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{{Short description|Chamar sect in Punjab, India}}{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
{{Not to be confused with|Adi Dharm|text=the [[Adi Dharm]] development of [[Brahmoism]]}}

The '''Ad-Dharmi''' (meaning "primal spiritual path") is a sect in the state of [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], in [[India]] and was a precursor movement of the [[Ravidassia religion|Ravidasia religion]] that arose in 1920.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Duggal |first=Koonal |title=Dalit Journeys for Dignity: Religion, Freedom, and Caste |date=Apr 1, 2025 |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=9798855802634 |editor-last=Rawat |editor-first=Ramnarayan S. |chapter=Between Blasphemy and Martyrdom: The Formation of the Ravidassia Religion in Punjab |editor-last2=Satyanarayana |editor-first2=K. |editor-last3=Mohan |editor-first3=P. Sanal}}</ref><ref name="Mainstream Weekly 2009">{{cite web | title=Deras and Dalit Consciousness | website=Mainstream Weekly | date=13 June 2009 | url=http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article1425.html | accessdate=6 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title='Ad-Dharm Movement was the Revolt Against the Hinduism' – Saheb Kanshi Ram's Speech at Sikri, Punjab, 12th February 2001 {{!}} Velivada|url=https://velivada.com/2017/11/03/ad-dharm-movement-revolt-hinduism-saheb-kanshi-rams-speech-sikri-punjab-12th-february-2001/|access-date=2021-06-27|website=velivada.com|date=3 November 2017 }}</ref> The term Ad-Dharm came into popular usage in the early part of the 20th century, when many followers of Ravidas who had converted to Sikhism were severely discriminated against due to their low-caste status, even though the Sikh religion is strictly against the caste system in its theology. Many of these converts stopped attending Sikh gurdwaras controlled by Jat Sikhs and built their own shrines upon arrival in the UK, Canada, and Fiji Island.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4412439 | jstor=4412439 | title=Punjabis in England: The Ad-Dharmi Experience | last1=Judge | first1=Paramjit S. | journal=Economic and Political Weekly | date=2002 | volume=37 | issue=31 | pages=3244–3250 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Ad_Dharm | title=Ad Dharm - SikhiWiki, free Sikh encyclopedia }}</ref> In [[Punjab Province (British India)|colonial Punjab]], the movement was one of the autonomous mobilizations established by disenfranchised Dalits.<ref name="Gill 2015" /> Ad-Dharmis comprise 11.48% of the total of [[Scheduled Caste]] communities [[Scheduled castes in Punjab|in Punjab]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Punjab Data Highlights: The Scheduled Castes|url=http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_sc_punjab.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=July 13, 2020 |first=IP |last=Singh |title=Give 'Adi-dharmi' as religion in 2021 census: Ravidassia leaders |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ludhiana/give-adi-dharmi-as-religion-in-2021-census-ravidassia-leaders/articleshow/76930915.cms |access-date=2022-09-12 |website=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-22 |title=Why Everyone in Punjab loves a Dalit CM |url=https://www.newsclick.in/why-everyone-punjab-loves-dalit-cm |access-date=2022-09-12 |website=NewsClick |language=en}}</ref>

