Peprahar Community Home Stay started as a five house venture from ward no 17 of Devchuli Municipality in March 2016. At present, the hospitality enterprise comprises a total of 22 houses, out of which 15 belongs to the Tharu community. The remaining seven belong to Magar, Thakuri, and Gurung communities. The maximum occupancy of each of these homes is four guests, and the entire Prepahar Village can comfortably accommodate 88 visitors at one time.
According to the President of Peprahar Community Home Stay, Jhanak Bahadur Mahato, people attending seminars, or similar functions are their major costumers. He states, “People prefer to stay here to get rid of their hectic schedules”. This home stay service has provided service to more than 7,500 people since its establishment. Manager of the home stay, Somnath Mahato, informed that home stay has accumulated more than Rs 400,000 till now.
Tharu cuisines and traditions are the main attraction of the Peprahar Community Home Stay. The visitors first get a taste of the Tharu hospitality when they are welcomed with an array of Tharu cuisines. Similarly, different Nepali foods are also prepared as per the costumers’ preferences.
Flatbread ‘roti’, snail ‘ghonghi’, and ‘sojuwa’ are the major attractions of Tharu cuisines.
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Additionally, fish, chicken, and duck meat are also served in houses affiliated to the home stay community. According to Mahatto, ducks and chickens are easily available in the village but the customers should pre-inform for snail delicacies.
In addition to observing the flamboyant traditions and cuisines, people are also keen on learning about the lifestyle of the local residents. The guests visiting the Peprahar Community Home Stay are presented with elaborated cultural performances of the Tharu and Magar communities.
While the Tharus perform ‘Laathi’, ‘Jharra’, ‘Ghaila’ and ‘Jhumra’ dance. The Magar community presents their ethnic cultural dances. Trained Tharu performers accompany the Magars citing the marginalized population of the latter in the Peprahar community.
Costumers at the home stay can also enjoy off-the-grid services like jeep safari, elephant safari, boating in Narayani River and village walk in Peprahar as well. The village also caters customers with extra activities upon pre-information.
‘Ghonghi’ Land Snail
‘Ghonghi’ is the staple food of the Tharu community. ‘Ghonghis’ are small species of snail which can be found in rivers, ponds, and other water sources. Tharu people have their own method of cleaning and cooking the delicacy. ‘Ghonghi’ is cleaned by sprinkling flour, which is later cooked with onion, salt, chilies, and spices. You need to dig into the shells of the cooked ‘Ghonghi’ for a taste of the succulent flesh. ‘Ghonghi’ is also considered to have medicinal values.
Sojuwa roti (bread)
Sojuwa rotis are made by baking rice flour. This is also called the king roti (bread) in Tharu language. This bread is made in different shapes and there are numerous ways of cooking this bread; the most popular being by steaming inside a clay utensil. The roti is then shaped into different shapes and further steamed for some more time before serving. Sojuwa roti is accompanied with a pickle made by mixing salt and chili powder.
