Reading time: 4 minutes. Views 14k. Published 01/28/2013

Sometimes it seems that we are so accustomed to the 21st century with its equality, civil society, and the development of modern technologies that the existence of strict social strata in society is perceived with surprise. Let's figure out what castes existed in India and what is happening now.

But in India, people live like this, belonging to a certain caste (which determines the scope of rights and responsibilities), since the times before our era.

Varna

Initially, the Indian people were divided into four classes, which were called “varnas”; and this division appeared as a result of the decomposition of the primitive communal layer and the development of property inequality.

Belonging to each class was determined solely by birth. Even in the Indian Laws of Manu you can find mention of the following Indian varnas, which exist to this day:

• . Brahmins have always been the highest stratum in the caste system and an honorable caste; now these people are mainly clergy, officials, teachers;
• Kshatriyas are warriors. The main task of the kshatriyas was to protect the country. Now, in addition to serving in the military, representatives of this caste can occupy various administrative positions;
• Vaishyas are farmers. They were engaged in cattle breeding and trade. Basically, these are finances, banking, since the Vaishyas preferred not to participate directly in cultivating the land;
• Shudras are disadvantaged members of society who do not have full rights; the peasant layer, which was initially subordinate to other higher castes.

State administration was concentrated in the hands of the first two varnas. It was strictly forbidden to move from one varna to another; there were also restrictions on mixed marriages. You can learn more about jati from the article ““.

On September 24, 1932, the right to vote in India was granted to the untouchable caste. the site decided to tell its readers how the Indian caste system was formed and how it exists in the modern world.

Indian society is divided into classes called castes. This division occurred many thousands of years ago and continues to this day. Hindus believe that by following the rules established in your caste, in your next life you can be born as a representative of a slightly higher and more respected caste, and occupy a much better position in society.

After leaving the Indus Valley, Indian arias conquered the country along the Ganges and founded many states here, whose population consisted of two classes, differing in legal and financial status. The new Aryan settlers, the victors, took over India and land, and honor, and power, and the defeated non-Indo-European natives were plunged into contempt and humiliation, forced into slavery or into a dependent state, or, driven into the forests and mountains, there they led a meager life in inaction of thought without any culture. This result of the Aryan conquest gave rise to the origin of the four main Indian castes (varnas).

Those original inhabitants of India who were subdued by the power of the sword suffered the fate of captives and became mere slaves. The Indians, who submitted voluntarily, renounced their father's gods, adopted the language, laws and customs of the victors, retained personal freedom, but lost all land property and had to live as workers on the estates of the Aryans, servants and porters, in the houses of rich people. From them came a caste sudra . "Sudra" is not a Sanskrit word. Before becoming the name of one of the Indian castes, it was probably the name of some people. The Aryans considered it beneath their dignity to enter into marriage unions with representatives of the Shudra caste. Shudra women were only concubines among the Aryans.

Over time, sharp differences in status and professions emerged between the Aryan conquerors of India themselves. But in relation to the lower caste - the dark-skinned, conquered native population - they all remained a privileged class. Only the Aryans had the right to read the sacred books; only they were consecrated by a solemn ceremony: a sacred thread was placed on the Aryan, making him “reborn” (or “twice-born”, dvija). This ritual served as a symbolic distinction between all Aryans and the Shudra caste and the despised native tribes driven into the forests. Consecration was performed by placing a cord, which was worn placed on the right shoulder and descending diagonally across the chest. Among the Brahmin caste, the cord could be placed on a boy from 8 to 15 years old, and it is made of cotton yarn; among the Kshatriya caste, who received it no earlier than the 11th year, it was made from kusha (Indian spinning plant), and among the Vaishya caste, who received it no earlier than the 12th year, it was made of wool.

Indian society was divided into castes many thousands of years ago

The "twice-born" Aryans were divided over time, according to differences in occupation and origin, into three estates or castes, with some similarities to the three estates of medieval Europe: the clergy, the nobility and the urban middle class. The beginnings of the caste system among the Aryans existed back in the days when they lived only in the Indus basin: there, from the mass of the agricultural and pastoral population, warlike princes of the tribes, surrounded by people skilled in military affairs, as well as priests who performed sacrificial rites, already stood out.

