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Who were the Shudras? book cover
Who were the Shudras?
1946
First Published
4.43
Average Rating
184
Number of Pages

Who Were the Shudras? is a book about the history of the Shudra (lowest) varna of the Indian caste system written in 1946 by Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. The book is dedicated to Jyotirao Phule and intends to break the myth about Shudras being an untouchable caste in India. Ambedkar cites the Indian scriptures like The Vedas and Mahabharata among others to argue that Shudras were in fact Aryan kings who fell to a substandard caste after a long-drawn conflict with the Brahmans. Ambedkar also discusses the Aryan race theory and does not agree on the Indo-Aryan migration that has often been considered canon in the history of the race. The book is a debunking of myths and ideologies and hopes to achieve a sense of tolerance for a misunderstood and ill-treated caste in India.

Avg Rating
4.43
Number of Ratings
718
5 STARS
64%
4 STARS
24%
3 STARS
8%
2 STARS
2%
1 STARS
3%
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Author

B.R. Ambedkar
B.R. Ambedkar
Author · 24 books
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was born in 1891 into an “Untouchable” family of modest means. One of India’s most radical thinkers, he transformed the social and political landscape in the struggle against British colonialism. He was a prolific writer who oversaw the drafting of the Indian Constitution and served as India’s first Law Minister. In 1935, he publicly declared that though he was born a Hindu, he would not die as one. Ambedkar eventually embraced Buddhism, a few months before his death in 1956.
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