Bijli Pasi

Maharaja Bijli Pasi was a king from the Pasi community, who was regarded as Dalits in northern India. Bijli Pasi ruled a part of present-day Uttar Pradesh.

The fort of Maharaja Bijli Pasi in Uttar Pradesh

Life

Historical evidence regarding Bijli Pasi remains obscure. In 2000, the Department of Posts, Government of India issued a commemorative stamp given the influence of Pasi caste movements for social and political assertion under the charge of Ram Vilas Paswan (the previous Minister of Post). In this commemorative stamp, it was argued that Maharaja is credited with founding the city of Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, he was also described as being contemporaneous to Prithviraj Chauhan. According to this particular stamp, it was described that he consolidated his position when North India was divided into several small states prior to the fall of mighty empires of the past. [1]

The assertion of Bijli Pasi gave voice to the claims of Dalits that some of them were kings in the past and that they had had a glorious history just like upper castes. The warrior image of Maharaja, often seen upon the walls of various Dalit communities (especially people of Pasi Caste) was designed as per the suggestion of Kanshi Ram, the founder of Bahujan Samaj Party. He wanted the image to contain the features of five Sikh gurus, who are also worshiped by Dalit communities. The specific feature of those gurus is visible in Maharaja's image upon careful examination. [2]

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References
  1. Gupta, Dipankar (2004). Caste in Question: Identity Or Hierarchy?. SAGE. ISBN 0761933247. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  2. Badri Narayan (2012). Women Heroes and Dalit Assertion in North India: Culture, Identity and Politics. SAGE. p. 73. ISBN 9780761935377.
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