ABSTRACT
Religion shapes cultural images of disability, so much so that people sometimes use theological language in the reference of disability. Disability being perceived as a condition that yearns for itself piety and sympathy has been pervading the social systems for a very long time. However, one experiences a different approach to disability as he or she explores Manusmriti, the dictates of Manu the ancient lawgiver. Even Disability Studies have subjected religion to a critique view primarily based on the conventional attitude and treatment it has meted out to persons with disabilities. Even in the context of Indian literature, one finds numerous references to disability and related cultural connotations. M. Miles, argues in one of his essays that disability is possibly conceptualized differently in Indian history, finds varying concepts in ‘religious, legal, medical, folkloric’ material, and suggests tacitly that these categories and themes are universal to all cultures.
