Dalit saints of Hinduism
Dalit is a designation for a group of lower caste Hindu people who were suppressed by upper caste Hindus for hundreds of years and also considered by that system as being outside the caste system of India. Several influential Hindu saints, though, were members of this group,[1][2][3] including Ravidas, Kabir, Namdev, Chokhamela, and Kanhopatra.[4]
Some writers believe that Valmiki and Veda Vyasa, the poet writers of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, were also of Dalit background.[4]
Saints
- Chokhamela, one of the first Dalit poets in India. Born and lived in Maharashtra. Wrote many Abhangas.
- Harichand Thakur (1811–1839), Namsudra, Bengali, founded Vaishnava Matua sect to worship Hari and preach Harinam[5] and a few of their songs even recognize Harichand as an avatar of Vishnu[6]
- Nandanar, He is the only Dalit saint in the Nayanars
- Ghasidas, Guru Ghasidas (1756-1836) was the founder of the Satnami community in Chhattisgarh.
References
- ↑ Dalits and the state, pp. 42, Ghanshyam Shah, Centre for Rural Studies (Lal Bahadur Shastry National Academy of Administration)
- ↑ Dalit consciousness and Christian conversion: historical resources for a contemporary debate: mission theology in an Asian context, pp. 20, Samuel Jayakumar, I.S.P.C.K. (Organization), Regnum International, 1999
- ↑ Staging politics: power and performance in Asia and Africa, pp. 179, Julia C. Strauss, Donal Brian Cruise O'Brien, I. B.Tauris, 2007
- 1 2 "The Hindus forgot that their great saints and philosophers belonged to low caste's men as Valmiki, Ved Vyas, Sauni, Rom Harshan, Tiru Vallur, Kabir, Raidas, Chokhamela, Namdev, Tukaram...", Dalit Literature, pp. 209, Amar Nath Prasad, Sarup & Sons, 2007
- ↑ p. 96, Caste, Culture and Hegemony: Social Domination in Colonial Bengal
- ↑ p. 100, Caste, Culture and Hegemony: Social Domination in Colonial Bengal
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