INTRODUCTION

Dalit s are the people who are economically, socially, politically exploited from
centuries. Unable to live in the society of human beings, they have been living outside the
village depending on lower level of occupation, and lived as ―untouchable . This hierarchy
has been the cause for oppression of Dalit s in each and every sphere of society since
centuries. It has subjected them to a life of poverty and humiliation. India attained
independence, but the Dalit s were not allowed to live a life with dignity and equality .A
central axiom of the religious history of South Asia is that Buddhism So although vast tracts of
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, even Kashmir and Afghanistan, were once Buddhist, they are now
predominantly Hindu or Muslim.from the middle of the present century, large numbers of
Untouchable Hindus, mostly Mahars and Jatavs , started converting to Buddhism.

1.1) WHO ARE THE DALIT

To define who are the untouchables has not been merely anthropologists but to
legal experts as well because of the political importance the untouchables gained during
the last decades of British rule in India and also the economic and educational benefits
untouchability brought . the question is how and when did they become untouchables .
Untouchability as a religious and social practice is not mentioned in the Vedas .
Ambedkar considers that untouchability must have begun after 400 A.D .He was
convinced that the stigma of untouchability can be wiped out by a re-reading of Hindu
religious texts and Indian history

Most of the Dalit leaders in the 19th century tried, like Ambedkar, to trace their
roots to some higher castes within the Hindu caste structure. When the government
offered special privilege in terms of educational opportunities and financial help many
Dalit Jatis abandoned their pretensions to belong to some higher castes and wanted to
receive special benefits . moreover , when separate Electorates were offered to the
Muslim in 1909 most of the Dalit leaders wanted the same for Dalit also on account of
their minority status . Zelliot observes1

1.2). Dalit s –Human or Animals (In The Light Of Socio–Economic Background)

The basic reasons for this degraded status of the Dalit s is caste system leading to
untouchability, monopoly of resources and monopoly of knowledge. Not only are Dalit s
extremely poor, rather half of the Dalit Population are living below the poverty line as
compared to less than one-third of the rest of the Population. the Dalits lost their livelihood
and began to be degenerated to the status of animals.The practice of untouchability and the
lack of knowledge made them to believe all those superstitious and unreasonable myths
formed by the cunning Brahmans .They were deprived of the three basic needs of society –
food, shelter and clothing. Deprived of food, they filled their stomach with stale pieces of food
and dead animals as if they were not humans . And it is to fulfill the stomach, they had to do
the dirty works, as no work was , to amass wealth, or bear arms

1) Aleyamma Zachariah,Modern religious and secular movements in India ( Bangalore:

Theological Book Trust , 1992),265.
2) https://WWW.STUDY_MAT/POL_SC/DALIT%20MOVEMENT(4/9/2021)
1.3) MOVMENTS FOR THE DALITS

the Bhakti movements of the middle ages are considered to be anti caste movement in
general and are considered to be vehicles for the upward by mobile untouchable individuals
shah consider Bhakti movements as reform movement trying to bring about “ some sort of
integration of the upper caste Hindus withe those of the lower castes “when various warring
tribes invaded India . He identifies two trends within this movement : the reformist and the
radical . The former attempts at integration within the Neo-vedantic framework of Hinduism.

1.4) MOVEMENT BY THE DALITS

Movements started by the Dalits themselves are considered to the legitimate

expression because it is the Dalits who know what afflicts the and what kind of action is needed to set
right their lives . these movement originate from the Dalits own experience of pathos and pain of
being kept outside the society being made dependent for their livelihood without ant human
dignity.the upper castes were happy to keep them under bondage because of untouchable
unenviable position of agricultural laborers . Dalit movement started by the Dalits themselves can
divided into three categories

1) Movements to establish caste honour

2) Movements towards other religions
3) Secular and political movements

In the first category of movement the Dalit Jatis consider themself to be of equal status and honour
as other upper castes especially Brahmans By following the upper caste practices 9 Sanskritisation, in
Srinivas terms . ) they try to regain their status. The presupposition in these movements is that these
Jatis were once Brahmans and by some ritual error they were ex-communicated by the other
Brahmin s .
The second category is movement to other regions . even before Ambedkar made religious
conversion a mode of political protest and even before the politics of numbers made religious
conversion suspect many Dalit Jatis had joined Christianity for various other reason Prior to the
coming of the protestant missionaries the Portuguese had converted two fishing Jatis along the costal
areas of Tamil Nadu and Kerala .
In 1909 the Government of India Act defined Indian not as a single nation but as a multitude
of diverse “ interests “ who had to be consulted for purposes of government . as a result in all its
efforts to make the constitution it received representations from various interest groups3 .