When the Aryan tribes moved further into India, into the country of the Ganges, militant energy increased in bloody wars with the exterminated natives, and then in a fierce struggle between the Aryan tribes. Until the conquests were completed, the entire people were busy with military affairs. Only when the peaceful possession of the conquered country began did it become possible for a variety of occupations to develop, the possibility of choosing between different professions arose, and a new stage in the origin of castes began. The fertility of the Indian soil aroused the desire for peaceful means of subsistence. From this, the innate tendency of the Aryans quickly developed, according to which it was more pleasant for them to work quietly and enjoy the fruits of their labor than to make difficult military efforts. Therefore, a significant part of the settlers (“vishes”) turned to agriculture, which produced abundant harvests, leaving the fight against enemies and the protection of the country to the tribal princes and the military nobility formed during the period of conquest. This class, engaged in arable farming and partly shepherding, soon grew so that among the Aryans, as in Western Europe, it formed the vast majority of the population. Because the name vaishya "settler", which originally meant all Aryan inhabitants in new areas, came to mean only people of the third, working Indian caste, and warriors, kshatriyas and priests, brahmanas (“prayers”), who over time became the privileged classes, made the names of their professions the names of the two highest castes.

The four Indian classes listed above became completely closed castes (varnas) only when they rose above the ancient service of Indra and other gods of nature. Brahmanism, - new religious teaching about Brahma , the soul of the universe, the source of life, from which all beings originated and to which they will return. This reformed creed gave religious sanctity to the division of the Indian nation into castes, especially the priestly caste. It said that in the cycle of life forms passed through by everything existing on earth, brahman is the highest form of existence. According to the dogma of rebirth and transmigration of souls, a creature born in human form must go through all four castes in turn: to be a Shudra, a Vaishya, a Kshatriya and, finally, a Brahman; having passed through these forms of existence, it is reunited with Brahma. The only way to achieve this goal is for a person, constantly striving for deity, to exactly fulfill everything commanded by the brahmanas, to honor them, to please them with gifts and signs of respect. Offenses against Brahmanas, severely punished on earth, subject the wicked to the most terrible torments of hell and rebirth in the forms of despised animals.

According to the dogma of transmigration of souls, a person must go through all four castes

The belief in the dependence of the future life on the present was the main support of the Indian caste division and the rule of the priests. The more decisively the Brahman clergy placed the dogma of transmigration of souls at the center of all moral teaching, the more successfully it filled the imagination of the people with terrible pictures of hellish torment, the more honor and influence it acquired. Representatives of the highest caste of Brahmins are close to the gods; they know the path leading to Brahma; their prayers, sacrifices, holy feats of their asceticism have magical power over the gods, the gods have to fulfill their will; bliss and suffering in the future life depend on them. It is not surprising that with the development of religiosity among the Indians, the power of the Brahman caste increased, tirelessly praising in its holy teachings respect and generosity towards the Brahmans as the surest ways to obtain bliss, instilling in the kings that the ruler is obliged to have Brahmans as his advisers and make judges, is obliged to reward their service with rich content and pious gifts.

So that the lower Indian castes did not envy the privileged position of the Brahmans and did not encroach on it, the doctrine was developed and strenuously preached that the forms of life for all beings are predetermined by Brahma, and that the progression through the degrees of human rebirth is accomplished only by a calm, peaceful life in the given position of man, the right one. performance of duties. Thus, in one of the oldest parts of the Mahabharata it is said: “When Brahma created beings, he gave them their occupations, each caste a special activity: for the brahmanas - the study of the high Vedas, for the warriors - heroism, for the vaishyas - the art of labor, for the sudras - humility before other flowers: therefore ignorant Brahmanas, unglorious warriors, unskillful Vaishyas and disobedient Shudras are worthy of blame.”

This dogma, which attributed divine origin to every caste, every profession, consoled the humiliated and despised in the insults and deprivations of their present life with the hope of an improvement in their lot in a future existence. He gave religious sanctification to the Indian caste hierarchy. The division of people into four classes, unequal in their rights, was from this point of view an eternal, unchangeable law, the violation of which is the most criminal sin. People do not have the right to overthrow the caste barriers established between them by God himself; They can achieve improvement in their fate only through patient submission.

