Proceedings of The World Conference on Gender Equality
Year: 2023
DOI:
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Confluence of Caste and Religion among Megh community in Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir
Meenakshi Bhagat
ABSTRACT:
Megh (a Scheduled caste) in Sindara village of Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir practices Hinduism. Through various totemic symbols, beliefs and rituals they navigate their religious life and do their role as a woman and as a member of the community. Religious experiences are personal and subjective to everyone. Dalit Feminism and Intersectionality approaches point to the complexity of the position of Dalit women practicing Hindu religion being at the intersection of a lower caste, a female gender and practicing a religion which according to Hindu scriptures considers women unfit for the study of scriptures along with Shudras. Radhika Govinda (2022) says that within the Dalits there can be heterogeneity of experiences and there are women who do not even relate or have heard of the term Dalit- which means the people who are broken and oppressed. In this light an attempt is made to enquire and explore what religion is for the Megh women in Doda district.
keywords: Religion, Caste, Jammu and Kashmir, Women experiences