India, April 14 -- Why did Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, chairman of the Drafting Committee of India's Constitution, oppose Manavadharma Shastra or Manusmriti to the extent of publicly burning copies of one of the most controversial Dharmashastras?

Ambedkar was the most towering leader of the vast majority of Hindus who had been defined as untouchables or achoot by the Manusmriti, believed to be composed between 200 BCE and 200 CE. Describing the horrific living conditions of Dalits (derived from Pali Dalidda and Sanskrit Daridra, where it means 'ground down' or 'broken', as dal is), Ambedkar wrote in Annihilation of Caste: "Under the rule of the Peshwas in the Maratha country, the Untouchable was not allowed to use the public streets if a ...