The mutual relations between the Indian castes were clearly characterized by the teaching; that Brahma produced Brahmanas from his mouth (or the first man Purusha), Kshatriyas from his hands, Vaishyas from his thighs, Shudras from his feet dirty in mud, therefore the essence of nature for Brahmanas is “holiness and wisdom”, for Kshatriyas - “power and strength”, among the Vaishyas - “wealth and profit”, among the Shudras - “service and obedience”. The doctrine of the origin of castes from different parts of the highest being is set forth in one of the hymns of the last, most recent book of the Rig Veda. There are no concepts of caste in the older songs of the Rig Veda. Brahmins attach extreme importance to this hymn, and every true believer Brahmin recites it every morning after bathing. This hymn is the diploma with which the Brahmins legitimized their privileges, their dominion.

Some Brahmins are not allowed to eat meat.

Thus, the Indian people were led by their history, their inclinations and customs to fall under the yoke of the caste hierarchy, which turned classes and professions into tribes alien to each other, drowning out all human aspirations, all the inclinations of humanity.

Main characteristics of castes

Each Indian caste has its own characteristics and unique characteristics, rules of existence and behavior.

Brahmins are the highest caste

Brahmins in India are priests and priests in temples. Their position in society has always been considered the highest, even higher than the position of ruler. Currently, representatives of the Brahmin caste are also involved in the spiritual development of the people: they teach various practices, look after temples, and work as teachers.

Brahmins have a lot of prohibitions:

Men are not allowed to work in the fields or do any manual labor, but women can do various household chores.

A representative of the priestly caste can only marry someone like himself, but as an exception, a wedding with a Brahman from another community is allowed.

A Brahmana cannot eat what a person of another caste has prepared; a Brahmana would rather starve than eat forbidden food. But he can feed a representative of absolutely any caste.

Some brahmanas are not allowed to eat meat.

Kshatriyas - warrior caste

Representatives of the Kshatriyas always performed the duties of soldiers, guards and policemen.

Currently, nothing has changed - kshatriyas are engaged in military affairs or go to administrative work. They can marry not only in their own caste: a man can marry a girl from a lower caste, but a woman is prohibited from marrying a man from a lower caste. Kshatriyas can eat animal products, but they also avoid forbidden foods.

Vaishyas, like no one else, monitor the correct preparation of food

Vaishya

Vaishyas have always been the working class: they farmed, raised livestock, and traded.

Now representatives of the Vaishyas are engaged in economic and financial affairs, various trades, and the banking sector. Probably, this caste is the most scrupulous in matters related to food intake: vaishyas, like no one else, monitor the correct preparation of food and will never eat contaminated dishes.

Shudras - the lowest caste

The Shudra caste has always existed in the role of peasants or even slaves: they did the dirtiest and hardest work. Even in our time, this social stratum is the poorest and often lives below the poverty line. Shudras can marry even divorced women.

The Untouchables

The untouchable caste stands out separately: such people are excluded from all social relations. They do the dirtiest work: cleaning streets and toilets, burning dead animals, tanning leather.

Amazingly, representatives of this caste were not even allowed to step on the shadows of representatives of higher classes. And only very recently they were allowed to enter churches and approach people of other classes.

Unique Features of Castes

Having a brahmana in your neighborhood, you can give him a lot of gifts, but you shouldn’t expect anything in return. Brahmins never give gifts: they accept, but do not give.

In terms of land ownership, Shudras can be even more influential than Vaishyas.

The untouchables were not allowed to step on the shadows of people from the upper classes

Shudras of the lower stratum practically do not use money: they are paid for their work in food and household supplies.You can move to a lower caste, but it is impossible to get a caste of a higher rank.

Castes and modernity

Today, Indian castes have become even more structured, with many different subgroups called jatis.

During the last census of representatives of various castes, there were more than 3 thousand jatis. True, this census took place more than 80 years ago.

Many foreigners consider the caste system to be a relic of the past and believe that the caste system no longer works in modern India. In fact, everything is completely different. Even the Indian government could not come to a consensus regarding this stratification of society. Politicians actively work on dividing society into layers during elections, adding protection of the rights of a particular caste to their election promises.

In modern India, more than 20 percent of the population belongs to the untouchable caste: they have to live in their own separate ghettos or outside the boundaries of the populated area. Such people are not allowed to enter stores, government and medical institutions, or even use public transport.

In modern India, more than 20% of the population belongs to the untouchable caste

The untouchable caste has a completely unique subgroup: society’s attitude towards it is quite contradictory. These include homosexuals, transvestites and eunuchs who make their living through prostitution and asking tourists for coins. But what a paradox: the presence of such a person at the holiday is considered a very good sign.

