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Dalit History
Dalit history encompasses the socio-political, economic, and cultural experiences of communities historically regarded as "Untouchability, untouchables" or oppressed castes in the Indian subcontinent. The term Dalit, meaning "broken" or "oppressed" in Sanskrit, was popularized in the 20th century by social reformers like Jyotirao Phule and B. R. Ambedkar to challenge Caste system in India, caste-based discrimination and reclaim dignity. Dalit history is marked by systemic exclusion, as well as centuries of resilience, reform, and assertion for equality and human dignity. Dalit history spans centuries, from ancient religious texts and social codes that enforced caste hierarchies, to modern movements for equality, justice, and constitutional rights. Ancient and medieval periods The earliest mentions of social stratification appear in the ''Rigveda'', where the Purusha Sukta hymn classifies society into four varnas—Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra. While scholars debate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basor Dalit Caste
The Basor or Bansor are Hindus found in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in India. They have a scheduled caste status.People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part One edited by A Hasan & J C Das page 212 to 215 Manohar Publications Origin The Basor were traditionally involved in the manufacture of bamboo items such as bamboo baskets, furniture, handicrafts, etc. The word Basor/Bansor means a bamboo artist and worker. The Basor are found mainly in the districts of Jalaun District, Jalaun, Hamirpur District, Uttar Pradesh, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Jhansi District, Jhansi, Kanpur and Banda district (India), Banda. Some Basor belong To Jabalpur, Bhopal, Chhatarpur, Khajuraho and Sagar districts of Madhya Pradesh. They speak Bundelkhandi dialect, although most can also understand the western-side version of Hindi, known as khari Boli. Present circumstances The Basor continue to practice strict community endogamy, as well as clan exogamy, which is a common practice among m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eklavya
Ekalavya (, also spelt as Eklavya) is a character from the Hindu epic ''Mahābhārata''. He is described as a young prince of the Nishadas, a confederation of forest and hill tribes in ancient India. The son of Hiranyadhanus, a king of the Nishada tribe, Ekalavya seeks to learn archery from Dronacharya, the royal teacher of the Kuru princes, including the epic's main protagonist Arjuna. However, Dronacharya refuses to accept him as a disciple due to his Nishada background as well as the potential to surpass the Kuru princes. Ekalavya trains himself in the forest using a clay statue of the teacher as his guide. His exceptional skill attracts the attention of Arjuna, who, feeling threatened, complains to Dronacharya. In response, Dronacharya demands Ekalavya’s right-hand thumb as '' gurudakshina'' (teacher’s fee), which Ekalavya willingly gives, diminishing his abilities. Ekalavya is known for his dedication to archery and devotion to Dronacharya, and has become a symbol o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shahu Maharaj
Shahu (also known as Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu, Shahu IV, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj) (26 June 1874 – 6 May 1922) of the Bhonsle dynasty of Marathas was a Raja (reign. 1894 – 1900) and the first Maharaja (1900–1922) of the Indian princely state of Kolhapur. Rajarshi Shahu was considered a true democrat and social reformer. Shahu Maharaj was an able ruler who was associated with many progressive policies during his rule. From his coronation in 1894 till his demise in 1922, he worked for the cause of the lower caste subjects in his state. Primary education to all regardless of caste and creed was one of his most significant priorities. On the occasion of Rajarshi Shahuji Maharaj's centenary death anniversary in 2022, a memorial has been erected in his memory on 6 May 2022 through Pahlwan Sangram Kamble and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation at Gali No. 13, Khetwadi, Mumbai. Early life He was born as Yeshwantrao in the Ghatge Maratha family, of Kagal jagir in the Kolh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gopal Baba Walangkar
Gopal Baba Walangkar, also known as Gopal Krishna walangkar,(1840–1904) is an early example of an activist working to release the untouchable people of India from their historic socio-economic oppression and is generally considered to be the pioneer of that movement. He developed a racial theory to explain the oppression and also published the monthly journal Vital-Vidhvansak, targeted at the Brahmanical Orthodoxy. Life Gopal Baba Walangkar was born into a family of Mahar caste around 1840 at Ravdul, near Mahad in what is now Raigad district, Maharashtra. He was related to Ramabai, who in 1906 married the polymathic social reformer, B. R. Ambedkar. In 1886, after serving in the army, Walangkar settled at Dapoli and became influenced by another early social reformer, Jyotirao Phule, thus being a link between two of the most significant reform families of the period. Walangkar was appointed to the local taluk board of Mahad in 1895, which displeased the members from the u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oru Paisa Tamilan
''Oru Paisa Tamilan'' was a Tamil language weekly magazine, which was published and edited by Iyothee Thass, a Dalit activist. It started its publication on 9 June 1907 in Royapettah. It was later renamed simply as ''Tamilan'' (''Thamizhan''). It ceased publication in 1934. Publications Thass revived Tamil Buddhism through his writing. He and others wrote several articles critical of Hinduism and Brahminism. The magazine had the dialogues of Tamil Nationalism Tamil nationalism is the ideology which asserts that the Tamils, Tamil people constitute a nation and promotes the cultural unity of Tamil people. Tamil nationalism is primarily a secular nationalism, that focus on language and homeland. I ... and laid the foundation for the Dravidian politics. References Defunct magazines published in India Defunct political magazines Weekly magazines published in India Magazines established in 1907 Magazines disestablished in 1934 Tamil-language magazines Political m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iyothee Thass
