ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the complexities of caste hierarchies and Dalit identity in different regions in the state of Punjab. It aims to capture the specificities of caste hierarchiy and Dalit identity, if any, in the respective regions. The phenomenon of untouchability was never considered so strong in Punjab as in many other parts of the country. The subjugation of the Dalits was further deepened during the course of the capital-intensive Green Revolution that ushered in post-1966 Punjab. The process of the Green Revolution transformed the traditional subsistence character of the agriculture into commercial and mechanical farming. The ranks and leadership of the Khalsa from this period onwards were deeply predominated by the Jats so much so that the history of the Sikh religion that follows came to be known as ‘the history of the Jat section of the Sikh community’.