== History ==
The Adi-movements were various Dalit religious movements to break away from Hinduism that arose in the 1910s and 1920s in India, with the Ad-Dharmis being one of the Adi-movements and the first to develop the concept of "Adi" amongst them.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Menon |first=Krishna |title=Social Movements in Contemporary India |last2=Subberwal |first2=Ranjana |date=Nov 1, 2024 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781040203699 |edition=2nd |chapter=Challenges and Opportunities: Socio-religious Reform Movements, Sanskritization, and Conversions}}</ref> These movements arose as a reaction to Jyotiba Phule's assertion that the Brahmins were foreign Aryans who came to India and subjugated the indigenous races, such as the Dalits.<ref name=":4" /> The Chamars of Punjab, traditionally disenfranchised leather-workers, had found greater prosperity, especially in the [[Doaba]] region, during the colonial-period due to British demands for boots, shoes, and other leather-based goods.<ref name="Gill 2015" /> This allowed some Chamars to become educated and travel abroad, such as to the U.S. or England, where they were exposed to leftist thought.<ref name="Gill 2015" /> This upward mobility amongst the Chamars engendered movements by the early 1920's to improve their social-standing in society.<ref name="Gill 2015" /> Most of the early figures of the Ad-Dharmi movement had initially been members of the Arya Samaj movement and attempted to invoke social reform from within that organization, although they were ideologically opposed by much of the Arya Samaj, such as Sant Ram of Hoshiarpur establishing the ''Jat-Pat-Todak Mandal'' ("Society for the Abolition of Caste") within the Arya Samaj, although with not much success, with the Arya Samaj heads opposing him, causing him to leave the Arya Samaj.<ref name="Gill 2015" />

The Ad-Dharm movement was started in the 1920s as a [[Chamar]] religious movement with the aim of establishing a distinct religious identity, being inspired by the 16th century Bhakti-era saint [[Ravidas]].<ref name=":4" /> The Ad-Dharmi Dalits unified as a faith in 1925 during British rule in India.<ref name="Gill 2015" /> The founders of the Ad-Dharm Movement were [[Mangu Ram Mugowalia]] (a founding member of the [[Ghadar Party]], he became the president of the executive committee of the Ad-Dharmis<ref name=":4" />), Master Gurbanta Singh (a senior [[Indian National Congress|Congress]] leader), B. L. Gherra, and Pandit Hari Ram (Pandori Bibi), who served as the organization's secretary.<ref>pg 20, Sikh Identity: An Exploration Of Groups Among Sikhs by Opinderjit Kaur Takhar</ref> Mangu Ram had been educated in the United States and was a Ghadarite, with him having a strong disposition against the concept of untouchability.<ref name="Gill 2015" /> Initially, Mangu Ram tried working with the [[Arya Samaj]], founding a school for lower-castes within the framework of the Arya Samaj<ref name="Gill 2015" />, but lost hope and decided to launch a separate identity apart from Hinduism and Sikhism, known as ''Ad-Dhama''.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Jodhka |first=Surinder S. |date=12 July 2003 |title=Caste Tensions in Punjab: Talhan and Beyond |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262123518_Caste_Tensions_in_Punjab_Talhan_and_Beyond |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |volume=38 |issue=28 |pages=2923–2926 |doi=10.2307/4413770 |quote= |via=Research Gate}}</ref> The movement envisioned itself as a separate religion, apart from the prevailing religions of Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, or Christianity, believing that they had existed since ancient times as a distinct ''quom'' (religious group).<ref name="Gill 2015" />

The movement projected [[Ravidas|Guru Ravidas]], the 14th century [[Bhakti movement|Bhakti Movement]] saint, as their spiritual guru and adopted a sacred book called ''Ad Parkash'' for their separate ritual traditions, promoting Ravidas' poetry.<ref name=":4" /> The movement promoted an anti-caste agenda via texts, posters, and pamphlets.<ref name=":4" /> One poster from 1927 stated:<ref name=":4" />
{{Blockquote|text=We are the original people of this country and our religion is Ad Dharma. The Hindu qaum came from outside and enslaved us. When the original counch was sounded, all the brothers came together - chamar, churha, sainsi, bhanrje, bhil, all the untouchables - to make their problems known. Brothers, there are seventy million of us listed as Hindus, separate us and make us free ... There was a time when we ruled India, brothers, and the land belonged to us ... Come together to form a better life.|author=Ad-Dharma|source=1927 poster (republished in Juergensmeyer 1982, 86)}}
The Adi-Dharmis of Punjab had communication with the Adi-Hindu movement of Uttar Pradesh, with the leader of the latter movement, Swami Achyutanand, requesting a meeting of the Ad-Dharmis and Adi-Hindus of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi in 1926 to organize a united force.<ref name=":4" /> There were also some tentative calls for an independent state known as Achhutistan ("land for untouchables").<ref name=":4" />

