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Watch | Powerful message in the tattoos of low-caste Hindus

Updated on Jan 18, 2016 05:45 pm IST

Low-caste Hindus in eastern Chhattisgarh have the Hindu god Ram's name written on their bodies as a powerful message to higher caste Indians that god is everywhere, regardless of a person's caste or social standing. Denied entry to temples and forced to use separate wells, Ramnamis, as the followers are called, first tattooed their bodies and faces more than 100 years ago as an act of defiance and devotion. Now, while discrimination on caste grounds has lessened and most young Ramnamis today avoid full-body tattoos, elderly devotees are still proud of the indelible message their bodies have carried for decades.

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