Ritualisation and Segregation: The Untouchability Complex in Indian Dharma Literature with special Reference to Parasarasmrti and Parasaramadhaviya

This book is the first monographic study of rules of Untouchability (asprśyatva) in the dharmaśāstra. From a limited number of rules in the oldest dharmasūtras the complex gradually proliferated during the literary periods of the metrical smrti works and the medieval commentaries and compendia to become a comprehensive system of precautionary measures against contact with a number of diverse groups and persons. The first part of the book traces this literary development but supplements the discussion with material from other literary genres such as the Vedic and post-Vedic literature, the Buddhist Pāli canon, Ārthaśāstra, the Epics and other narrative literature. The second part is a detailed study of Untouchability rules as recorded in Mādhavācārya’s mid-14th century commentary on the Parāśarasmrti, the Parāśaramādhavīya. Finally, the last part of the book offers an analysis of the total complex, which is seen as an exclusive set of rules demarcating an exclusive number of people and situations that cannot be explained by broader, inclusive notions of impurity alone.