Bootan Mandi is a historic neighbourhood in the southwest of Jalandhar, known as the centre of the city's leather and shoe industry and as the birthplace of several prominent Dalit social and political leaders. The area gave India one of its most respected Ambedkarite politicians, Babu Kanshi Ram, and is dotted with monuments and buildings linked to the Dalit movement. The Ravidassia community here is among the most prosperous in Punjab, in large part thanks to the leather trade.
For a visitor the appeal is the local bazaar — shoes made on the premises, leather wholesalers, and a long row of food carts — and the chance to see a community that does not match the standard image of Punjab. The Sant Sarwan Dass Mission gurdwara, the main Ravidassia spiritual centre, is here. The neighbourhood is best visited in the early evening when the workshops are busy and the bazaar is most active.