In 1931, the British colonial administration recognized the Ad-Dharmis as a separate religious community apart from Hinduism and Sikhism.<ref name=":3" /> The Hindu leaders had opposed the Ad-Dharmis being classified as a distinct religious group in the 1931 census but the Ad-Dharmis lobbied for it with successful results.<ref name="Gill 2015" /> In the 1931 census, over 450,000 individuals registered themselves as members of the new indigenous faith called ''Ad Dharam'' ("Original Religion").<ref name="CNN.com">{{cite web | title=India's 'untouchables' declare own religion | website=CNN | url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/02/03/india.new.religion/ | accessdate=6 January 2016}}</ref> In the census results for Punjab specifically in 1931, a total of 418,789 persons identified themselves as Ad-Dharmis, around 10% of the total low-caste population of Punjab (with over 80% of lower-castes in Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur districts identifying themselves as Ad-Dharmis), meaning they numerically rivalled the total Christian population of the province.<ref name="Gill 2015" /> However, other areas of Punjab saw a suppression of the Ad-Dharmi identity and it did not become adopted on the same scale due to opposition by dominant religious groups.<ref name="Gill 2015" />

In the aftermath of the 1931 census, the Ad-Dharmis joined Ambedkar's Scheduled Castes Federation, later becoming the [[Republican Party of India]], however comparatively few Ad-Dharmis of the Punjab followed Ambedkar with his adoption of Buddhism when compared to his followers in other areas.<ref name="Gill 2015" /> After Indian independence in 1947, the Ad-Dharmis were clubbed under the Hindu scheduled-castes of Punjab, which began to erode their separate religious identity as they now increasingly saw themselves as members of the Hindu scheduled-castes.<ref name=":3" /><ref name="Gill 2015" /> Manmohan Singh Gill (2003) notes that in a 1996 survey in Punjab, 98.3% of Ad-Dharmis saw themselves as a "caste group", whilst only 1.6% viewed themselves as a "separate religious community".<ref name="Gill 2015" /> In the second half of the 20th century, Ad-Dharmis abandoned their traditional agricultural roles in rural Punjab under the ''[[Jajmani system|jajmani]]'' system for other occupations in other sectors of the economy, increasing their cultural and economic independence from the dominant castes, especially in [[Doaba]].<ref name=":3" /> This led them to gain more political influence in the state of Punjab, India but casteist discrimination continues, especially in rural Punjab, in concealed ways despite there no longer being notions of pollution being followed.<ref name=":3" />

In 2003, Ad-Dharmis of Talhan village in Jalandhar district [[Talhan incident|launched a movement]] to assert their right to the management committee of a local religious site.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jodhka |first=Surinder S. |title=Caste in Contemporary India |date=Nov 8, 2017 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781351330947 |edition=2nd |chapter=Part One: Hierarchies and the Politics of Citizenship - II. Atrocities and Resistance: Dalit Assertions for Citizenship - Case Study 2: Dalit Assertion in Talhan, Punjab}}</ref>

