 Many of these groups share cultural traditions, educational and family ties with people living south of the international border in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.Tharu people and Pahari people living in the Terai do not consider themselves as Madheshi.The word "madhesh" is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit "madhya desh" (मध्य देश), literally the middle country, which refers to "the central region, the country lying between the Himalaya and the Vindhya mountains".