Chandal or Namasudra (Ghasi sub-caste), Eastern Bengal - 1860

Half-length portrait of a young man by an unknown photographer in the early 1860s. The Chandals or Namasudras were a Hindu caste of Eastern Bengal. It is likely that they originally inhabited lands around Gaya to the north and were driven to the marshlands of modern-day Bangladesh during the Aryan invasions. They are recorded as living apart from the remainder of the population in cities and as being employed performing menial tasks for members of the brahmin or priestly class. The specific sub-caste known as 'Ghasi', of whom this man was a member, were grass-cutters by occupation.

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