The Mahars form 9% of Maharashtra`s population. In 1956, over 80% Mahars became Buddhist, under the leadership of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, to free themselves from the shackles of caste and to remove the stigma of untouchability by building a new religious and cultural identity for themselves outside Hinduism.

History Of The Mahar Community
It has been claimed that the Mahars were the earliest settlers in Maharashtra but were pushed out by the invading Aryans; also that they were Kshatriyas, degraded during the great Mahadutga famine for eating beef. Outside the varna system and lower than the Sudras, the Mahars were denied access to Vedic Hinduism and the Hindu temple was closed to them. Their gods were the `lower` deities such as the village pestilence goddess, Marai, the ghost god Vetal and a host of others.

Their one place of inclusion was the varkari cult centered in Pandharpur which was the Bhakti cult of Vithoba (Krishna). In the 14th century, a Mahar poet named Chokhamela joined the ranks of the cult`s pantheon of saints. His poems and those of his wife and son are sung even today by devout bhaktas. Mahars went on pilgrimage to Pandharpur but they were prohibited from approaching the image closer than the samadhi of Chokhamela at the foot of the temple steps.

Society Of Mahar Community: Theirs is a well-organised society. The person responsible for this is Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. He organised the Mahars so that they cannot be subjected to exploitation. In fact to free them from the religious dominance of the Brahmins Ambedkar converted them to Buddhists.

In appearance the ex-Mahars look much like the agriculturists of Maharashtra, the Marathas. In dress and manner an educated Mahar is indistinguishable from any middle-class Hindu. In many ways, the long struggle for a self respecting identity has finally led the Mahars into the mainstream of Indian life and Ambedkar`s most profound wish is now coming true.