Mahar is a caste found largely in the state of Maharashtra and neighbouring areas. Previously they along with many other Hindu castes were treated as untouchables. The injustice of this practice was the primary reason for most of the Mahar community to follow B. R. Ambedkar in embracing Buddhism in the middle of the 20th century. There are still some Mahars who practice Hinduism.
"A Mahar woman", a watercolour by M. V. Dhurandhar, 1928
A Mahar Man winding thread from The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India (1916)
Bhima Koregaon Victory Pillar
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly debates, served as Law and Justice minister in the first cabinet of Jawaharlal Nehru, and inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement after renouncing Hinduism.
Ambedkar in the 1950s
Ambedkar at Columbia University, c. 1916
Ambedkar (In center line, first from right) with his professors and friends from the London School of Economics (1916–17)
Ambedkar as a barrister in 1922