Another amazing podcast of the untouchables is Pariah. These are people completely expelled from society - marginalized. Previously, one could become a pariah even by touching such a person, but now the situation has changed a little: one becomes a pariah either by being born from an intercaste marriage, or from pariah parents.

At the end of July, a 14-year-old untouchable, held in sexual slavery by a neighbor for a month, died in a hospital ward in New Delhi. The dying woman told the police that the kidnapper threatened her with a knife, forced her to drink juice mixed with acid, did not feed her, and, together with his friends, raped her several times a day. As law enforcement officers found out, this was the second kidnapping - the previous one was committed by the same person in December last year, but he was released on bail. According to local media, the court showed such leniency towards the criminal because his victim was a Dalit (untouchable), which means her life and freedom were worth nothing. Although discrimination based on caste is prohibited in India, Dalits are still the poorest, most disadvantaged and most uneducated section of society. Why this is so and how far up the social ladder the untouchables can rise - Lenta.ru explains.

How did the untouchables appear?

According to the most common version, these are descendants of representatives of tribes who lived in India before the Aryan invasion. In the traditional Aryan system of society, consisting of four varnas - Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaishyas (traders and artisans) and Shudras (wage earners) - Dalits were at the very bottom, below the Shudras, who were also descendants of the pre-Aryan inhabitants of India . At the same time, in India itself there is a widespread version that arose back in the 19th century, according to which the untouchables are the descendants of children expelled to the forests, born from the relationship of a Shudra man and a Brahmin woman.

The oldest Indian literary monument, the Rigveda (compiled in 1700-1100 BC), says that the Brahmins originated from the mouth of the proto-man Purusha, the Kshatriyas from the hands, the Vaishyas from the thighs, and the Shudras from the feet. There is no place for untouchables in this picture of the world. The varna system finally took shape between the 7th century BC. and 2nd century AD

It is believed that an untouchable person can defile people from the higher varnas, so their houses and villages were built on the outskirts. The system of ritual restrictions among the untouchables is no less strict than among the brahmanas, although the restrictions themselves are completely different. Untouchables were forbidden to enter restaurants and temples, carry umbrellas and shoes, walk around in shirts and sunglasses, but they were allowed to eat meat - which strict vegetarian Brahmans could not afford.

Is that what they call them in India - “untouchables”?

Now this word has almost fallen into disuse and is considered offensive. The most common name for untouchables is Dalits, “oppressed”, or “oppressed”. Previously, there was also the word “harijans” - “children of God”, which Mahatma Gandhi tried to introduce into use. But it didn’t catch on: Dalits found it as offensive as “untouchables.”

How many Dalits are there in India and how many castes do they have?

Approximately 170 million people - 16.6 percent of the total population. The issue of the number of castes is very complex, since Indians themselves almost never use the word “caste,” preferring the more vague concept of “jati,” which includes not only castes in the usual sense, but also clans and communities, which are often difficult to classify as one or another. another varna. Moreover, the boundary between caste and sub-caste is often very blurred. We can only say with certainty that we are talking about hundreds of jatis.

Do Dalits still live in poverty? How is social status related to economic status?

In general, the lower castes are indeed significantly poorer. The bulk of India's poor are Dalits. The average literacy rate in the country is 75 percent, among Dalits it is just over 30. Almost half of Dalit children, according to statistics, drop out of school because of the humiliation they are subjected to there. It is Dalits who make up the bulk of the unemployed; and those who are employed tend to be paid less than members of the upper castes.

Although there are exceptions: there are approximately 30 Dalit millionaires in India. Of course, against the backdrop of 170 million poor people and beggars, this is a drop in the bucket, but with their lives they prove that you can achieve success even as a Dalit. As a rule, these are truly outstanding people: Ashok Khade from the Chamar (tanner) caste, the son of an illiterate poor shoemaker, worked as a docker during the day, and at night he read textbooks to get an engineering degree, and slept under the stairs on the street, since he did not enough money to rent a room. Now his company is doing deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars. This is a typical Dalit success story, a kind of blue dream for millions of underprivileged people.

Have the untouchables ever tried to rebel?

As far as we know, no. Before the colonization of India, this thought could hardly have arisen in our heads: at that time, expulsion from the caste was equivalent to physical death. After colonization, social boundaries began to gradually blur, and after India gained independence, rebellion became meaningless for Dalits - they were provided with all the conditions to achieve their goals through political means.

