Dr. Laxman Singh Dev
Dalits constitute approximately 14% of Nepal’s population They have endured discrimination almost identical to India’s Dalits and remain at the lowest rung of society. Though broadly similar, their structure differs slightly. Nepal is divided into three ecological zones: Mountain (high-altitude snow areas), Hill (mid-altitude), and Terai (southern plains).
In the Mountain and Hill regions, major Dalit castes are Kami (blacksmiths), Sarki (leather-workers), Damai (tailors and musicians), and Sunar (goldsmiths). Terai Dalits belong to three linguistic groups – Maithili, Bhojpuri, and Awadhi – and their social structure closely resembles north India’s. Major Terai Dalit castes are Tatma, Khatwe, Dusadh, Musahar, Batar, Dhobi, Chamar, Dom, Badi, and Gaine (Gandharva). Dalit composition varies by region. “Dalit” is an officially recognised term in Nepal.
The Nepali Dalit movement has been deeply influenced by Dr B.R. Ambedkar. In 1956, during the World Buddhist Conference in Kathmandu, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar visited Dalit settlements, gave his famous lecture “Buddha and Marx”, and urged Dalits to awaken. King Mahendra was present at the conference. At that time, the monarchy was strong, and the constitution was heavily influenced by Manusmriti, giving state sanction to caste discrimination.
A unique category is Newar Dalits of the Kathmandu Valley. Newars are predominantly Hindu (15% Buddhist) with strong Buddhist cultural influence and are considered the valley’s indigenous people. The Dalit Development Committee classified certain Newar castes as Dalit: Kusule (funeral musicians and tailors), Khadgi (butchers and milk-sellers), Pode (sweepers), Chyame/Chamakhala (sweepers and waste-removers), and Halahulu (sweepers). Originally, Newar society did not accept the four-fold varna system, but Rana rulers forcibly imposed it. In 2003, some Newar Dalit groups rejected the label and filed a petition against it in the National Dalit Commission. Thus, Nepali Dalit society is not identical to Indian Dalit society.
The Dalit movement gained momentum alongside democratic movements but progressed much more slowly than in India, mainly because the monarchy lasted until 2008 and the old constitution (Muluki Ain) was based on Manusmriti.
The use of art in political movements began prominently during the Maoist insurgency (1996–2006). Maoists had cultural squads that went village to village spreading ideology through street plays, posters, songs, forum theatre, and paintings. Many Dalit activists were former Maoist cultural workers who later used these skills for Dalit consciousness. Several Dalit thinkers advocate linking Marxist aesthetics with Dalit liberation, arguing that class liberation equals Dalit liberation and that class must be prioritised over caste.
Purely Dalit intellectuals and artists have also developed a distinct Dalit aesthetic in Nepal. Thinker Ghanshyam Dhakal argues that Brahmanical Hinduism created classes in the form of castes, and Dalits must fight exploitation through cultural means; Marxist aesthetics is better suited because it supports class liberation.
Brahmanical rituals use Dalit art while keeping Dalits at a distance. Damai, Gandharva, and Badi communities traditionally earn their livelihood by performing outside temples, in religious processions, weddings, etc. Damai’s Panche Baja is central to religious events, yet upper castes maintain physical distance. Damai women never participate in such performances.
Because Dalits were historically denied administrative posts and the right to bear arms, entertainment became one of the few professions available. This kept performing Dalits in proximity to upper castes (less discrimination than sweepers or butchers) but also led to severe sexual exploitation, especially of Badi women who were forced into prostitution.
Due to prolonged monarchy, Nepali Dalits remained more oppressed and received constitutional rights much later. Inter-marriage with Mongoloid groups also created new types of Dalits.
Even in recent years, Damai musicians were not allowed inside temples despite performing at every upper-caste ritual; only in the last few years has this begun to change.
Dalit: A Quest for Dignity (2018), published by Nepal Picture Library and edited by Diwas Raja Kc, is a landmark visual archive. The book contains rare historical photographs of Dalits as land tillers, musicians, artisans, and activists. Divided into three sections – *Toilers of the Land*, *Voice of the People and Artisans of Liberty – it aims to reclaim Dalit visibility and narrate untold stories of labour, resistance, and dignity.
In November 2023, Nepal hosted its first Dalit Queer Art Festival, inaugurated by Culture and Tourism Minister Sudan Kirati. Organised by Samari Utthan Sewa (an NGO based in Chitwan, Terai), the festival boldly addressed the intersection of caste and sexuality – a rare and courageous step in South Asia. Prominent artists whose works were exhibited include Ishan Pariyar, Suneel Harijan, and Aruna Hingmang.
Paint the Revolution is one of the most visible ongoing Dalit art campaigns in Nepal. Launched in August 2020 by the Dalit Lives Matter Global Alliance (DLMGA) in collaboration with the art collective Kaalo.101 it was a direct response to the brutal May 2020 Rukum massacre, where six young people (including Dalits) were killed over an inter-caste love affair, sparking the DalitLivesMatter movement.
Through murals, wheat-paste posters, performances, and public art interventions, the campaign protests caste-based violence and celebrates resistance. Over the past five years, more than 50 artists and activists have created over 15 large-scale murals across Nepal (including Lalitpur, Kathmandu, and Rukum). Works often feature portraits of victims like Nawaraj BK and powerful anti-caste slogans. These artworks have been exhibited at the World Social Forum (Kathmandu 2024), Nepal Social Work Symposium, and international platforms, receiving coverage from BBC and national media.
Future editions plan to expand into cinematography, documentary, music, traditional arts, and literature to build stronger counter-narratives against caste exclusion.
jagaran Media Centre Founded and run by Dalit journalists, it operates Nepal’s largest community radio network reaching remote Himalayan and Terai areas. JMC has commissioned hundreds of protest songs, posters, and murals on caste injustice. Its office walls in Kathmandu are themselves a living gallery of Dalit struggle and identity.
Feminist Dalit Organization (FEDO) Has been instrumental in promoting Dalit women artists, especially Aruna Hingmang, whose powerful paintings centre Dalit womanhood, exposing the double burden of caste and patriarchy and transforming pain into visual resistance.
Another young and promising artist reshaping Nepal’s subaltern art landscape is Manish Harijan, whose bold visual language and political themes are creating strong ripples across the Nepali and South Asian contemporary art scene. Known for blending religious iconography, superhero motifs, and social commentary, Harijan challenges caste hierarchies, cultural stereotypes, and dominant notions of purity and pollution. His work occupies a unique space at the intersection of Dalit identity, global pop culture, and critical resistance art, making him one of the most influential emerging voices in Nepal’s subaltern artistic movement.
From historical photo archives and queer art festivals to street murals born out of grief and rage, contemporary Dalit political art in Nepal has evolved into a dynamic, multi-form movement that not only documents oppression but actively challenges and reimagines society toward dignity and equality.
* Dr Laxman Singh PhD (Dalit Political Art of India and Nepal), Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi MA (Arts & Aesthetics), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi UGC-NET qualified in 13 subjects Independent Researcher and Polymath ([email protected])
