Traditional Attire and Ornaments of Rana Tharu Women Fading Amidst Modernization in Far-Western Nepal

Kanchanpur. The tradition of wearing traditional ornaments and attire used by women of the Rana Tharu community residing in Kailali and Kanchanpur districts of Far-Western Nepal is gradually declining. The use of traditional attire and jewelry is decreasing due to modern jewelry, clothes available in the market, and changes in lifestyle.

According to 60-year-old Somati Rana of Kalagaudi, Shuklaphanta Municipality-12, women used to wear hand-woven outfits like ghanghariya, angiya, phatui, and udhania at home. At that time, women were adorned with silver ornaments from head to toe. She stated that the tradition included silver hairpins (chapi) for the hair, bir for the ears, nakbesar, nathuni for the nose, black thread wrapped with silver coins around the neck, followed by kathula, hasula, and sakargarela.

“They used to wear lagoura on the upper arms, pahunchi on the wrists, artistic rings on the fingers, kaindhani (chain) around the waist, dhunni above the ankles, and painda and payal below that,” she said, “There was also a tradition of wearing kantha, gariya, and ghichhi around the neck.”

A woman wearing traditional attire and ornaments was respected in society previously. “A woman wearing udhania on the head, haar and kanthasiri mala on the neck, phatui on the chest, ghanghariya on the waist, and painda on the feet was considered a civilized, cultured, and respectable woman,” said Chandramati Rana.

According to Phulmati Rana, the attire of men and women was distinctly traditional before. Now, men have stopped wearing old attire, and the influence of modernity is also visible in women's attire.

“Many ornaments used in the Rana Tharu community were made of silver,” she said, “These ornaments were not just for beauty but were also linked to social prestige, economic status, and cultural identity. Women were required to wear these ornaments and traditional attire mandatorily during weddings, festivals, worships, dances, and special occasions.”

According to her, the tradition of preparing clothes and threads at home to make attire existed previously. Women used to prepare the attire themselves. Now, as they have started using clothes available in the market, the tradition of preparing clothes at home is also disappearing. Along with this, the traditional attire is also slowly vanishing, according to local elders.

It is also mentioned that the decreasing number of artisans who make traditional ornaments is another reason.