14 Facts About Madheshi people

Madheshi people is a term used for several groups of people living in the Terai region of Nepal, literally meaning the people of Madhesh.

The term Madheshi people became a widely recognised name for Nepali citizens with an Indian cultural background only after 1990.

Madheshi people comprise various cultural groups such as Hindu caste groups, Muslims, Marwaris, Brahmin and Dalit caste groups, ethnic groups like Maithils, Bhojpuri, Awadhi and Bajjika speaking people and indigenous people of the Terai.

Many of these groups share cultural traditions, educational and family ties with Madheshi people living south of the international border in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Term Madheshi people has been used for people of Indian ancestry residing in the Nepal Terai comprising various cultural groups such as Hindu caste groups, Muslims, Marwaris and indigenous people of the Terai.

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Since the late 18th century, the Shah rulers of Nepal encouraged Madheshi people living in India to settle in the eastern Terai through a series of subsidies granted to new settlers.

In 2006, the Nepal Citizenship Act was amended to the effect that Madheshi people born before 1990 and residing permanently in the country obtained the right to Nepali citizenship.

At the time, Indian and Madheshi people needed a passport to travel to Kathmandu, a requirement in place until 1958.

Madheshi people are disadvantaged in regards to access to education; literacy rate among Madheshi people is lower than among other groups in Nepal, and lowest among Madheshi Dalits.

Madheshi people identity is largely based on the experience of being discriminated by the country's ruling elites.

The discussions on rights and demands of Madheshi people increased after the end of the Nepalese Civil War, in particular among Madheshi intellectuals and political elites.

The United Democratic Madhesi Front formed by Madheshi people organizations pressured the government to accept this concept of autonomy under the motto "One Madhes One Pradesh".

Madheshi people parties gained 50 of 575 seats in the Constituent Assembly.

Madheshi people speak Bengali, Maithili, Bhojpuri, Urdu and Hindi languages.