The genealogy of a dalit faith

Abstract

This article aims to explore the rise of the Ravidassia Dharm and the emerging contours of caste conflicts between some sections of dalits and the followers of the Sikh religion in contemporary Punjab. It is based on the premise that the Ravidassia Dharm is a dalit response to social exclusion emanating from oppressive social structures coupled with the persistence of acute landlessness among dalits. It is further argued that the Ravidassia Dharm became objectified through the cultural appropriation of an all-pervasive iconography and religious symbols of the Sikh religion. It has grown out of the complex power politics of claims and counterclaims around sacred texts, Rehat Maryada, emblems, rituals and narratives that remain central to the critical processes of conflict formation between some sections of the Ravidassia community and followers of the Sikh faith. A critical examination of factors and forces that led to the formation of the Ravidassia Dharm and its eventual confrontation with the followers of the Sikh religion is long due.