=== Decline ===
In 1946, the Ad-Dharmis took-on the new name: Ravi Dass Mandal.<ref name=":022">{{Cite book |last=Duggal |first=Koonal |title=Dalit Journeys for Dignity: Religion, Freedom, and Caste |date=Apr 1, 2025 |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=9798855802634 |editor-last=Rawat |editor-first=Ramnarayan S. |chapter=Between Blasphemy and Martyrdom: The Formation of the Ravidassia Religion in Punjab |editor-last2=Satyanarayana |editor-first2=K. |editor-last3=Mohan |editor-first3=P. Sanal}}</ref> However, this faith and movement gradually declined after India gained independence due to the leaders' increasing involvement in state politics and the government's reservation policy, which focused only on providing reservations for low-caste individuals from [[Hindus|Hindu]], [[Sikhs|Sikh]], and [[Buddhist]] communities.<ref name="Gill 2015">{{cite book | last=Gill | first=Manmohan Singh | title=Punjab Society | date=December 2, 2015 | publisher=Concept Publishing Company | isbn=9788180690389 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EcW3eLUr4IoC | accessdate=January 6, 2016|pages=35–37|chapter=2: The Scheduled Castes in Contemporary Punjab|first2=Surinder Singh|last2=Jodhka}}</ref> Furthermore, there were contradictions in the Ad-Dharmi movement, as although they created a separate religious identity for Dalits away from Hinduism, in their ideology they considered themselves as the "first" and "true" Hindus, whilst also considering themselves to pre-date Hinduism.<ref name=":4" /> Also, their movement took inspiration from the Bhakti movement, which was a Hindu movement, which contradicted with their attempts at claiming a separate, non-Hindu identity.<ref name=":4" /> Due to the post-independence reservation system classifying Ad-Dharmis under the Hindu scheduled-castes of Punjab, Ad-Dharmis have increasingly viewed themselves as a caste rather than a separate religious group.<ref name="Gill 2015" /> In 2003, there arose a [[Talhan incident|caste-based conflict in Talhan village]] of Punjab over the management of a local shrine which involved Ad-Dharmis.<ref name=":022" /> Efforts to revive the Ad-Dharmi religious movement in post-independence Punjab have not been successful.<ref name="Gill 2015" />

==Religion==
In 1920–25, the Ad-Dharmi movement arose, which consolidated a separate religious identity centered on Ravidas.<ref name=":022" /> Around the same time, the [[Singh Sabha Movement|Singh Sabha movement]] of Sikhism was well-underway, which also was consolidating for a separate, Sikh identity apart from [[Hinduism and Sikhism|Hinduism]].<ref name=":022" /> Prominent leaders and thinkers of both movements had been educated in [[Arya Samaj|Arya Samajist]] institutions, thus they both adopted an Arya Samaj-approach to push for their separate identities, combined with a Judeo-Christian understanding of religion due to Christian missionary and British colonial influence (i.e., a central scripture to base their religion around).<ref name=":022" /> Both the Ravidas-aligned movements and Singh Sabhaists revered the Guru Granth Sahib, the primary scripture of Sikhism.<ref name=":022" /> However, the Ravidasis celebrated the scripture primarily due to it containing the most notable and earliest-recorded compositions linked to Ravidas.<ref name=":022" /> Thus, Ravidasis placed their prime figure's ''[[Gurbani|bani]]'' on a higher level of importance than the bani found in the scripture authored by others.<ref name=":022" /> The Ad-Dharmis compiled a holy-book known as the ''Ad Prakash'' ("original light"), where-in they elevated the historical Ravidas as their central figure, thereby giving a traditional/spiritual basis to their modern religious movement, with Ravidas being imagined as a main "guru" and his poetry forming the basis of their beliefs.<ref name=":022" /> Despite this, the Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, continued to be used by them in their sacred spaces.<ref name=":022" />

