Chamar

In traditional northern Indian society,
the chamars were a jati (“birth”) whose
hereditary occupation was tanning
leather and making shoes. The jatis
were subgroups of traditional Indian
society whose social status was determined by their hereditary occupation.
The chamars were traditionally considered among the lowest of the untouchables since their work brought them in
continual contact with dead animals
and their skins, which are considered
extremely impure. The most famous
chamar is the poet-saint Ravidas, whose
poetry focuses on the difference
between worldly status and devotion.