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Cultures in Madhesh (Terai)
 

The Madheshi (: मधेसी) are the native people of Nepal who reside in the southern, plains region of the nation known as the Tarai.
Etymology:
The word "madheshi" is the adjectival form of madhesh, which usually refers to the Tarai. Madhesh (मधेश) derives from the Sanskrit words madhya desh (मध्य देश), meaning "middle country". While many theories have been developed about the origin of the word, the most popular one is that this land was the central kingdom of the mythical Hindu king Janak.
 
Culture:
The Madheshi people have their own Mithila culture, which is one of the original cultures of Nepal. According to the Ramayana, the ruler of Mithila, King Janak—a Madheshi by present standards—had established the kingdom of Mithila with its capital in present-day Janakpur long before the Shah rulers had even entered Nepal. His daughter, Sita is still worshipped by Hindus as the ideal of womanhood. The Madheshi are the only people of Nepal other than the Newars to have a long history of civilized and cultured existence with opulent cities and culture since early eras.
 
Religion and Language:

There is a great cultural diversity in the Madhesh. Its cultural diversity can be seen in the fact that three distinct religious groups—Hindu, Muslim and Jain—live there. Caste Hindus are the dominant social group in the Madhesh. The social structure of Madheshi caste Hindus is very similar to that of Hindus from the hills.

Several languages such as Maithili, Bhojpuri, Avadhi, Hindi, Nepali and Urdu are spoken by the Madheshi people. Maithili is the most commonly used language.
 
 
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