How deeply submissiveness has become ingrained in the Dalit consciousness can be illustrated by an example given by Russian researchers Felix and Evgenia Yurlov. The Bahujan Samaj Party, which represents the interests of lower castes, organized special training camps for Dalits, in which they learned to “overcome the age-old fear and fear of high-caste Hindus.” Among the exercises was, for example, the following: a stuffed figure of a high-caste Hindu with a mustache and a tilak (dot) on his forehead was installed. The Dalit had to overcome his shyness, approach the scarecrow, cut off his mustache with scissors and erase the tilak.

Is it possible to break out of the untouchables?

It is possible, although not easy. The easiest way is to change religion. A person who converts to Buddhism, Islam or Christianity technically falls out of the caste system. Dalits first began converting to Buddhism in noticeable numbers at the end of the 19th century. Mass conversions are associated with the name of the famous Dalit rights activist Dr. Ambedkar, who converted to Buddhism along with half a million untouchables. The last such mass ceremony took place in Mumbai in 2007 - then 50 thousand people simultaneously became Buddhists.

Dalits prefer to convert to Buddhism. Firstly, Indian nationalists treat this religion better than Islam and Christianity, since it is one of the traditional Indian religions. Secondly, over time, Muslims and Christians developed their own caste divisions, albeit not as clearly expressed as among Hindus.

Is it possible to change caste while remaining Hindu?

There are two options: the first is all kinds of semi-legal or illegal methods. For example, many surnames indicating membership in a particular caste differ by one or two letters. It is enough to be slightly corrupt or charming a clerk in a government office - and, voila, you are already a member of another caste, and sometimes even a varna. It is better, of course, to perform such tricks either in the city, or in combination with moving to another area, where there are not thousands of fellow villagers around who knew your grandfather.

The second option is the “ghar vapasi” procedure, literally “welcome home”. This program is implemented by radical Hindu organizations and aims to convert Indians of other religions to Hinduism. In this case, a person becomes, for example, a Christian, then sprinkles ashes on his head, declaring his desire to perform “ghar vapasi” - and that’s it, he is a Hindu again. If this trick is done outside your home village, you can always claim that you belong to a different caste.

Another question is why do all this. You will not be asked for a caste certificate when applying for a job or when entering a restaurant. In India, over the last century, the caste system has been demolished under the influence of the processes of modernization and globalization. The attitude towards a stranger is built on the basis of his behavior. The only thing that can let you down is the surname, which is most often associated with caste (Gandhi - traders, Deshpande - Brahmins, Acharis - carpenters, Guptas - Vaishyas, Singhs - Kshatriyas). But now that anyone can change their last name, everything has become much easier.

How about changing varna without changing caste?

There is a chance that your caste will undergo the process of Sanskritization. In Russian this is called “vertical mobility of castes”: if one caste adopts the traditions and customs of another caste of higher status, there is a chance that sooner or later it will be recognized as a member of a higher varna. For example, a lower caste begins to practice vegetarianism, characteristic of brahmins, dress like brahmins, wear a sacred thread on the wrist and generally position themselves as brahmins, it is possible that sooner or later they will begin to be treated as brahmins.

However, vertical mobility is characteristic mainly of the higher varna castes. Not a single Dalit caste has yet managed to cross the invisible line separating them from the four varnas and become even Shudras. But times are changing.

In general, being a Hindu, you are not required to declare membership in any caste. You can be a casteless Hindu - your right.

Why change the caste in principle?

It all depends on which direction to change - up or down. Raising your caste status means that others who value caste will treat you with more respect. Downgrading your status, especially to the level of the Dalit caste, will give you a number of real advantages, which is why many representatives of higher castes try to enroll as Dalits.

The fact is that in modern India the authorities are waging a merciless fight against caste discrimination. According to the constitution, any discrimination on the basis of caste is prohibited, and you will even have to pay a fine for asking about caste when hiring.

But the country has a mechanism of positive discrimination. A number of castes and tribes are included in the Scheduled Tribes and Castes (SC/ST) list. Representatives of these castes have certain privileges, which are confirmed by caste certificates. Seats are reserved for Dalits in the civil service and in parliament, their children are admitted free of charge (or for half the fee) to schools, and places are allocated for them in institutes. In short, there is a quota system for Dalits.