The movement named the historical saints [[Valmiki]], [[Ravidas]], [[Kabir]], and [[Namdev]], as their religious figures.<ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last=Kalsi |first=Sewa Singh |url=https://crp.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2015/09/kalsi1992.pdf |title=The Evolution of a Sikh Community in Britain: Religious and Social Change Among the Sikhs of Leeds and Bradford |publisher=Community Religions Project Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Leeds |year=1992 |isbn=9781871363036 |pages=125–147 |chapter=6. Caste and the Ravidasi Sikhs in Bradford}}</ref> Furthermore, they completely rejected the caste-system as they believed the Divine prevailed everywhere in the world, including within lower-castes.<ref name=":12" /> In-order to emphasize their distinct religious identity, the Ad-Dharmis adopted three symbols: wearing red clothing, the phrase ''soham'' ("I am it", referring to Vedantic concept of the primacy of the soul), and the [[Jaikara|salutation]] ''Jai Guru Dev'' ("victory to the great God").<ref name=":12" /> The Ad-Dharmis are closer in affinity to Sikhism than Hinduism, especially in their daily practices.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Louis |first=Prakash |title=The Journey of Caste in India: Voices from Margins |last2=Jodhka |first2=Surinder Singh |date=Jul 31, 2023 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781000895735 |editor-last=D'Souza |editor-first=Paul |chapter=9. Caste Conflict and Dalit Identity in Rural Punjab: Significance of Talhan |editor-last2=Sukumar |editor-first2=N.}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> They revere the Guru Granth Sahib, which contains hymns attributed to Ravidas, and perform their weddings and other ceremonies as per Sikh rites.<ref name=":3" /> However, few Ad-Dharmis wear [[Dastar|turbans]] or maintain ''[[Kesh (Sikhism)|kesh]]'' (uncut hair) and their names are more similar to those kept by [[Punjabi Hindus]].<ref name=":3" /> The Ravidasi temples are known as ''Ravidas Mandirs'' but are functionally more similar to Sikh gurdwaras, with the only difference being more focus being placed on Ravidas when compared to mainstream Sikh gurdwaras, with their temples containing [[Sikh art|portraits]] of Ravidas.<ref name=":3" /> Thus, they can be classified as a form of [[Sahajdhari|sehajdhari Sikhs]].<ref name=":3" /> The Ad-Dharmis had also compiled their own scripture, known as the ''Ad Prakash'' ("original light"), compiled through Ad-Dharmis working together with Ravidasi saints.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Duggal |first=Koonal |title=Dalit Journeys for Dignity: Religion, Freedom, and Caste |date=Apr 1, 2025 |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=9798855802634 |editor-last=Rawat |editor-first=Ramnarayan S. |chapter=Between Blasphemy and Martyrdom: The Formation of the Ravidassia Religion in Punjab |editor-last2=Satyanarayana |editor-first2=K. |editor-last3=Mohan |editor-first3=P. Sanal}}</ref>

The Ad-Dharmi follow Guru [[Ravidas]] (now associated with the [[Ravidassia religion]]),<ref name="Indian Express">{{cite web | title=Mention Ravidasia as religion: Dera Sachkhand to followers | website=Indian Express | url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/mention-ravidasia-as-religion-dera-sachkhand-to-followers/623842/ | accessdate=6 January 2016}}</ref> and incorporate elements of [[Sikhism]]<ref name="Google Books 2015">{{cite book | title=Like the other Sikh gurudwaras, Ad-Dharmis too keep the Guru Granth Sahib at their Ravidas Gurudwaras- Caste in Question | date=December 2, 2015 | isbn=9788132103455 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pviHAwAAQBAJ | accessdate=January 6, 2016| last1=Gupta | first1=Dipankar | publisher=SAGE Publications }}</ref> such as regarding the [[Guru Granth Sahib]] as their [[religious text]].<ref name="Singh 2010">{{cite web | last=Singh | first=IP | title=Ravidassia leaders reject new religion | website=The Times of India | date=4 February 2010 | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Ravidassia-leaders-reject-new-religion/articleshow/5533100.cms | accessdate=6 January 2016}}</ref> A turning point occurred after the killing of [[Ramanand Dass|Ramananda Dass]] in Vienna, which deeply affected the community and led to the development of separate scriptures (Amritbani) and distinct religious customs.<ref>{{Cite news|title=The strong differences within the Adi-dharmi/ Ravidassia community have taken another twist with a Phagwara-based century-and-a-half-old Dera of the community moving Punjab and Haryana High Court alleging that Dera Ballan indulged in plagiarism in preparing "Amrit Bani Satguru Guru Ravidass" Granth as it announced founding of a separate religion - Ravidassia- over three years back. - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/The-strong-differences-within-the-Adi-dharmi/-Ravidassia-community-have-taken-another-twist-with-a-Phagwara-based-century-and-half-old-Dera-of-the-community-moving-Punjab-and-Haryana-High-Court-alleging-that-Dera-Ballan-indulged-in-plagiarism-in-preparing-Amrit-Bani-Satguru-Guru-Ravidass-Granth-as-it-announced-founding-of-a-separate-religion-Ravidassia-over-three-years-back-/articleshow/19712283.cms|website=The Times of India|date=24 April 2013 |access-date=2020-05-21}}</ref> Each of their settlements typically contains [[gurdwara]]s and Ravidas Bhawans, which serve as centres of worship and as focal points for the local community.

