Mahar, Buddhist and Dalit: Religious Conversion and Socio-Political Emancipation

"On 14 October 1956 Bhimrao Ambedkar, born into the caste of the `Untouchable` Mahars converted in Nagpur to Buddhism. Several thousand Mahars followed suit, in an attempt to protest against their discrimination and exploitation, and seeking a new beginning. Fifty years have since passed and most of the former Mahars now consider themselves Buddhists. This study aims to analyse this movement of religious conversion."