Rapid Fire
Birth Anniversary of Shree Harichand Thakur
- 01 Apr 2025
- 1 min read
The Prime Minister paid tribute to Shree Harichand Thakur (1812-1878) on his 214th birth anniversary (27th March 2025) and extended best wishes for the Matua Dharma Maha Mela 2025.
- Harichand Thakur: A Bengal-based social reformer, he founded the Namasudras (Matuas) sect, a reformist Vaishnavite movement opposing caste oppression, attracting marginalized communities like Namasudras, Malis, and Telis.
- Born in Orakandi, Bangladesh, into a Scheduled Caste (SC) peasant family, he was revered as an avatar of Vishnu/Krishna.
- His son Guruchand Thakur later worked with missionary Cecil Silas Mead to reclassify Chandalas (lower caste) as Namasudras.
- Matuas: A socio-religious group originally from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), many migrated to India after the Bangladesh Liberation War 1971 due to religious persecution.
- The Matuas make up 17.4% of West Bengal’s SC population, second to Rajbanshis.
- The Matua Dharma Maha Mela celebrates their heritage. The community has embraced the implementation of the CAA Act.
| Read More: Matua Community. |
