Majhi is an indigenous people of Nepal. Mugali is an honorific term in the Tharu language, from which the name of the group may have been derived. The Majhis call themselves Bhumar (Sharma, BS2053). Culturally as well as linguistically the Majhis, like the Darai, are said to be related to Tharus. There is among the 32 subgroups of the Tharu a subgroup called Majhi. However, the Majhis are a separate indigenous people. They live on the banks of rivers in eastern hill districts and also in Chitwan. The Majhis in the past used to, after obtaining royal seals from kings, engage in their traditional occupation of ferrying people across rivers and rowing boats. Their occupation was much respected.

The Majhis inhabit the banks of rivers as Koshighat, Simaraghat, Gaighat, Tamorghat, Gandakighat, etc in the districts of Kavrepalanchok, Sindhupalchok, Ramechhap, Sindhuli, Udayapur, Dhankuta, Okhaldhungha, Chitwan, etc. Their population, according to the census of 2001, is 72,614. Their population was 55,050 in the census of 1991. The Majhis may have been ecumerated in the censuses as Tharus or some other ethnic group, but they prefer to call themselves Majhi.

The Majhi have their own language called Majhi language. It is close to the language of the Darais, a mixture of Tibeto-Burman words and Bhojpuri and Maithili. The child is given a name by its relatives on the sixth day of its birth. Some Majhis carry out the christening ceremony at the hands of the father on the third day of its birth. The male child undergoes the initiation ceremony (Chhewar) at the hands of the maternal uncle between the ages of three and five years. Marriage, from initiating talks to its completion, is undertaken in three or four stages. Two weeks before marriage, the hands, legs and even the neck of the groom are tied with a rope and he is given advice in the Majhi language. The groom does not go with the bride to the bride's house. The bride is brought back to the groom's house and vermillion (Sindur) is put on her head. The dead are burnt. Rice, meat, alcohol, etc are thrown at a junction of two roads for the departed soul for twelve days. The person undertaking the death rites covers himself or herself with a fish net for ten days. Fish is mandatory in the offerings (Pinda) to the dead. In some places three days of singing and dancing are held in memory of the dead (Ukyab and Adhikari, BS2057:47).

The dress of the Majhi male is Kachhad and Pheta. Women wear a short skirt called Phariya and over it a cloth known as Majetro. The Majhis, when making their houses, use big stones of rivers as foundation and walls, to be covered by the roof. The Majhis live close to each other in a dense settlement. They do not have caste discrimination among themselves, along with subgroupings (thar). All call themselves Majhis, although the Majhis call themselves Kushar Majhi and call the indigenous people Bote Majhi. The social system of Majhi has the Mijar as the head of the village, who settles disputes and collects taxes. The Mijar also have a role to play in marriage and other activities. The assistant to the Mijar is called Gaurung. The Majhis, after being influenced by Hinduism, have started to worship Bhimsen as their chief deity, but they are in essence nature worshippers. The ancestral deity is worshipped in every house and others are prohibited from entering the place of the deity. The Majhis offer sacrifice (Panchabali) to gods, and celebrate Barden and Bhumi Puja, Jakhani Puja in the month of Ashar. While worshipping their ancestors, the Majhis sing and dance, abstain from eating certain items and carryout the ritual functions. The Majhis sing songs invoking their ancestors.

The main occupation of Majhis is ferrying people across rivers. Besides, they also make fishing nets, and fishing is an important activity for them. The Majhis in the past were given special rights under Kipat tenurial system related to the banks of rivers. Nowadays, as the occupation of ferrying people across rivers has decreased in importance, they have started to involve themselves in farming, foreign employment and also in business.