Page "Mahabali" Paragraph 49

Mahatma Phule, the leader of non-Brahmin movement, interpreted the myth of Bali in the revolutionary manner.

The story prevalent in the Brahminical tradition revers Vamana as incarnation of Vishnu, who pushed Bali to the nether-world.

Phule, on the other hand, celebrated Bali as the king of the people, peasants or original inhabitants of India ( as opposed to Aryan Brahmins, who came to India from Iran, in accordance with the Orientalist theories prevalent in that period ).

Thus, in Phule's interpretation, Vamana became the symbol of Aryans / Brahmins, who enslaved and exploited indigenous people, symbolized by Bali.

He based his argument on the fact that on the day of Diwali and Dasara, women in Maharashtra say, " may the misery and agony go away, may the kingdom of Bali be established ".

Phule also calls India as Balisthan, naming it after Bali.