The Legitimacy of the Derogated Caste ‘Chandal’ till the 19th Century
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Abstract
This article explores the process of caste stigma and questions about its reliability. The Chandals were a social group primarily comprising the aboriginal peoples of the Indian subcontinent, later placed at the bottom of the Hindu caste system. In the case of Bengal, the first literary mention of Chandal is found in Charyapada, which is a Bengali-speaking community. Immediately later, two Puranas of Bengal were designated as Adham Shankara and Antyajas, along with the other lower castes. Through the ages, Mukundaram mentioned the occupational changes and their multitasking efficiency shifted their profession from cremation to salt and water chest-nut seller. The ethnographic evidence of the colonial times also provides information about their rituals, occupational efficiency, purity, and an increasing consciousness of social stigma, along with evictions. Exploring the ethnographic data, the article argues that modernity and environment-based ritual knowledge were at an extreme level. Following this tradition and derogatory perception of the upper castes, this article traces the position and legacy of the term Chandal, a lower caste in Bengal.
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