caste system
The Caste System of India
Many people have heard of the caste system in India, but few understand its complexity. This system has kept India's Hindu people locked into a rigid social climate for centuries, and is still a controlling factor among the Hindu people. The caste system was uniquely developed in the Hindu societies of India. The origins of the caste system in India are unclear, but it seems to have had its beginnings sometime around two thousand years ago.
Under the caste system, which is associated with Hinduism, people were categorized by their occupations.(Szczepanski) It is rooted in religion and based on a division of labor. The caste system dictates the type of occupations a person can hold and the social interactions/statuses that they may have. ( Manian) Even though originally, caste depended upon a person's occupation, it soon evolved and became a hereditary status among India's Hindu cultures. Practices associated with the caste system have varied over time and throughout India, but the practices have still had some common features. There are three key areas of life that were dominated by the caste system. These were the areas of marriage, meals and their religious worship.
India's caste system has four main classes (also called varnas). They were based originally on personality, profession, and birth. Each person was born into their unchangeable social status. The four primary castes, in descending order, are:
“Brahmin, the priests; Kshatriya, warriors and nobility; Vaisya, farmers, traders and artisans; and Shudra, tenant farmers and servants. Some people were born outside of
(and below) the caste system. They were called 'untouchables.' ''(Szczepanski)
There were actually thousands of castes, sub-castes, and communities within India's society. These jati were the basis for social status, as well as, establishing a person's occupation. Anyone who violated one of these social
Many people have heard of the caste system in India, but few understand its complexity. This system has kept India's Hindu people locked into a rigid social climate for centuries, and is still a controlling factor among the Hindu people. The caste system was uniquely developed in the Hindu societies of India. The origins of the caste system in India are unclear, but it seems to have had its beginnings sometime around two thousand years ago.
Under the caste system, which is associated with Hinduism, people were categorized by their occupations.(Szczepanski) It is rooted in religion and based on a division of labor. The caste system dictates the type of occupations a person can hold and the social interactions/statuses that they may have. ( Manian) Even though originally, caste depended upon a person's occupation, it soon evolved and became a hereditary status among India's Hindu cultures. Practices associated with the caste system have varied over time and throughout India, but the practices have still had some common features. There are three key areas of life that were dominated by the caste system. These were the areas of marriage, meals and their religious worship.
India's caste system has four main classes (also called varnas). They were based originally on personality, profession, and birth. Each person was born into their unchangeable social status. The four primary castes, in descending order, are:
“Brahmin, the priests; Kshatriya, warriors and nobility; Vaisya, farmers, traders and artisans; and Shudra, tenant farmers and servants. Some people were born outside of
(and below) the caste system. They were called 'untouchables.' ''(Szczepanski)
There were actually thousands of castes, sub-castes, and communities within India's society. These jati were the basis for social status, as well as, establishing a person's occupation. Anyone who violated one of these social