C. Iyothee Thass (20 May 1845 – 1914) was an Indian anti-caste activist and a practitioner of Siddha medicine. He famously converted to Buddhism and called upon the Paraiyars to do the same, arguing that this was their original religion. He also founded the Panchamar Mahajana Sabha in 1891 along with Rettamalai Srinivasan. ''Panchamas'' are the ones who are outcastes. "Iyothee Thass" is the most common Anglicized spelling of his name; other spellings include Pandit C. Ayodhya Dasa, C. Iyothee Doss, C. Iyodhi Doss, C. Iyothee Thoss, K. Ayōttitācar (avarkaḷ), K. Ayōttitāsa (paṇṭitaravarkaḷ), or Ayothidas Pandithar.Geetha, V., and S. V. Rajadurai. “Dalits and Non-Brahmin Consciousness in Colonial Tamil Nadu.“, p.2091. ''Economic and Political Weekly'', vol. 28, no. 39, Economic and Political Weekly, 1993, pp. 2091–98/ref> Early life Iyothee Thass possessed deep knowledge in Tamil, Siddha medicine and philosophy, and literary knowledge in languages such as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Census In British India
Census in British India refers to the census of India prior to independence which was conducted periodically from 1865 to 1941. The censuses were primarily concerned with administration and faced numerous problems in their design and conduct ranging from the absence of house numbering in hamlets to cultural objections on various grounds to dangers posed by wild animals to census personnel. The sociologist Michael Mann called the census exercise "more telling of the administrative needs of the British than of the social reality for the people of British India". The differences in the nature of Indian society during the British Raj from the value system and the societies of the West were highlighted by the inclusion of "caste", "religion", "profession" and "age" in the data to be collected, as the collection and analysis of that information had a considerable impact on the structure and politics of Indian society. Administrative background The first modern census in the United Ki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Raj
The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or direct rule in India. * Quote: "Mill, who was himself employed by the British East India company from the age of seventeen until the British government assumed direct rule over India in 1858." * * The region under British control was commonly called India in contemporaneous usage and included areas directly administered by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom, which were collectively called ''Presidencies and provinces of British India, British India'', and areas ruled by indigenous rulers, but under British British paramountcy, paramountcy, called the princely states. The region was sometimes called the Indian Empire, though not officially. As ''India'', it was a founding member of th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gora Kumbhar
Sant Gora Kumbhar (also known as Goroba) was a Hindu '' sant'' associated with the Bhakti movement and the Varkari sect of Maharashtra, India. He was a potter by trade and devotee of Vithal. Gora Kumbhar, along with other saints, wrote and sung hundreds of Abhangs. Gora Kumbhar is traditionally believed to have lived in the village of Satyapuri, presently known as Goraba Ter in Osmanabad district of Maharashtra State. He is believed to have been a contemporary of Namdev. He is thought to have lived between 1267 and 1317 CE. A small temple named after him was built in the village and is visited by devotees. In popular culture Several motion pictures have been produced in India, about the life and ''bhakthi'' of Gora Kumbhar: * K. S. Gopalakrishnan directed the Telugu movie entitled ''Chakradhari'' in 1948. It starred V. Nagayya and S. Varalakshmi. * K. S. Gopalakrishnan directed the Tamil movie entitled '' Chakradhari'' in 1948. It starred V. Nagayya and Pushpavalli. * 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nandanar
Nandanar (also spelt as Nantanar), also known as Thirunaallaippovaar () and Tirunallaipovar Nayanar,Other names include: Nandan (Nanda, Nantan), Tirunalaipovanar, Nalaippovar, Nalaippovan was a Nayanar saint, who is venerated in the Hindu sect of Shaivism. He is generally counted as the eighteenth in the list of 63 Nayanars. Like the other Nayanars, he was a devout devotee of the god Shiva. The tale of Nandanar is retold numerous times in folk tales, folk music, plays, films and literature in Tamil society. While Nandanar is included in Nayanar list since the 8th century CE, the 12th century CE ''Periya Puranam'' gives a full hagiographical account of his life. The tale focuses on two miracles attributed to him. In Sivalokanathar Temple, Tirupunkur; his prayers are said to have moved a giant stone bull, which still appears in the moved position in the temple. Nandanar is said to have ritually purified himself by fire at Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram. Nandar's tale fe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kabir
Kabir ( 15th century) was a well-known Indian devotional mystic poet and sant. His writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement, and his verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib, the Satguru Granth Sahib of Saint Garib Das, and Kabir Sagar of Dharamdas. Today, Kabir is an important figure in Hinduism, Sikhism and in Sufism. He was a disciple of Ramananda, the founder of the Ramanandi Sampradaya. Born in the city of Varanasi in what is now Uttar Pradesh, he is known for being critical of organised religions. He questioned what he regarded to be the meaningless and unethical practices of all religions, primarily what he considered to be the wrong practices in Hinduism and Islam. During his lifetime, he was threatened by both Hindus and Muslims for his views. When he died, several Hindus and the Muslims he had inspired claimed him as theirs. Kabir suggested that "truth" is with the person who is on the path of righteousness, who considers everything, l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chokhamela
Chokhamela was a saint from Maharashtra, India in the 13th–14th century. He belonged to the Mahar caste, which was considered that time one of the low castes in India. He was born at Mehuna Raja, a village in Deulgaon Raja Taluka of Buldhana district. He lived at Mangalvedha in Maharashtra. He wrote many Abhangas. One of his known Abhangas is 'Abir Gulal Udhlit Rang". Social activist Arvind Prabhakar Kayande Started Celebrating "Chokhamela Festival" in Deulgaon Raja. He was one of the first low-caste poets in India. Life and Family Chokhamela lived with his wife Soyarabai and son Karmamela in Mangalvedha. Chokhamela's task was to guard and work in farms of upper-caste people. His family also followed varkari sect. * Soyarabai - Wife * Nirmala - Sister and her husband Banka (who is brother of Soyarabai) * Karmamela - Son Chokhamela was initiated into bhakti (spirituality) by the poet-saint Namdev (1270-1350 CE). Once when he visited Pandharpur, he listened to San ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
