Recent years have seen dawning awareness of the long-hidden suffering of India's millions of Dalit people, marginalized and oppressed as 'untouchables' falling outside the traditional Hindu caste system. Their treatment, which cuts across communal and religious lines, has become an important concern of the churches in their commitment internationally to combat all forms of racism. The author of this book, a Dalit from North India, uncovers the religious roots of this system of oppression and surveys its historical development over 3500 years, as well as the beginnings of the Dalits' struggle to free themselves from it. He also analyses the role played by missionaries, churches and Christian theology in the past and suggests what must change if Christians are to have a part in articulating and bringing about a vision of solidarity and genuine liberation.