Question

What were the duties mentioned in Manusmriti concerning Chandalas?

1. They had to live outside the village.

2. They use discarded utensils.

3. They had to dispose of the bodies of those who had no relatives.

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 4 : 1, 2 and 3

The correct answer is 1, 2 and 3.

• While the Brahmanas considered some people as being outside the system, they also developed a sharper social divide by classifying certain social categories as “untouchable”.
• This rested on a notion that certain activities, especially those connected with the performance of rituals, were sacred and by extension “pure”.
• Those who considered themselves pure avoided taking food from those they designated as “untouchable”.
• In sharp contrast to the purity aspect, some activities were regarded as particularly “polluting”.
  • These included handling corpses and dead animals.
  • Those who performed such tasks, designated as chandalas, were placed at the very bottom of the hierarchy.
  • Their touch and, in some cases, even seeing them was regarded as “polluting” by those who claimed to be at the top of the social order.
• The Manusmriti laid down the “duties” of the chandalas. 
  • They had to live outside the village, use discarded utensils, and wear clothes of the dead and ornaments of iron. Hence, Statement 1 and 2 are correct.
  • They could not walk about in villages and cities at night.
  • They had to dispose of the bodies of those who had no relatives and serve as executioners. Hence, Statement 3 is correct.
• Much later, the Chinese Buddhist monk Fa Xian (c. fifth century CE) wrote that “untouchables” had to sound a clapper in the streets so that people could avoid seeing them.
• Another Chinese pilgrim, Xuan Zang (c. seventh century), observed that executioners and scavengers were forced to live outside the city.