Himalayan News Service

Chitwan, January 4

Tourists visiting the Royal Chitwan National Park (RCNP) can get to experience not just the wild flora and fauna there, but can also enjoy the unique aspects of Tharu culture, thanks to a regular cultural programme introduced six years back.

Every evening the tourists visiting the RCNP gather in a hall of the Hotel Holiday Safarito to relish the unique cultural features of the Tharu community here.

"This cultural programme, which is organised every day

from the past six years, is the brainchild of a staffer Rabindra Shrestha. The programme features tribal dances including performances by tamed animals," a staffer at the hotel Purna Man Shrestha said.

Tourists pay Rs 40 to enter the hall which has a capacity to accomodate 150 people.

Peacock dance, Lahuro dance, Thakara dance, Damfu dance, Jhumra dance and Fire dance are some of the dances performed to entertain the visitors.

Shri Ram Silwal, a peacock dancer from Sauraha, said: "There are only three good peacock dancers in town. Earlier, I used to perform alone, but I have trained these two and we dance in a group at various functions organised in the area."

He also said Yak dance and Tiger dance were also performed at the cultural hall, but since the paraphernalia used for these dances were lost in a flood in 2059 BS, they are unable to restart these dances.

According to the organiser Ranjan Shrestha, earlier the programme was held twice daily; however, these days there is only one show as there are not many tourists in the area.

On New Year’s eve, the programme highlighted not only typical dances of the Tharu community, but also dances by the tribal Chepang community of Chitwan district.