The Rajis, with flat cheeks, narrow eyes and medium height and with sparse hair on face, are a minority indigenous people of Nepal. The Rajis who inhabit the inner tarai, tarai as well as hills are found in many areas of west Nepal, though their main area of settlement is the Chure hills of mid-western Nepal. Some say that like the names 'Raute' or 'Majhi', they may have come to be knows as Rajis. Like the Majhis, Rajis are also engaged in ferrying people across rivers and in fishing. Like the Rautes, they also like to live in jungles. Some researchers are of the opinion that owing to their open nature, simple ways, progressiveness and their attitude of acceding to others (Raji in Nepal), they may have come to be known as Raji (Gautam and Thapa Magar, 1994:194). Some have even said that the name Raji owes its origin to their being the younger brother of Rajputs. Whether the name Raji is based on their own language or on the language of others is not clear. The Rajis used to lead a nomadic life in the past.

The largest population of Rajis in Nepal is found in Surkhet and Bardiya districts and after that in Kailali and Achcham districts. The Rajis are also found in Dang district and are spread in all the five development regions of the country. They also live in India. The population of Rajis, according to the census of 2001, is 2,399. Their population was 3,274 in the census of 1991 (Gurung, 1998:56). Linguists say that the language of the Rajis belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family. Researchers, however, are of the opinion that the Rajis speak three languages incomprehensible to one another. Purbiya, Doteli and Bundel are said to be the three languages of the Rajis (Gautam and Thapa Magar; ibid, 1997). The culture of Rajis, although much influenced by Hinduism, retains its own specialties to this day. Under outside influence, they have come to practise Sutak for ten days. According to their custom, a woman who has given birth is kept in a corner for seven days and purified. The newborn is given a name by the parents at some time during its first year. Marriage by asking for the hand of the bride, forced marriage and exchange marriage are common among the Rajis. After reaching an agreement over arranged marriage, a cloth is knotted seven times and kissed. Marriages are undertaken in the months of Mangsir and Fagun. A day before the groom goes to the bride's house the groom's party with special ceremonies and accompanied by musical instruments goes to the forest to pick leaves. This is known as Patahara. The leaves picked from the forest are ceremonially worshiped. The groom has to go to the bride's house on a Tuesday, and has to drink alcohol and eat roti (bread). After putting vermillion on the bride's head, a goat has to be cut in a ceremony known as Bashyapak. The body of the goat to be cut has to be placed in such a way that it lies inside as well as outside the house (Shahi, BS2057). The dead are buried after a ceremony of lamp lighting. The purification ceremony lasts from one to thirteen days.

The Rajis drink alcohol and eat fish, meat and roots and shoots. They eat pork, but do not eat buffalo meat. They celebrate festivals like Kuchanach, Deusi, Bhailo, Sorathi and Tappa. They have joint families, and the head of the household is a male. They are divided into three groups: Purbiya, Naukale and Bandale. The three groups are further divided into many subgroups. Naukales live in Kailali. The cultures of Naukales and Purbiyas are similar while that of Bandali is different. Many subgroups of Rajis are named after places.

The Raji are nature worshippers. They worship clan gods and goddesses. Sunpal, Deupal and Rajuwali are their gods and goddesses. While worshipping their gods and goddesses, they go to forest or banks of a river and tie thread around trees. The Raji priest carries out the ceremony wearing the sacred thread, which is discarded therein after completion of the ceremony. The Rajis sacrifice he-goats. The Chhantyal subgroup of Raji sacrifice pigs and worship the Kalbhairav. The Rajis are also influenced by shamans.

The main occupation of Rajis of Mid and Far-west Nepal is ferrying people across rivers. Besides, they are also involved in fishing and hunting game. Nowadays, they have also started to take up farming. Raji women are adept at collecting roots and shoots from forest. Those Rajis permanently involved in farming had plenty of land in the past, but hundreds of hectares of their land was confiscated by those close to the powers-that-be; hence, they are now forced to live lower class and lower middle class lives. Most Rajis have been deprived of education.