==Ad-Dharmi diaspora==
[[File:Gurdwara Guru Ravidass, Nasinu, Fiji.jpg|thumb|Gurdwara [[Guru Ravidass]], Nasinu, Fiji Established in 1939]]
[[File:Bangladesh Ravidassia Association (2).png|thumb|Bangladesh Ravidassia Association]]

The Ad-Dharmi Diaspora has flourished on Fiji Island, Canada, and in the United Kingdom since 1905. From 1905, when the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand began a regular service from Calcutta to Fiji, there was a regular flow of Ravidassia people from Punjab to Fiji.<ref>{{cite book| last = Gillion| first = Kenneth| title = Fiji's Indian Migrants: A history to the end of indenture in 1920| publisher = Oxford University Press| year = 1973| location = Melbourne| isbn = 0-19-550452-6| pages = 131–3}}</ref> Ad-Dharmis can also be found in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.{{Citation needed|date=December 2025}} The first Shri Guru Ravidass Gurudwara outside India was established in 1939 in Nasinu on Fiji Island, and this Gurdwara was registered under the banner of the Addharm-Punjab Association.<ref>{{cite book |last= Singh|first=Gajraj |title= The Sikhs of Fiji|year=1972 |publisher= South Pacific Social Sciences Association|location= Suva, Fiji|pages = 42–51}}</ref>

