Caste exclusion stemmed from refusal to grant equality, not literal pollution

Evidence

The caste Hindus of Mahad prevent the untouchables from drinking the water of the Chavadar Lake not because they suppose that the touch of the Untouchables will pollute the water or that it will evaporate and vanish. Their reason for preventing the Untouchables from drinking it is that they do not wish to acknowledge by such permission that castes declared inferior by sacred tradition are in fact their equals. — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 327

Categorization

• QUESTION: This reframes the motive behind untouchability as egalitarian denial rather than fear of pollution — worth probing whether sacred tradition or status-maintenance is the deeper driver.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 327
• XREF: connects to: Peshwa rule codified elaborate pollution rules against Untouchables; Caste-based water exclusion persists in villages decades after independence.; Hindu reformers reframed caste as untouchability to avoid addressing economic exploitation. (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Caste’s real violence is denial of entitlement, not ritual pollution #corroborates (0.90)
• Caste structurally denies entitlement to land, wealth, knowledge and opportunity #expands (0.75)
• Caste Hindus sought to deny Untouchables the choice that choice confers power. #corroborates (0.70)