ABSTRACT
In Hinduism, the concept of spiritual pollution regulates daily life, particularly with regard to the sacred. Other Indian religious traditions share the concept of pollution, drawing on both scriptural interpretation within traditions and the adoption of Hindu practices through syncretism. Pollution is attributed to Dalits and to all women at some point in their lives. As the central figure in the contemporary Dalit movement, and a Dalit himself, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar resisted depictions of Dalits and women as polluted.1 He focused on rational thought expressed through conversion to Buddhism to challenge the depiction of Dalits and women as polluted bodies, and he meant his conversion to support women’s rights as well as Dalit rights. The sect of Buddhism that arose from his activism is popularly known as neo-Buddhism.
