Dalit (English: /ˈdælɪt/ from Sanskrit: दलित, romanized: dalita meaning "broken/scattered") is a term first coined by the Indian social reformer Jyotirao Phule for untouchables and outcasts, who represented the lowest stratum of the castes in the Indian subcontinent.[1] 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,[2] the Baekjeong of Korea[3] and the peasant class of the medieval European feudal system.[4]
Dalits predominantly follow Hinduism, with significant populations of the adherents of Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity, and Islam. Dalits are included under the category of Scheduled Castes, who get reservations under positive discrimination, as per the constitution of India.