JNU VC says gods don't belong to upper caste, sparks heated debate

While delivering a keynote address, JNU VC Pandit said Hindu Gods do not anthropologically come from the upper caste. She further said, "Most of you should know the origins of our gods anthropologically. No god is a brahmin, the highest is a kshatriya."

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Vice Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit has sparked a heated debate following her 'anthropological' assertion that none of the gods is a Brahmin. Delivering the Dr B R Ambedkar Lecture Series titled 'Dr B R Ambedkar's Thoughts on Gender Justice: Decoding the Uniform Civil Code', she also said the "status of shudras given to women in Manusmriti" makes it extraordinarily regressive.

The JNU Vice Chancellor reportedly stated that 'anthropologically' the gods may at best be 'Kshatriyas' (warrior caste). Addressing a session hosted by the Ambedkar International Centre in the national capital, Santishree said Lord Shiva may be from a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe.

"Most of you should be familiar with the anthropological beginnings of our gods. The greatest deity is a kshatriya; no god is a brahmin. Lord Shiva sits in a graveyard with a snake and wears very little clothing, hence he must be a member of a scheduled caste or scheduled tribe.  I don't think Brahmins can sit in the cemetery," she said.

She said that none of the Gods, including Lakshmi, Shakti, and Lord Jagannath, are members of the so-called upper caste and spoke out against caste-based prejudice.  She asserted that in the historic book "Manusmriti," all women are classified as Shudras and might acquire the caste of their husbands through marriage. 

She argued that if Hinduism is a way of life rather than a religion, why are we so afraid of criticism? One of the first to alert us to the discriminations that are ingrained and institutionalised in our culture was Gautam Buddha, she added.

Pandit, a professor of politics and public administration, was named vice chancellor of JNU in January. She will hold the position for five years. After being appointed, she declared that she would work to improve public perceptions of the university.

She brought up the lack of funding at JNU, one of the best universities in the nation, on Monday. She said that the university was operating at a staggering loss of Rs 130 crore.