Description

About the Book

The sole objective of this edition is to present the descriptive ethnographical description of more than 411 Dalit Castes and Communities of South India who belong to shudra varna in Hindu social order.  Here we focus on the ways of living of South India Dalits and the factor that have caused to change their life style. Summaries of each entry usually provided information on the following aspects: Physical Features; History of Origin; Social Life; Rites and Rituals; Economic Activities; Administration and Justice; Religion and Culture; Inter-community Relationship; Modernisation; and Bibliography. This work seems to be as informative as possible given the limitation of space and knowledge of contributors. The task which we have performed here is, no doubt, beset with difficulties but we shall consider our labour amply rewarded if this edition is found useful by scholars and readers of ethnic study of the dalit communities of South India.

About the Editor

Nagendra Kr. Singh has specialised himself as a noted oriental ethnographer. He has written/edited a number of books including Encyclopaedia of the World Muslims: Tribes, Castes and Communities in 4 Volumes. His Ph.D. (Patna University) work was “Socio-economic Changes in Bihar (1793-1912).” He has contributed number of paper in journals of national and international reputes. Presently, he is the Director of International Centre for Religious Studies, and Chief Editor of Global Religious Vision—a Quarterly Research Journal published from Delhi.