It's hard to say whether this is good or bad. The author of these lines met Dalits who were capable of giving a head start to any Brahmin in terms of intelligence and general development - quotas helped them rise from the bottom and get an education. On the other hand, we had to see Dalits going with the flow (first according to quotas for college, then according to the same quotas for the civil service), not interested in anything and not wanting to work. They cannot be fired, so their future is secured until old age and a good pension. Many in India criticize the quota system, many defend it.

So Dalits can be politicians?

How can they? For example, Kocheril Raman Narayanan, who was the President of India from 1997 to 2002, was a Dalit. Another example is Mayawati Prabhu Das, also known as the Iron Lady Mayawati, who served as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for a total of eight years.

Are the number of Dalits the same in all states of India?

No, it varies, and quite significantly. The largest number of Dalits live in the state of Uttar Pradesh (20.5 percent of all Dalits in India), followed by West Bengal (10.7 percent). However, as a percentage of the total population, Punjab leads with 31.9 percent, followed by Himachal Pradesh with 25.2 percent.

How can Dalits work?

Theoretically, anyone - from the president to the toilet cleaner. Many Dalits act in films and work as fashion models. In cities where caste lines are blurred, there are no restrictions at all; In villages where ancient traditions are strong, Dalits are still engaged in “unclean” work: skinning dead animals, digging graves, prostitution, and so on.

If a child is born as a result of an inter-caste marriage, which caste will he be assigned to?

Traditionally in India, a child was registered as a lower caste. It is now believed that a child inherits his father's caste, except in the state of Kerala, where according to local law, the mother's caste is inherited. This is theoretically possible in other states, but in each individual case it is decided through the courts.

A typical story happened in 2012: then a Kshatriya man married a woman from the Nayak tribe. The boy was registered as a kshatriya, but then his mother, through the court, ensured that the child was registered as a nayak so that he could take advantage of the bonuses provided to disadvantaged tribes.

If I, as a tourist in India, touch a Dalit, will I then be able to shake hands with a Brahmin?

Foreigners in Hinduism are already considered unclean because they are outside the caste system, so they can touch anyone and for whatever reason without desecrating themselves in any way. If a practicing Brahman decides to communicate with you, he will still have to perform purification rituals, so whether you shook the Dalit’s hand before or not is essentially indifferent.

Do they make inter-caste porn with Dalits in India?

Of course they do. Moreover, judging by the number of views on specialized sites, it is very popular.

India's caste system continues to attract interest. Castes in India are a truly curious social phenomenon, but a tourist traveling to India is unlikely to encounter it; there are many Indian travelers who live there for months, but are not interested in castes because they are not necessary for life.

The caste system is not exotic, it is part of the complex organization of Indian society, a multifaceted phenomenon that has been studied by Indologists and ethnographers for centuries, dozens of thick books have been written about it, so I will publish here only 10 interesting facts about Indian castes - about the most popular questions and misconceptions.

1. What is an Indian caste?
Indian caste is such a complex phenomenon that it is simply impossible to give an exhaustively complete definition!
Castes can only be described through a number of characteristics, but there will still be exceptions.

Caste in India is a system of social stratification, a separate social group related by the origin and legal status of its members. Castes in India are built according to the principles: 1) common religion (this rule is always observed); 2) one profession, usually hereditary; 3) members of castes marry only among themselves, as a rule; 4) members of the caste generally do not eat with strangers, with the exception of other Hindu castes of significantly higher social position than their own; 5) caste members can be determined by who they can accept water and food, processed and raw.

2. There are 4 castes in India
In India there are not 4, but about 3 thousand castes, they can be called differently in different parts of the country, and people with the same profession can have different castes in different states. For a complete list of castes by state, see http://socialjustice...

What nameless people on tourist and other near-Indian sites call 4 castes are not castes at all, they are 4 varnas - chaturvarnya in Sanskrit - an ancient social system.

4 Varnas (वर्ना) is an ancient Indian class system. Varna brahmins (more correctly a brahmin) historically are clergy, doctors, teachers. Varna Kshatriyas (in ancient times it was called Rajanya) are rulers and warriors. Varna vaishyas are farmers and traders, and varna sudras are laborers and landless peasants who work for others.
Varna is a color (in Sanskrit again), and each Indian varna has its own color: the Brahmins have white, the Kshatriyas have red, the Vaishyas have yellow, the Shudras have black, and before, when all representatives of the varnas wore a sacred thread - it was just the color of their varna.

