Mahar
"A Mahar woman",
a watercolour by M. V. Dhurandhar, 1928 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 10 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Maharashtra | 8,006,060 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 819,416 |
| Chhattisgarh | 245,220 |
| Karnataka | 66,068 |
| West Bengal | 34,793 |
| Gujarat | 28,417 |
| Odisha | 21,304 |
| Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana) | 12,872 |
| Goa | 8,536 |
| Rajasthan | 1,980 |
| Assam | 1,822 |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli | 224 |
| Daman and Diu | 110 |
| Languages | |
| Marathi, Konkani, Varhadi dialect, Ahirani, Hindi, Chhattisgarhi, English | |
| Religion | |
| Majority: Buddhist Minority: Hinduism • Sikhism • Christianity • Islam | |
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.