The term Dalit Christian or Christian Dalit is used to describe those who have converted to Christianity from other forms of religion in the Indian subcontinent, and are still categorised as Dalits in Hindu, Christian, Muslim, and Sikh societies in South Asia. Hindu Dalits are sometimes referred to as Harijans. About 90% of Pakistani Christians are Dalits from the Chuhra caste and at least 9% of Indian Christians are Dalits, categorised thus by the greater societal practices in various parts of the Indian subcontinent.
Punjabi Christians with the Missionary Society of St. Paul (May 2006)
Dalit, also some of them previously known as untouchables, is the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent. Dalits were excluded from the fourfold varna of the caste hierarchy and were seen as forming a fifth varna, also known by the name of Panchama. Several scholars have drawn parallels between Dalits and the Burakumin of Japan, the Baekjeong of Korea and the peasant class of the medieval European feudal system.
A group of Dalit women in 2021
A school of untouchables near Bangalore, by Lady Ottoline Morrell
Dalit leaders at Bahujan Samaj Party head office
A Sikh gurdwara in Smethwick. The majority of gurdwaras in Britain are caste-based and one can indirectly inquire about a person's caste based upon which gurdwara the person attends.