Dalit
Dalit ( from meaning "broken/scattered"), also some of them previously known as
untouchables, is the lowest stratum of the
castes in the Indian subcontinent. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold
varna of the caste hierarchy and were seen as forming a
fifth varna, also known by the name of ''Panchama''. Several scholars have drawn parallels between Dalits and the ''
Burakumin'' of Japan, the ''
Baekjeong'' of
Korea and the
peasant class of the medieval European
feudal system.
Dalits predominantly follow
Hinduism, with significant populations of the adherents of
Buddhism,
Sikhism,
Christianity, and
Islam.
Scheduled Castes is the official term for Dalits, who get reservations under
positive discrimination, as per the
constitution of India.
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