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ISSUES: Racial & Ethnic Discrimination
Chapter 1: Racism & discrimination
India’s caste system: everything you need
to know about the Hindu social hierarchy
By Priyanka Mogul
A
lthough India’s caste system
dates back centuries, the
Hindu social hierarchy has
been the source of a number of
controversies in the country in recent
months. In January, a student from
the lowest social class – the ‘dalit’
– committed suicide, sparking an
intense nationwide debate on that
group’s treatment. In February, violent
protests organised by Haryana’s
‘Jat’ community reignited the caste
debate as demonstrators demanding
job quotas similar to those given to
the ‘dalit’.
Here IBTimes UK rounds up everything
you need to know about the history
and current status of the Indian caste
system.
The origins of the caste system
Some Hindu theologians believe the
India’s caste system originated with
the Hindu god of Brahma – the creator
of the world and all creatures on it in
Hindu mythology. It is said that the
highest people of society – priests
and teachers – were produced from
the Brahma’s mouth, warriors were
produced from his arms, merchants
and traders from the God’s thighs,
and workers and peasants from his
feet.
One of the secular theories is that
Aryans from central Asia invaded the
country and introduced the caste
system in an attempt to control India’s
population by giving each group a
different role in society. The roles were
basedon factors includingoccupations
and diet, as well as perceived qualities
such as wisdom and intelligence.
In the 20th century this theory was
disproved as scholars found that there
was no Aryan invasion.
The exact origins and beginnings of
the caste system remain difficult to
trace; however, the
Manusmriti
– the
most important ancient legal text
of Hinduism, which British rulers in
India used to settle disputes among
Hindus
relating
to
inheritance,
marriage and royal succession – has
cited and justified the caste system
in 1000B.C., stating the caste system
is a set of “prescribed unequal laws
for different castes based upon their
status in society” and it “justifies the
caste system as the basis of order and
regularity of society”.
The breakdown of the caste
system social groups
The
Manusmriti
recognises
five
different classes of people within the
caste system: the Brahman, Khatriya,
Vaishya, Shudra and Dalit.
Ö
Brahman – priests and teachers
Ö
Kshatriya – warriors and rulers
Ö
Vaishya – farmers, traders and
merchants
Ö
Shudra – labourers
Ö
Dalit
(also
known
as
‘Untouchables’) – street sweepers,
cleaners
Traditionally,
rural
communities
based every aspect of life on the caste
system. The upper caste members
lived separately from the lower caste
members and even water wells would
not be shared with different caste
groups. Marriage outside one’s caste
was forbidden and, in general, the
system brought many privileges for
the upper castes, while the lower
castes
suffered
repression
and
discrimination.
Hindus are born into their caste and
without the opportunity to marry
