Volume II,Special Issue, April 10, 2026
Volume-II, Special Issue, April, 2026 |
Received: 05.04.2026 | Accepted: 08.04.2026 | ||
Published Online: 10.04.2026 | Page No: | ||
DOI: 10.69655/atmadeep.vol.2.specialissue.W. | |||
চন্ডাল থেকে নমঃশূদ্র: আত্মপরিচয়ের সংগ্রামে মতুয়া
আসানুর খাতুন, গবেষক, ইতিহাস বিভাগ, বিদ্যাসাগর বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত
মহ: আজাহারউদ্দিন, সহকারী শিক্ষক, পার্বতীপুর জুনিয়র
বেসিক বিদ্যালয়, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত |
From Chandala to Namasudra: The Matua Movement in the Struggle for Identity Asanur Khatun, Research Scholar, Department of History, Vidyasagar University, West Bengal, India Md Azaharuddin, Assistant Teacher, Parbatipur Junior Basic School, West Bengal, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
In the caste-based social system of ancient India,
people belonging to the lower castes were subjected to exploitation,
oppression, and persecution. Bengal was no exception to this reality. Even as
the nineteenth century dawned, the intensity of such exploitation and
oppression showed not the slightest sign of abatement. However, when this
exploitation and oppression reached intolerable extremes, movements against the
caste system emerged, and new religious ideologies came into being. Gradually,
as they became conscious of the discrimination being meted out to them, people
of the lower castes took to the path of agitation.
The Matua movement, founded by Harichand Thakur
(1812–1878), was—in the context of its time—fundamentally anti-Brahminical and
anti-casteist; it was a religious movement driven by the demand for social
dignity. Following the passing of Harichand Thakur, his son, Guruchand Thakur
(1847–1937)—serving as the principal spiritual leader of the Matua
community—formulated plans for religious, social, and educational reforms, as
well as for cultural upliftment. The primary demand of the Matua leadership was
the official recognition of a new name—'Namasudra'—to replace the old,
derogatory appellation of 'Chandal. | ||
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