Dignity Under Fire: The Dom Workers Of Varanasi

There are approximately 200 Dom workers who stoke the Hindu funeral pyres at the Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi. Their leader Om Chadhury is called the Dom Raja and all of the men of the Dom community work under him or his nephew Shalu Chaudhry. Often treated as untouchable, Dom workers are shunned by the rest of Varanasi city. Their work of lighting funeral pyres with unwashed corpses carries obvious dangers. One study notes, “burning the bodies is a difficult task that involves various risk factors that directly affect their health.”

Updated on: 14 August 2025 7:50 pm

Updated on: 14 August 2025 7:50 pm

The Dom Workers Of Varanasi - Outlook Magazine Mental Health issue

Shalok Chaudhary lights funeral pyres for 30-100 bodies a day | Photo: Suresh K Pandey/Outlook

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The Dom Workers Of Varanasi - Outlook Magazine Mental Health issue

Dom community performing the last rites at Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi | Photo: Suresh K Pandey/Outlook

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The Dom Workers Of Varanasi - Outlook Magazine Mental Health issue

Raj Kumar Chaudhary has been working since he was 12 | Photo: Suresh K Pandey/Outlook

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The Dom Workers Of Varanasi - Outlook Magazine Mental Health issue

Members of Dom Raja Om Chaudhry’s family sit in their home | Photo: Suresh K Pandey/Outlook

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The Dom Workers Of Varanasi - Outlook Magazine Mental Health issue

A view shows with a rooster in the foreground near the Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi. | Photo: Suresh K Pandey/Outlook

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The Dom Workers Of Varanasi - Outlook Magazine Mental Health issue

Ravi Kumar, 25, works as a rickshaw driver in Varanasi | Photo: Suresh K Pandey/Outlook

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The Dom Workers Of Varanasi - Outlook Magazine Mental Health issue

Shalok Chaudhary, Dom community member, with his grandmother in Varanasi | Photo: Suresh K Pandey/Outlook

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The Dom Workers Of Varanasi - Outlook Magazine Mental Health issue

Raj Kumar Chaudhary Dom community at Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi | Photo: Suresh K Pandey/Outlook

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The Dom Workers Of Varanasi - Outlook Magazine Mental Health issue

Shalok Chaudhary's house in Varanasi | Photo: Suresh K Pandey/Outlook

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