How the Mahad satyagraha(s) shaped constitutional discourse
TMahad Tehsil in pre-independence India was a part of the Bombay State and was an important economic center supplying labor to the industrial sector of the Bombay Presidency. In Mahad, imitation of caste norms led to widespread acceptance of caste discrimination; higher caste individuals treated Dalits degradingly. Untouchability, a consequence of casteism, represents systemic social exclusion that reinforces the hierarchical nature of the caste system. The exclusion of Dalits in Mahad was evident in their denial of access to drinking water from public tanks such as the Chavadar Tank.
Mahad was an important site for one of India’s first rights movements; This movement paved the way for the human rights discourse and its assimilation in terms of constitutional ethics.
understanding legacy
The human rights and water democracy movement began with a resolution passed in the Bombay Legislative Council in August 1923 and initiated by SK Bole. The council recommends that the untouchable classes be allowed to use all public watering holes in government schools, courts, offices and dispensaries as well as dharamshalas constructed and maintained with public funds administered by parties appointed by the government or constituted by law.
This decision challenged the Brahmanical dominance and spurred efforts for social change in Goregaon and Dasgaon near Mahad. In 1926, Ramchandra Chandorkar, leader of the Chambhar caste, jumped into a public reservoir in Goregaon, which led to attacks by villagers on the properties of untouchables (Chambhars and Mahars). In Dasgaon, the Mahar Samaj Seva Sangh, which aimed to unite the oppressed classes for equality, saw Chandorkar, RB More, Ramji Potdar and others drinking water from a local lake and wells. The memoirs of communist RB More highlight how keen the region was to support Ambedkar’s struggle for equality and equality, his drive to restore the rights of the untouchables. Additionally, this area was also famous for being the birthplace of activists like Gopalbaba Walangkar, NM Joshi, Sambhaji Gaikwad and others. Therefore Mahad, Dr. It was chosen by BR Ambedkar as the site of one of India’s first human rights movements.
Mahad 1.0 and 2.0
Dr. Ambedkar et al anuyayis They (followers) organized a satyagraha on 19-20 March 1927, asserting the untouchables’ right to drink water under the Bole Resolution of 1923. anuyayis Ambedkar’s members flocked to the event with their meager belongings, empty stomachs and lathes (traditionally carried by Mahars, except those from the then Bombay presidency) to assert their rights. However, the local people did not give water to the satyagrahis; hence water worth ₹ 40 had to be purchased specifically for this purpose.
Purification rituals were performed after Mahad 1.0 satyagraha because Dr. Ambedkar et al anuyayis He had touched and consumed the water intended to strengthen the caste system over human rights. As a result, Dr. Ambedkar scheduled the Second Mahad conference for 25 and 26 December 1927. Meanwhile, the courts issued a stay order restricting access to water to the marginalized, claiming that the Chavadar tank was privately owned.
During this period, Dr. Ambedkar launched his fortnightly publication: BahishkrutBharatDiscussing democratic realities and ideals while emphasizing human rights. Also, following the violent attacks on Dalits following the Mahad incident, Dr. He also participated in the Ambabai Temple satyagraha initiated by Panjabrao Deshmukh in November 1927, which led to the formation of Ambedkar Seva Dal for their protection. Since the Chavadar Lake case is still pending, Dr. After consulting his followers, Ambedkar decided not to initiate satyagraha. However, on 25 December, Gangadhar Sahasrabuddhe lit the Manusmriti following the decision of Rajbhoj and Thorat. In Mahad 2.0, he specifically addressed women, arguing that human rights should include gender equality.
mahad revolution
Dr. Ambedkar stated that Mahad 1.0 and Mahad 2.0 satyagrahas represent the spirit of the French Revolution.
Dr. In Ambedkar’s speeches during Mahad satyagraha, he promotes an enlightened ethic of dignity and self-respect. In Mahad 2.0, Dr. Ambedkar discusses the French National Assembly of 1798. These two historical events, defining two eras, Mahad 1.0 and 2.0, were instrumental in shaping the idea of India and the ethics of its Constitution.
However, the French Revolution did not include women in its idea of rights. Thus, neither their National Assemblies nor later developments ground their essential egalitarianism by including women’s living bodies and souls. It was Mary Wollstonecraft’s intervention through her pamphlet “The Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Citizen” that questioned the exclusion and place of women in the French Revolution.
Dr. In his 1916 article, Ambedkar had proposed a new gender-based understanding of caste(s) to grasp the issue of caste, questioning the approach of Indian sociologists to understand women’s make-remake-solve approach and also the futility of the silos approach to eliminate it. The goal can only be achieved through gendered means. Speeches and actions in Mahad 1.0 have a commonality of men and women, irrespective of gender, geography, class and caste(s). They gathered there as the National Assembly to break free from the imposed Brahmanical hegemony and chart their own course, just as the Third Estate did during the Tennis Court Oath, which was disallowed by King Louis XVI. In Mahad 2.0, although preliminary, it appears that the decision adopted was primarily influenced by the fact that it brought injustice to the Shudras. However, even the early understanding of the dogmas as well as the period of Manusmriti indicate that women were treated as Shudras. Contemporary literary and historical texts provide ample evidence to support this.
Dr. Ambedkar’s actions in Mahad 2.0, particularly the burning of Manusmriti and his address to the gathering of women, seek to foreground a new discourse on human rights derived from non-violent Buddhism, the principles of freedom, equality and fraternity.
Dr. Ambedkar introduced a new gendered concept of the nation, whose enlightened nationalism was based not on essentialism but on existentialism, rooted in the body of the people and their natural, legal human rights. Thus, December 25 is celebrated as Indian Women’s Liberation Day in India. The only essentialism he seeks is Manuski, which is based on Maitri, a real lived democracy rather than a mere idea of governmentality. This reflects the foundations of constitutional morality derived from ethics learned during the Mahad Satyagraha period, institutionalized in the Constitution of India.
Nikhil Sanjay-Rekha Adsule is a Senior Research Scholar at IIT-Delhi.
It was published – 05 December 2025 08:30 IST
