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Beyond the four varnas : the untouchables in India

By: Material type: TextTextPublication details: Shimla; Indian Institute of Advance Study; 1988Edition: the untouchables inDescription: 120pISBN:
  • 8120804597
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 305.56 MUK
Summary: Who were the untouchables in India? Why and when did they become so? are some of the questions the present study attempts to answer. As the sage proceeds, from the Rgveda onward, it unfold various facets of the problem faced by these people. 'Who were the untouchables in India?', and 'Why and when did they become so?" are some of the questions the present study attempts to answer. As the saga proceeds, from the Rgveda onward, it unfolds various facets of the problem faced by these people. The main focus of the study is on the role of the 'Aryans' in India around ca. 400 B.C. to A.D. 200, when significant changes took place in society. From about this time the exact Sanskrit word for 'untouchable' began to appear in the sacred texts, replacing the words like 'impure', 'unclean', etc. This was the first identification of untouchables as a marginal group, living the mercy of the predominant 'Aryans' and being used as and when necessary. This narrative of emergence of untouchability in India is profusely documented, and substantiates how indology combined with anthropology and sociology can make a meaningful contribution to understanding social reality.
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Item type Current library Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Books Books Gandhi Smriti Library 305.56 Muk (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 36735
Total holds: 0

Who were the untouchables in India? Why and when did they become so? are some of the questions the present study attempts to answer. As the sage proceeds, from the Rgveda onward, it unfold various facets of the problem faced by these people. 'Who were the untouchables in India?', and 'Why and when did they become so?" are some of the questions the present study attempts to answer. As the saga proceeds, from the Rgveda onward, it unfolds various facets of the problem faced by these people. The main focus of the study is on the role of the 'Aryans' in India around ca. 400 B.C. to A.D. 200, when significant changes took place in society. From about this time the exact Sanskrit word for 'untouchable' began to appear in the sacred texts, replacing the words like 'impure', 'unclean', etc. This was the first identification of untouchables as a marginal group, living the mercy of the predominant 'Aryans' and being used as and when necessary. This narrative of emergence of untouchability in India is profusely documented, and substantiates how indology combined with anthropology and sociology can make a meaningful contribution to understanding social reality.

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