ABSTRACT
This essay looks at the phenomenon of Dalit gurus and the construction of spiritual communities in contemporary Dalit movements. It sees the evolution of spiritual communities under the guidance of Ambedkarite Buddhism and the rejection of Brahmanical Hinduism as resulting in a markedly different paradigm, at least at the theoretical level, of the relationship between spiritual authority, the devotee and bhakti within the context of an emphasis on social justice, and reflects on how bhakti, with its emphasis on subordination and devotion, is reconfigured in Dalit religiosity. The role played by present-day gurus for the religiosity of urban Dalits is not an important one, and they pursue their struggle for advancement in society is geared towards secular institutions and less towards religious authorities.
