Dhimal Living Museum and homestays in Matigaun

By Hari Prasad Koirala,Urlabari, Mar. 19: Belbari Municipality of Morang has constructed a Dhimal Living Museum and homestays in Matigaun, Ward 10, in honour of the Dhimal community.

The Dhimal community is regarded as the first inhabitants of the area. While the homestay has already come into operation, the museum is still under construction.

The Dhimal community, which resides only in the Tarai regions of Morang and Jhapa, has been recognised as the original inhabitants by municipalities including Belbari, Pathari Shanishchare, and Damak in eastern Nepal.

The Dhimal Living Museum and homestays have been developed to showcase their customs, traditions, attire, food, and culture. Matigaun of Belbari-10 is considered the capital of the Dhimal community.

According to Jogendra Dhimal, Chairperson of the Matigaun Tole Development Committee, a settlement of 121 households of the Dhimal community in a single cluster is unique and not found elsewhere.

He stated that 10 houses in Matigaun were selected for the homestay programme, among which Suryabahadur, Suryamaya, Sakendra, Nagendra, and Jogendra Dhimal have already prepared their homes.

The homestays were constructed at a cost of Rs. 326,763, of which Belbari Municipality provided a grant of Rs. 200,000, while Rs. 126,763 was contributed by the local community. Each of the five houses has two to three bedrooms and attached toilets.

According to Jogendra Dhimal, operating homestays will not only promote the cultural identity of the Dhimal community nationwide but also create employment opportunities for women engaged in household work.

Once landowners in Jhapa and Morang, the Dhimals have now become landless. A 75-year-old, Padam Dhimal, said that the community became landless due to an inability to mobilise assets economically.

He said, “I once owned three bighas of land. Now I am landless and only have a small plot on which to build a hut.”

Jogendra Dhimal further added that, following the homestay initiative, a Dhimal museum will be constructed to allow visitors to observe their culture and traditions within a single compound.

The museum and a community building will be built on nine katthas of land occupied by the Rajajwala Dhimal Maharajthan in Matigaun, Belbari-10.

Mayor Dil Prasad Rai of Belbari Municipality informed that this is the first time in the country that a Dhimal homestay has been brought into operation.

He believes that once the living museum is completed, Matigaun will emerge as a new tourist destination.

“We introduced this programme so that people can learn about, understand, and study this centuries-old community in one place,” he said, adding that it will also foster social and economic awareness and support self-employment and self-reliance within the Dhimal community.

Visitors to the homestay can enjoy traditional Dhimal dishes such as chichiribhat, bagiya, gendro, chudur, toye, and keyam.

They can also observe traditional attire such as petani, as well as household tools used in daily labour and agricultural equipment.

According to local resident Lakimaya Dhimal, preparations are underway to welcome guests with Dhimal cultural practices and to entertain them with traditional songs and dances.