area. In the Susta region, 14,500 hectares of land is under dispute but recent development has manage to discuss it bilaterally.[57][58]

Indian influence in Nepal Terai

After the 2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, Indian politicians kept on trying to secure strategic interests in the Nepal Terai, such as over hydropower energy, development projects, business and trade.[59] The government of Nepal has accused India of imposing an undeclared blockade in 2015 but it is not clear yet, local peoples blame Nepal administration and government.[60]

Humanitarian works

Dhurmus Suntali Foundation handed over an integrated community containing 50 houses to Musahar community of Bardibas at a cost of Rs. 63 million.[61]

Economy

Economy in Nepal Terai

The Terai is the most productive region in Nepal with the majority of the country's industries. Agriculture is the basis of the economy.

sugar cane, ginger, turmeric, cardamom, garlic and chili. Fruits comprise mango, lychee, guava, papaya, banana and jackfruit.[63] The Terai is also known for beekeeping and honey production, with about 120,000 colonies of Apis cerana.[64]

In Jhapa District, tea has been cultivated since 1960; the annual production of 2005 was estimated at 10.1 million kg.[65]

The

Mahendranagar near the western border in Kanchanpur District, Mahakali Zone. It is the only motor road spanning the country from east to west.[citation needed
]

Economy in Indian Terai

Tea cultivation was introduced in the Darjeeling Terai in 1862.[13]

Tourism

Tourist attractions in the Terai include:

References

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Bibliography

  • Gaige, F. H. (1975). "Migration into the Tarai". Regionalism and National Unity in Nepal (Second ed.). Delhi: Vikas Publishing House. pp. 58–86.
  • Kirkpatrick, W. (1811). "Chapter I.". An Account of the Kingdom of Nepaul, Being the Substance of Observations Made During a Mission to that Country, in the Year 1793. London: William Miller. pp. 11–25.
  • Pradhan, K. L. (2012). "Introduction". Thapa Politics in Nepal: With Special Reference to Bhim Sen Thapa, 1806–1839. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company. pp. 1–19.
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Further reading
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Tarai.
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