Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary is the Founder of the Tharu Cultural Museum and the Founder President of BASE (Backward Society Education) — the largest indigenous grassroots organization in the modern history of Nepal. Born in Dang in 1969, he began organizing for the Tharu community at the age of 17. He led the Kamaiya freedom movement that resulted in the abolition of bonded labor in Nepal in July 2000, directly freeing over 200,000 people. His work has earned him the Ashoka Fellowship (USA, 1992), the Reebok International Human Rights Award (USA, 1994), and the Anti-Slavery International Award (UK, 2002).
Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary
Founder, Tharu Cultural Museum | Founder President, BASE (Backward Society Education)
The Tharu Cultural Museum in Chakhaura, Dang, was born from a simple but urgent belief: that a people who cannot see themselves in history are at risk of losing themselves entirely.
For generations, the Tharu community — one of Nepal’s oldest indigenous peoples — lived in the shadow of exploitation, land dispossession, and the brutal Kamaiya bonded labor system. When we fought to end that system in July 2000, freeing over 200,000 people, we understood that legal freedom was only the beginning. True freedom requires identity, pride, and memory.
This museum is that memory. It is a living archive of our art, our tools, our rituals, our music, and the resilience that has always defined the Tharu people. It belongs to every elder who preserved our traditions, every youth who carries them forward, and every visitor who takes the time to understand us.
I extend my deepest gratitude to our community members, youth clubs, donors, and dedicated team for making this institution a reality. I invite you to visit, to learn, and to stand with us in preserving the heritage of the Tharu people for generations to come.