NEO BUDDHISM

2.1) WHAT IS NEO_ BUDDHISM

His study led him towards Christ or Buddha. He was searching for a religion which
preached equality, fraternity and liberty and Buddhism came the closest, since he realized that
Christianity was not free of discriminatory behaviour either, working along the lines of caste and
denominations. He also considered Communism, but understood its limitations and therefore
abandoned this option. He found Buddhism appealing because of its democratic, egalitarian nature.
Its three principles, namely ‘ Prajna ’ – understanding or wisdom, ‘ Karuna ’ – love, and ‘ Samata ’ –
equality were a salve for the Dalit community and something that they were deprived of in Hinduism.
2) Op.Cit, Aleyamma Zachariah,151.
4) https://feminisminindia.com/2020/11/06/dalits-religious-conversion-neo-
buddhist-movement (7/9/2021)
2.2) LIFE OF AMBEDKAR
Ambedkar was born on April 14th 1893 in the Mahar caste which was one of the
largest outcasts in Maharashtra . He was the fourteenth son of the father , who was a minor officer in
the Indian army . Ambedkar suffered much being a Mahar , even in school . T he teachers and the
students would not touch him . He had to lie down ground and have a higher - caste boy to pour
water in his mouth . A bullock - cart man refused to drive for him and his brother when he discovered
that they were Mahars . He could not take part in the game with other boys because the belonged to
higher castes .5

2.3) Buddhism as a Religion of Human Liberation

Neo- Buddhist concept of Buddhism is primarily that of a religion of liberation of the
oppressed in society . Buddha ushered in a new from of liberty , equality and fraternity .Because
Buddha established a new society based on equality , low caste people also embraced Buddhism .
there is compassion for the human individual . Buddhism opposes the graded social inequalities . It is
humanistic , secularistic , democratic and scientific.6
2.4) Social and economic change
The Ambedkarites were partly motivated by a desire for social change.
Immediately after formal conversion , most of the customs and occupation were rejected. The change
was quite clear in the marriage practices. The Buddhist marriage ceremonies are shorter , cheaper
and dignified. While major social and economic changes are taking place , the Neo-Buddhists in the
eyes of the rest of society.7

EVALUATION
The movement has sought to be a socially and politically engaged form of Buddhism. nearly half a
million Dalits – formerly untouchables – joined him and converted to Navayana Buddhism.[4] It
rejected Hinduism, challenged the caste system in India and promoted the rights of the Dalit
community. The movement also rejected the teachings of traditional Theravada, Mahayana and
Vajrayana traditions of Buddhism, and took an oath to pursue a new form of engaged Buddhism as
taught by Ambedkar.

CONCLUSION
Dr. Ambedkar love and devotion for Lord Buddhism and His Dhamma were too deep . This is
evident from the constitution of India also,of which he was the chief architect. Even his call for the
revival of Buddhism in India was inspired by the principle of Bahujana Hitaya, Bahujana Sukhaya .
Ambedkar was truly a builder of a nation and a global leader rather than just a Dalit leader .He is the
one who gave the principles of social justice . To remember this great man , Ambedkar Jayanti is
celebrated throughout the control.

5) Op.Cit, Aleyamma Zachariah,152.

6) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340952466_Dr_Ambedkar_Neo-
Buddhism_and_Dalit_movement ( 8/9/2021)
7) https://edtimes.in/neo-buddhist-movement- (8/9/2021)
BIBILIOGRAPHY

1) Zachariah,Aleyamma.Modern Religious And Secular Movement in

India .Bangalore;Theological book trust,1992.

Webliography

1) https://WWW.STUDY_MAT/POL_SC/DALIT%20MOVEMENT
2) https://feminisminindia.com/2020/11/06/dalits-religious-conversion-neo-
buddhist-movement
3) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340952466_Dr_Ambedkar_Neo-
Buddhism_and_Dalit_movement
4) https://edtimes.in/neo-buddhist-movement-
 SEMINAR ON :
DALIT MOVENT IN
INDIA AND
NEO BHUDDISM

SUBMITTED TO : AUGASTIN P JHON

SUBMITTED BY: SARATH RAJ .S
SUBMITTED ON: 28/9/2021