India’s caste system

The caste system in India is one of the oldest still-practicing systems of social classification.

It is generally agreed that the tight hierarchical division of Hindus into categories depending on their karma (effort) and dharma (the Hindi term for religion, although here it means responsibility) has existed for more than 3,000 years.

How did caste come about?

Since at least a thousand years before the birth of Christ, Manusmriti has been considered the most significant and authoritative book on Hindu law. The caste system is “acknowledged and justified as the basis of order and regularity of society.”

Hindus are divided into four primary caste groups according to the caste system:

• Brahmins
• Kshatriyas
• Vaishyas
• Shudras

Many people think Brahma, the Hindu creator god, is where the various tribes first emerged.

The Brahmins, mostly teachers and thinkers thought to have descended from Brahma’s head, were at the top of the social order. Then, purportedly from his arms, the Kshatriyas, or warriors and kings, appeared. The Vaishyas, or merchants made from his thighs, were given the third position. The Shudras, who descended from Brahma’s foot and performed all the menial tasks, were at the bottom of the stack.

Based on their respective professions, the primary castes were subdivided into another 3,000 and another 25,000 sub-castes.

The achhoots, often untouchables or Dalits, were not included in this Hindu caste system.

Caste System: Working

For ages, the Hindu caste system has determined where people of different backgrounds and beliefs stand regarding religion and society.

Caste divisions have long been a feature of rural societies. For example, Brahmins would not take food or drink from Shudras; upper and lower castes often resided in separate colonies, and caste-based marriage was the norm.

The system granted various benefits to the privileged classes while allowing favored organizations to suppress the lower castes.

It was frequently condemned for being unfair and backward-looking, yet it mostly stayed unaltered for generations, locking individuals into rigid social structures from which there was no way out.

Despite these challenges, a number of Dalits and other low caste Indians have attained high office, including KR Narayanan, the first Dalit president of the country, and BR Ambedkar, who wrote the Indian Constitution.

However, according to historians, until the 18th century, Indians placed little value on the official caste divisions since social identities were considerably more fluid and people could freely transition between castes.

According to a new study, caste became India’s defining social trait when British colonial authorities utilized censuses to streamline the system and primarily established a unified society with a legal system that could be monitored and controlled.

Is the system legitimate?

The constitution of independent India outlawed caste-based discrimination. To the right past wrongs and give historically marginalized people a fair shot, the authorities declared quotas for castes and tribes—the lowest in the caste hierarchy—in government positions and educational institutions in 1950.

A category known as the OBCs (Other Backward Classes), traditionally between the top and lowest castes, was added to the list of groups eligible for quotas in 1989.

Caste dominance has slightly decreased in recent decades due to the growth of quality education and urbanization, particularly in cities where diverse castes coexist and intercaste marriages are frequently increasing.

Following social transformation movements, many individuals in several southern states and the northern Bihar state started going by one name. Despite the changes, caste identities still have a stronghold, and a person’s last name nearly always serves as a reliable indicator of their caste.

India’s caste system

The caste system in India is one of the oldest still-practicing systems of social classification.

It is generally agreed that the tight hierarchical division of Hindus into categories depending on their karma (effort) and dharma (the Hindi term for religion, although here it means responsibility) has existed for more than 3,000 years.

How did caste come about?

Since at least a thousand years before the birth of Christ, Manusmriti has been considered the most significant and authoritative book on Hindu law. The caste system is “acknowledged and justified as the basis of order and regularity of society.”

Hindus are divided into four primary caste groups according to the caste system:

• Brahmins
• Kshatriyas
• Vaishyas
• Shudras

Many people think Brahma, the Hindu creator god, is where the various tribes first emerged.

The Brahmins, mostly teachers and thinkers thought to have descended from Brahma’s head, were at the top of the social order. Then, purportedly from his arms, the Kshatriyas, or warriors and kings, appeared. The Vaishyas, or merchants made from his thighs, were given the third position. The Shudras, who descended from Brahma’s foot and performed all the menial tasks, were at the bottom of the stack.

Based on their respective professions, the primary castes were subdivided into another 3,000 and another 25,000 sub-castes.

The achhoots, often untouchables or Dalits, were not included in this Hindu caste system.

Caste System: Working

For ages, the Hindu caste system has determined where people of different backgrounds and beliefs stand regarding religion and society.

Caste divisions have long been a feature of rural societies. For example, Brahmins would not take food or drink from Shudras; upper and lower castes often resided in separate colonies, and caste-based marriage was the norm.

The system granted various benefits to the privileged classes while allowing favored organizations to suppress the lower castes.

It was frequently condemned for being unfair and backward-looking, yet it mostly stayed unaltered for generations, locking individuals into rigid social structures from which there was no way out.

Despite these challenges, a number of Dalits and other low caste Indians have attained high office, including KR Narayanan, the first Dalit president of the country, and BR Ambedkar, who wrote the Indian Constitution.

However, according to historians, until the 18th century, Indians placed little value on the official caste divisions since social identities were considerably more fluid and people could freely transition between castes.

According to a new study, caste became India’s defining social trait when British colonial authorities utilized censuses to streamline the system and primarily established a unified society with a legal system that could be monitored and controlled.

Is the system legitimate?

The constitution of independent India outlawed caste-based discrimination. To the right past wrongs and give historically marginalized people a fair shot, the authorities declared quotas for castes and tribes—the lowest in the caste hierarchy—in government positions and educational institutions in 1950.

A category known as the OBCs (Other Backward Classes), traditionally between the top and lowest castes, was added to the list of groups eligible for quotas in 1989.

Caste dominance has slightly decreased in recent decades due to the growth of quality education and urbanization, particularly in cities where diverse castes coexist and intercaste marriages are frequently increasing.

Following social transformation movements, many individuals in several southern states and the northern Bihar state started going by one name. Despite the changes, caste identities still have a stronghold, and a person’s last name nearly always serves as a reliable indicator of their caste.