For the outstanding volunteer-led service to the community in Bedfordshire, Ad Dharmi/Ravidassia Gurdwara in Luton received [[The King's Award for Voluntary Service]]. Susan Lousada, [[Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire]], delivered the award on behalf of [[King Charles III]], quoting the citation: "The volunteers of Shri Guru Ravidass Sangat are a beacon of light in a troubled world..."<ref>{{cite news |title=Faith Matters: Guru Ravidass Sangat Luton received the Kings Award for Voluntary Services |url=https://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/opinion/faith-matters-guru-ravidass-sangat-luton-received-the-kings-award-for-voluntary-services-5014858?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=21 December 2025 |work=Luton Today |date=3 March 2025 |language=en}}</ref>{{AI-retrieved source|date=March 2026|checked=no}} The award was officially presented during the 648th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Ravidass, which attracted dignitaries such as mayor of Luton, local MPs, faith leaders, and representatives from Bedfordshire Police and the Council of Faiths.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Coulter-Duckett |first1=Grace |title=Celebrating The King’s Award for Voluntary Service 2024! |url=https://kavs.dcms.gov.uk/celebrating-the-kings-award-for-voluntary-service-2024/ |website=The King's Award for Voluntary Service |access-date=21 December 2025 |date=14 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=King Charles awards Luton gurdwara for voluntary services |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg7gvvx1zjyo |access-date=21 December 2025 |work=www.bbc.com |date=14 November 2024}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{| class="wikitable collapsible sortable"
|+ Ad-Dharmis along with [[Ramdasia]]/[[Ravidasia]] ([[Chamar|Chamar caste]]) in Punjab by [[List of districts of Punjab, India|district]] (2011)<ref>{{cite web |title=A-10 Appendix: District wise scheduled caste population (Appendix) |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/census.website/data/census-tables |access-date=22 April 2024}}</ref>
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[List of districts of Punjab, India|Districts]]
! colspan="2" |[[2011 India census]]
|-
!Ad-Dharmi/Ramdasia/Ravidasia caste population
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
|-
|[[Amritsar]]
| 31,774
| {{Percentage | 31,774| 2,490,891| 2 }}
|-
|[[Barnala]]
| 90,526
| {{Percentage | 90,526| 596,294| 2 }}
|-
|[[Bathinda]]
| 108,790
| {{Percentage | 108,790| 1,388,859| 2 }}
|-
|[[Faridkot district|Faridkot]]
| 26,903
| {{Percentage | 26,903| 618,008| 2 }}
|-
|[[Fatehgarh Sahib]]
| 115,167
| {{Percentage | 115,167| 599,814| 2 }}
|-
|[[Firozpur]]
| 31,581
| {{Percentage | 31,581| 2,029,074| 2 }}
|-
|[[Gurdaspur]]
| 133,126
| {{Percentage | 133,126 | 2,299,026| 2 }}
|-
|[[Hoshiarpur]]
| 416,904
| {{Percentage | 416,904| 1,582,793| 2 }}
|-
|[[Jalandhar]]
| 467,466
| {{Percentage | 467,466| 2,181,753| 2 }}
|-
|[[Kapurthala]]
| 90,287
| {{Percentage | 90,287| 817,668| 2 }}
|-
|[[Ludhiana]]
| 521,361
| {{Percentage | 521,361 | 3,487,882| 2 }}
|-
|[[Mansa district, Punjab|Mansa]]
| 87,078
| {{Percentage | 87,078| 768,808| 2 }}
|-
|[[Moga district|Moga]]
| 31,206
| {{Percentage | 31,206| 992,289| 2 }}
|-
|[[Sri Muktsar Sahib]]
| 50,017
| {{Percentage | 50,017| 902,702| 2 }}
|-
|[[Patiala]]
| 192,545
| {{Percentage | 192,545| 1,892,282| 2 }}
|-
|[[Rupnagar]]
| 115,155
| {{Percentage | 115,155 | 683,349| 2 }}
|-
|[[Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar]]
| 114,837
| {{Percentage | 114,837| 986,147| 2 }}
|-
|[[Sangrur]]
| 261,317
| {{Percentage | 261,317| 1,203,153| 2 }}
|-
|[[Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district|Nawanshahr]]
| 214,293
| {{Percentage | 214,293| 614,362| 2 }}
|-
|[[Tarn Taran district|Tarn Taran]]
| 3,618
| {{Percentage | 3,618| 1,120,070| 2 }}
|-
|}

== Notable people ==
* [[Seth Kishan Dass]]—A leather trader, propagator of the Ad-Dharm movement, and a politician.
* [[Mangu Ram Mugowalia]]—Founding member of [[Ghadar Movement]] and [[Adi Dharm|Ad Dharm]] movement in Punjab<ref>{{Cite book|last=Teltumbde|first=Anand|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZCIlDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA61 |title=Dalits: Past, present and future|date=2016-08-19|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-315-52644-7|language=en}}</ref>
* [[Chaudhary Sadhu Ram]]—Elected [[Member of Parliament]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kshīrasāgara |first1=Rāmacandra |title=Dalit Movement in India and Its Leaders, 1857-1956 |date=1994 |publisher=M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. |isbn=978-81-85880-43-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wx218EFVU8MC&pg=PA200 |access-date=15 June 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Master Gurbanta Singh]]— Dalit leader of Punjab, educator and key person of Ad Dharm movement.

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Ethnic and social groups of the Punjab |state=expanded}}

[[Category:Dalit communities]]
[[Category:Hindu denominations]]
[[Category:Punjabi tribes]]
[[Category:Ravidassia]]
[[Category:Social groups of Punjab, India]]

Ad-Dharmi - Revision history

Wmltusa at 18:43, 11 March 2026