Varnas correlate with castes, but in very different ways, sometimes there is no direct connection, and since we have already delved into science, it must be said that Indian castes, unlike varnas, are called jati - जाति.
Read more about Indian castes in modern India http://indonet.ru/St...

3. Caste Untouchables
The untouchables are not a caste. During the times of ancient India, everyone who was not part of the 4 varnas automatically found themselves “outside” of Indian society; these strangers were avoided and not allowed to live in villages, which is why they were called untouchables. Subsequently, these untouchable strangers began to be used in the dirtiest, low-paid and shameful work, and formed their own social and professional groups, that is, untouchable castes, there are several of them, as a rule, this is associated either with dirty work, or with the killing of living beings or death, so that all hunters and fishermen, as well as gravediggers and tanners, are untouchable.

At the same time, it is not correct to assume that every untouchable is uneducated and poor, this is not true. In India, even before it gained independence and the adoption of a number of legislative measures to prevent discrimination against lower castes and tribes, there were untouchables who were able to achieve outstanding success in society, an example of this is the most famous untouchable of India - an outstanding Indian political, public figure, human rights activist and The author of the Indian Constitution is Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar, who received his legal education in England. And just recently, not just a Dalit, but also a hijra became the mayor of a city in India http://indonet.ru/fo. ..

4. When did Indian castes appear?
Normatively, that is, legislatively, the caste-jati system in India was recorded in the Laws of Manu, which date back to the 2nd century BC.
The Varna system is much older; there is no exact dating. I wrote in more detail about the history of the issue in the article Castes of India, from varnas to modern times http://indonet.ru/ar ...

5. Castes have been abolished in India
Castes in India are not abolished or prohibited, as is often written.
On the contrary, all castes in India are counted and listed in the annex to the Indian Constitution, which is called the Table of Castes. In addition, after the population census, changes are made to this table, usually additions; the point is not that new castes appear, but that they are recorded in accordance with the data indicated about themselves by the census participants.
Only discrimination on the basis of caste is prohibited, this is written in Article 15 of the Indian Constitution, see the test at http://lawmin.nic.in ...

6. Every Indian has a caste
No, this is also not true.
Indian society is very heterogeneous in its structure, and besides the division into castes there are several others.
There are caste and non-caste Indians, for example, representatives of Indian tribes (aboriginals, adivasis) with rare exceptions do not have castes. And the part of non-caste Indians is quite large, see the census results at http://censusindia.g. ..
In addition, for some misdemeanors (crimes) a person can be expelled from the caste and thus deprived of his status and position in society.

7. Castes exist only in India
No, this is a fallacy. There are castes in other countries, for example, in Nepal and Sri Lanka, since these countries developed in the womb of the same huge Indian civilization, as well as in Bali. But there are castes in other cultures, for example, in Tibet, and Tibetan castes do not correlate with Indian castes at all, since the class structure of Tibetan society was formed independently from India.
About the castes of Nepal, see Ethnic mosaic of Nepal http://indonet.ru/St ...

8. Only Hindus have castes
No, this is not the case now, we need to go deeper into history.
Historically, when the overwhelming majority of the Indian population professed Hinduism - all Hindus belonged to some caste, the only exceptions were pariahs expelled from castes and the indigenous, tribal peoples of India who did not profess Hinduism and were not part of Indian society. Then other religions began to spread in India - Buddhism, Jainism, India was invaded by other peoples, and representatives of other religions and peoples began to adopt from the Hindus their class system of varnas and the system of professional castes - jati. Now there are castes in Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Christianity, but they are different from the Hindu castes.
It is curious that in northern India, in the modern states of Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir, the Buddhist caste system is not of Indian, but of Tibetan origin.
It is even more curious that even European Christian missionary preachers were drawn into the Indian caste system: those who preached the teachings of Christ to high-born Brahmins ended up in the Christian “Brahmin” caste, and those who communicated with untouchable fishermen became Christian untouchables.

9. You need to know the caste of the Indian you are communicating with and behave accordingly.
This is a common misconception, propagated by travel sites, for no known reason and not based on anything.
It is impossible to determine which caste an Indian belongs to just by his appearance, and often by his occupation too. One acquaintance worked as a waiter, although he came from a noble Rajput family (that is, he is a kshatriya). I was able to identify a Nepalese waiter I knew by his behavior as an aristocrat, since we had known each other for a long time, I asked and he confirmed that this was true, and the guy was not working because of a lack of money at all.
My old friend started his working career at the age of 9 as a laborer, cleaning up trash in a shop... do you think he is a Shudra? no, he is a Brahmin (Brahmin) from a poor family and his 8th child... another 1 Brahmin I know sells in a shop, he is the only son, he needs to earn money...

