Dalit communities

The Paswan, also known as Dusadh, are a Dalit community from eastern India. They are found mainly in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. The Urdu word Paswan means bodyguard or "one who defends". The origin of the word, per the belief of the community, lies in their participation in the battle against Siraj-ud-daulah, the Nawab of Bengal at the behest of British East India Company, after which they were rewarded with the post of Chowkidars and lathi-(baton) wielding tax collector for the Zamindars. They follow certain rituals such as walking on fire to assert their valour.

thumb|280px|A man belonging to Chandala or Namasudra caste in East Bengal in 1860. Chandala () is a Sanskrit word for someone who deals with the disposal of corpses, and is also the name of a Hindu lower caste, traditionally considered to be untouchable.

Chamar (, or Jatav, ) is a community classified as a Scheduled Caste under modern India's system of affirmative action that originated from the group of trade persons who were involved in leather tanning and shoemaking. They are found throughout the Indian subcontinent, mainly in the northern states of India and in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal.

Paraiyar, Parayar or Maraiyar (, formerly anglicised as Pariah and Paree) is a caste group found in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala and in Sri Lanka.

Dhobi, known in some places as Dhoba, Rajaka, is a scheduled caste in India and the greater Indian subcontinent whose traditional occupations are washing, ironing, and agricultural labour.

ethnic group in India

Ravidassia or the Ravidas Panth is a religion based on the teachings of Guru Ravidas. It was considered a sect within Sikhism until 2009. The new religion was officially announced on 29 January 2010 by the Dera Sachkhand Ballan. Its scripture is the Amritbani Satguru Ravidas Maharaj Ji. However, some Ravidassias continue to maintain mainstream Sikh religious practices, including the reverence of the Guru Granth Sahib as their focal religious text, wearing Sikh articles of faith (5Ks), and appending Singh or Kaur to their names.

Mahar is an Indian caste found largely in the state of Maharashtra and neighbouring areas. As of 2017 the Mahar caste is designated as a Scheduled Caste in 16 Indian states. Most of the Mahar community followed B. R. Ambedkar in converting to Buddhism in the middle of the 20th century. This was in response to the injustices of the caste system practiced within Brahmanism.

religious sect

caste of India

Scheduled Caste in Maharashtra, India

Satnampanth, also called Satnami Samaj, Satnami movement, or Sadhanpanth, are terms used to refer to various Indian religious and sectarian movements. The Satnami movement was connected to Dalits. The first Satnami movement was established by Bir Bhan in 1657 in eastern Punjab. Another was associated with Jagjivan Das near Lucknow. Another prominent, later Satnami movement was established by Ghasi Das in 1820 in Chhattisgarh, which is known as Sadh.

Nepalese Occupational Dalit caste

Musahar or Mushahar () are a Dalit community found in the eastern Gangetic plain and the Terai. They are also known as Rishidev, Sada, Manjhi, Banbasi. The other names of the Musahar are Bhuiyan and Rajawar.

Ancient Ruler of Awdh and Social community of India

The Damai ( ; IAST: Damāĩ) is an occupational caste found among indigenous people comprising 45 subgroups. Their surnames take after the subgroup they belong to. People belonging to this caste are traditionally tailors and musicians capable of using the Naumati baja - an ensemble of nine traditional musical instruments. The term Damai is coined from the musical instrument Damaha. The 1854 Nepalese Muluki Ain (Legal Code) categorized Damai as a "Lower caste”.

community from Northern India

people of northwest India and Pakistan

The Ahirwar, or Aharwar are Dalit members of a north Indian caste categorised among the Scheduled Castes of Chamar. Predominantly they are members of the Scheduled Castes with a higher population in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh.