20 Facts About Dalit

Dalit, previously known as untouchable, is a name for people belonging to the lowest stratum castes in India.

Term Dalit is a self-applied concept for those called the "untouchables" and others that were outside of the traditional Hindu caste hierarchy.

Dalit is a vernacular form of the Sanskrit ???? .

Some sources say that Dalit encompasses a broader range of communities than the official Scheduled Caste definition.

In Maharashtra, according to historian and women's studies academic Shailaja Paik, Dalit is a term mostly used by members of the Mahar caste, into which Ambedkar was born.

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India's National Commission for Scheduled Castes considers official use of dalit as a label to be "unconstitutional" because modern legislation prefers Scheduled Castes; however, some sources say that Dalit has encompassed more communities than the official term of Scheduled Castes and is sometimes used to refer to all of India's oppressed peoples.

Under the rule of Baji Rao, if a Dalit crossed in front of a gym, they would cut off his head and play "bat and ball" on the ground, with their swords as bats and his head as a ball.

Dalit's wrote that if a Dalit learned to read and write, Baji Rao would say that their education takes away a Brahmin's job, and they were punished.

In some parts of India, there have been allegations that Dalit grooms riding horses for wedding ceremonies have been beaten up and ostracised by upper caste people.

In September 2015, four Dalit women were fined by the upper-caste Hindus for entering a temple in Karnataka.

Discrimination against Dalit Christians remained in interactions and mannerisms between castes; for example, during the earlier days, the 'lower caste Christians' had to [cover] their mouths when talking to a Syrian Christian.

Dalit Christians are said to be grossly underrepresented amongst the clergy in some places.

Occupational discrimination for Dalit Christians goes so far as to restrict not only employment but in some cases for clean sanitation and water.

Anti-Dalit prejudices exist in groups such as the extremist militia Ranvir Sena, largely run by upper-caste landlords in Bihar.

However, Bangaru Laxman, a Dalit politician, was a prominent member of the Hindutva movement.

Dalit was member of the Constituent assembly that drafted India's constitution.

However, reports and stories have shown Dalit Americans continue to face significant discrimination in the United States.

Equality Labs report found that two-thirds of Dalit Americans experienced unfair treatment at their workplace.

One of the first Dalit writers was Madara Chennaiah, an 11th-century cobbler-saint who lived in the reign of Western Chalukyas and who is regarded by some scholars as the "father of Vachana poetry".

Several Dalit groups are rivals and sometimes communal tensions are evident.