A Sanskrit text attacked Brahmin origins, and the Peshwas ordered its destruction.

Evidence

The Sahyadrikhand is a latter-day addition to the Skanda Purana, the most volatile of Sanskrit texts, continuously expanding and incorporating new traditions. Wendy Doniger (1993, 60) terms it “surely the shiftiest, or sandiest, of all” puranas (collections of stories revolving around divinities and myths that allude to history though they cannot be accused of historicity). The Sahyadrikhand recounts the genealogy of several Maharashtrian Brahmin sub-castes to incorporate them into caste hierarchy. See also Rao (2009, 55). Ambedkar (BAWS 3, 48) elsewhere writes of the Sahyadrikhand: “It assigns noble origin to other castes while it assigns to the Brahmin caste the filthiest origin. It was a revenge on Manu. It was the worst lampoon on the Brahmins as a caste. The Peshwas very naturally ordered its destruction. Some survived the general destruction.” — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 1078

Categorization

Category: Contrarian or Surprising Claims

• XREF: Reveals a counter-tradition within Hindu texts accusing Brahmins of base origin—relevant to Ambedkar’s broader argument.

Related

• The Sahyadrikhand retroactively invented genealogies to slot Brahmins into caste hierarchy. (similarity 0.85)
• The Mahabharata and Puranas record repeated annihilation between Brahmins and Kshatriyas. (similarity 0.79)
• Epigraphic evidence from Hindu texts disproves Brahmin claims of pure blood origin. (similarity 0.78)
• Even Hindu epics furnished evidence against Brahmin claims to pure blood (similarity 0.78)