Another friend of mine is so religious and bright that one would think that he is a real, ideal Brahmin. But no, he was just a sudra, and he was proud of it, and those who know what seva means will understand why.
And even if an Indian says what caste he is, although such a question is considered rude, it will still give nothing to the tourist; a person who does not know India will not understand what and why things are done in this amazing country. So there is no need to be puzzled by the caste issue, because in India it is sometimes difficult to even determine the gender of the interlocutor, and this is probably more important :)

10. Caste discrimination
India is a democratic country and, in addition to prohibiting caste discrimination, has introduced benefits for representatives of lower castes and tribes, for example, there are quotas for admission to higher education institutions and for holding positions in state and municipal bodies.
The problem of discrimination against people from lower castes, Dalits and tribal people in India is quite serious, casteism is still the basis of life for hundreds of millions of Indians outside of large cities, it is there that the caste structure and all the prohibitions arising from it are still preserved, for example, in some temples India does not allow Indian Shudras, it is there that almost all caste crimes occur, for example, a very typical crime http://indonet.ru/bl ...

If you are seriously interested in the caste system in India, I can recommend, in addition to the articles section http://indonet.ru/ca ... on this site and publications on the Hindunet, reading books by major European Indologists of the 20th century:
1. Academic 4-volume work by R.V. Russell "Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India"
2. Monograph by Louis Dumont "Homo hierarchicus. Experience in describing the caste system"
In addition, in recent years, a number of books on this topic have been published in India; unfortunately, I myself have not held them in my hands.
If you are not ready to read scientific literature, read the novel “The God of Small Things” by the very popular modern Indian writer Arundhati Roy, it can be found in RuNet.

For many hundreds of years, the people of India have remained faithful to their main religion - Hinduism. It regulates all aspects of life, prescribing what to do in a given situation. And among other things, it divides society into unique classes that practically do not mix for more than a thousand years. In our series of articles about India, we could not miss this strange thing for the modern world. Let us tell you in more detail the history of this phenomenon.

Traditions

According to the Vedas, a collection of ancient sacred texts of Hinduism, the god Brahma created people and immediately divided them into castes, or more precisely, varnas. Varna means "color" in Sanskrit. There were four such colors in total:

Hindus believe that behavior in one's present life influences what caste a person will end up in after rebirth. He can end up as a brahmana or be born a sudra.

Classes are forbidden to mix. Having been born, for example, a Vaishya, a person can marry and communicate only within his community. Untouchables are forbidden to defile the higher castes with their touch.

According to scientific research, this state of affairs has persisted for at least one and a half thousand years. Geneticists at the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics in West Bengal, who examined the DNA of Indians, found that most of the members of the Varnas have been marrying only within their “colors” for 70 generations.

How did such a system come about?

Story




Historians claim that the emergence of such a division appeared at the moment when the Aryans, a group of peoples of the Indo-European family, left the Indus Valley and settled near another river - the Ganges. The local, non-Aryan population living in those places was enslaved and deprived of all rights. Some of them, who submitted voluntarily, became sudras. And the rest are untouchable.

Jati are a kind of subgroups. They are associated with hereditary professional activities. Each varna consists of many jatis. In modern India (according to the last census, which also asked about castes), there are about 3 thousand of them.

Modernity

In the 50s of the 20th century, a movement for equal rights for castes and untouchables began in India. The Constitution considers discrimination on the basis of caste a criminal offense and prohibits inquiring about a person's affiliation with a particular varna when hiring a person. Outcasts were allowed access to temples. An educated population supports this trend.

In 1997, an important event occurred in India: the first president who belonged to the untouchable caste, Kocheril Raman Narayanan, was elected.

But the traditions are still strong. For example, untouchables make up about 20% of society. And Mahatma Gandhi, who was one of the first to fight for the rights of these outcasts, was against the fact that his son would marry a girl from a different caste - this contradicted his religious views.

The hierarchy of varnas continues to persist in the religious sphere and private life. Especially in rural areas.

And yet, Indian castes are gradually losing influence on society. In large cities they begin to lose importance. Perhaps everything is not happening very quickly - a thousand-year-old tradition is unlikely to disappear in one day. But I would like to think that one day this will happen.