Lower caste women in Travancore had to pay breast taxes in pre-independent India.

The 'breast-tax' was imposed by the king of the erstwhile State of Travancore which existed in British ruled India.

The 'breast-tax' was imposed by the king of the erstwhile State of Travancore which existed in British ruled India.During the period of the British rule in India, the King of the state of Travancore had imposed an inhumane tax called the 'breast tax.' The lower caste women were not allowed to cover their upper body and had to pay a tax if they wanted to. The purpose of that tax was to maintain the caste structure, according to an associate Professor of gender ecology and Dalit studies.

A BBC article recites the story of a lower caste woman who cut her breasts to protest against the breast tax in Travancore. A brave woman, Nangeli, who belonged to the Ezhava community from Cherthala, was the first person who fought against this tax and gave her life by cutting her breast off in protest when she was asked to pay the tax.