Tharu community celebrates Atwari festival in western Nepal

The Tharu community in the Terai region of western Nepal is celebrating the Atwari festival with joy and excitement. The festival is known for promoting unity, harmony, and strong family relations. Villages and settlements have become lively as people prepare for the occasion.

Atwari is celebrated on the second Sunday after Krishna Janmashtami. For the festival, families prepare traditional dishes such as rice and roti made from Anadi rice, dried fish, khariya, sidra, and phulauri.

According to local Tharu leader Laxmi Chaudhary from Dhangadhi, people are busy cleaning their homes, making leaf plates (duna and tapari), and gathering food items for worship and offerings. Families come together to divide responsibilities, and on Saturday, people spend the day fishing and collecting vegetables for the feast.

The festival lasts two days. On the first day, Saturday night, those observing the ritual eat a special meal called “dar.” On Sunday, men observing the fast go without food and even water. At midday, they take a holy bath in rivers, ponds, or lakes and perform worship rituals. After the prayers, food and fruits prepared at home are first set aside as gifts (agrashan) for married daughters before the fasting men break their fast. Special dishes include Anadi rice roti, bananas, cucumbers, guavas, and dried fish.

On the second day, Monday, devotees again bathe early in the morning and perform rituals by burning cow dung with ghee and pine wood. Afterwards, they enjoy traditional dishes, once again setting aside a portion for married daughters as agrashan before eating. The festival is believed to strengthen the bond between brothers and sisters.

The Atwari festival is also linked to Tharu King Dangisharan and the Mahabharata hero Bhimsen. According to legend, when King Dangisharan’s kingdom was attacked, Bhim, one of the Pandavas, helped the king despite being hungry and thirsty. Bhim’s victory is remembered by worshipping him and the Sun God during Atwari.

The festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm in Tharu-majority districts such as Kailali, Kanchanpur, Banke, Bardiya, Surkhet, and Dang. Families give gifts to married daughters as a way to strengthen relationships. On this occasion, Sudurpaschim Province and several Tharu-majority districts in Lumbini Province have also declared a public holiday.