Sudra caste in India. Indian castes: what is it? Typical Indian castes

Four Indian varnas

Varnas and castes in our time

One and a half thousand years BC, Indian society was divided into 4 estates. They were called varnas. From Sanskrit it is translated as “color”, “quality” or “category”. According to the Rigveda, the varnas or castes emerged from the body of God Brahma.

In ancient India, there were originally such castes (varnas):

Brahmins;
Kshatriyas;
Vaishya;
Sudras.

According to legend, Brahma created 4 castes from parts of his body.

The emergence of castes in ancient India

There are many reasons for the emergence of varnas or the so-called Indian castes. For example, the Aryans (not to be confused with the pseudo-scientific “Aryans”), having conquered Indian land, decided to divide the local people according to skin color, origin and financial situation. This simplified social relationships and created a winning environment for government. The Aryans raised themselves, obviously, to the higher caste, and took only Brahmin girls as wives.

More detailed table of Indian castes with rights and duties

Casta, varna and jati - what's the difference?

Most people confuse the concept of "caste" and "varna", many consider them synonyms. But this is not the case, and this should be dealt with.

Every Indian, without the right to choose, was born in a closed group - in Varna. Sometimes they are called the Indian caste. However, the caste in India is a subgroup, a stratification in each varna, so there are countless castes today. Only in 1931, according to the census, data on 3,000 Indian castes were published. And the varn is always 4.

In fact, there are more than 3000 castes in India, and there are always four varnas.

Jati is the second name of the caste and podcast, and every inhabitant of India has a jati. Jati - belonging to a particular profession, to a religious community, it is also closed and endogamous. Each varna has its own jati.

You can draw a primitive analogue with our society. For example, there are children of rich parents. This is varna. They study in separate kindergartens, schools and universities, communicate mainly with each other. These children, growing up into teenagers, are divided into subcultures. Someone becomes a hipster, someone becomes an “elite” entrepreneur, others become a creative intelligentsia, and someone becomes a free traveler. This is jati or caste.

Castes in India can be divided by religion, profession and even interests.

They can be divided by, by interests, by chosen professions. However, oddly enough, people of this varna rarely “mix” with others, lower varnas and even castes, and always strive to communicate with those who are above them.

Four Indian varnas

Brahmins- the highest varna or caste in India. It included priests, clerics, sages, teachers, spiritual mentors and those people who connected other people with God. The Brahmins were vegetarians and could only eat food prepared by the people of their castes.

Brahmins are the highest and most respected caste in India.

Kshatriyas- this is an Indian caste or varna of warriors, defenders of their country, warriors, soldiers and, surprisingly, kings and rulers. The kshatriyas were the protectors of the brahmins, women, old people, children and cows. They were allowed to kill those who did not observe the dharma.

The most prominent representatives of the Kshatriya warrior caste are the Sikhs.

Vaishya- these are free community members, merchants, artisans, farmers, the working class. They did not like to engage in hard physical labor and were extremely scrupulous about food. Among them could be very prosperous and wealthy people - owners of enterprises and lands.

The vaishya caste are often wealthy merchants and landowners who do not like hard menial work.

Shudra- the lowest varna or caste of India. It included servants, laborers and laborers. All those who had neither a house nor land, and did the hardest physical work. The Shudras had no right to pray to the gods and become "twice-born".

Sudras are the lowest caste in India. They live in poverty and work very hard

The religious rite, which was held by the three upper varnas or castes of India, was called "upanayana". During the process of initiation, a consecrated thread was put on the boy's neck, corresponding to his varna, and from then on he became “dvija” or “twice-born”. He received a new name and was considered a brahmachari - a student.

Each caste has its own rites and initiations.

Hindus believe that a righteous life allows one to be born into a higher caste in the next life. And vice versa. And the Brahmins, who have already gone through a large cycle of rebirths on Earth, are waiting for incarnation on other, divine planets.

Untouchable caste - myth and reality

Special attention should be paid to the untouchables. The existence of 5 Indian castes is a myth. In fact, the untouchables are those people who did not fall into 4 varnas for some reason. According to Hinduism, they led an impious life in a past rebirth. The “caste” of the untouchables in India is most often homeless, impoverished people who carry out the most humiliating and dirty work. They beg and steal. By their presence they defile the Indian Brahmin caste.

This is how the untouchable caste lives in India today

The Government of India protects the untouchables to some extent. It is criminally punishable to call such people untouchable or even non-caste. Social discrimination is prohibited.

Varnas and castes in India today

What are the castes in India today? - you ask. And there are thousands of castes in India. Some of them are not numerous, but there are also castes known throughout the country. For example, hijras. This is the Indian caste of untouchables, in India it includes transgenders, transsexuals, bisexuals, hermaphrodites, intersex and homosexuals. Their processions can be found on the streets of cities and towns, where they make offerings to the Mother Goddess. Thanks to multiple protests, the Indian Hijri caste has achieved recognition as a “third gender” officially.

People with non-traditional sexual orientation (Hijri) in India also belong to the untouchable caste

Varnas and castes in India in our time are considered some relic of the past, but in vain - the system remains. In large cities, the borders are somewhat erased, but in the villages the old way of life is still preserved. According to the Constitution of India, it is forbidden to discriminate people on the basis of varna or caste. There is even a Constitutional Table of Castes, in which, by the way, the term “community” is used instead of “Indian caste”. It states that every citizen of India has the right to receive an appropriate document, which indicates belonging to a caste.

In India, anyone can get a document on belonging to a caste

So, the caste system in India has not only been preserved and has come down to our days, it works to this day. Moreover, other peoples are also divided into varnas and castes, they simply do not give this social division a name.

Any traveler who decides to visit India must have heard or read that the population of this country is divided into castes. There is nothing similar in other countries, castes are considered a purely Indian phenomenon, so every tourist just needs to get to know this topic in more detail.

How did castes appear?

According to legend, the god Brahma created varnas from parts of his body:

Mouths are brahmins.
Hands are kshatriyas.
The thighs are vaishyas.
Feet are sudras.

Varnas is a more general concept. There are only 4 of them, while there can be a great many castes. All Indian estates differed from each other in a number of features: they had their duties, dwellings, individual color of clothing, color of the dot on the forehead and special food. Marriages between members of different varnas and castes were strictly forbidden. Hindus believed that the human soul is reborn. If someone throughout his life observed all the rules and laws of his caste, in his next life he will rise to a higher estate. Otherwise, he will lose everything he had.

A bit of history

It is believed that the first castes in India appeared at the very beginning of the formation of the state. This happened about one and a half thousand years BC, when the first settlers began to live on the territory of modern India. They were divided into 4 estates, later these groups were called varnas, which literally means "color". The very word "caste" contains a certain concept: origin or pure breed. For centuries, each caste was determined mainly by a profession or type of activity. The family craft passed from father to son, did not change for dozens of generations. Any Indian castes lived under a certain set of prescriptions and religious traditions that regulated the norms of behavior of their members. The country developed, and with it the number of different groups of the population increased. The multiple castes in India were astonishing in their number: there were more than 2,000 of them.

Caste division in India

Caste is a certain level in the social hierarchy that divides the entire population of India into separate groups of low and high origin. Belonging to one or another part determines the type of activity, profession, place of residence, as well as who a person can marry. The division into castes in India is gradually losing its significance. In modern large cities and an educated environment, division into castes is officially prohibited, but there are still estates that largely determine the life of entire population groups in India:

The Brahmins are the most educated group: priests, mentors, teachers and scholars.
Kshatriyas are warriors, nobles and rulers.
Vaishyas are artisans, herdsmen and farmers.
Sudras are workers, servants.

There is also a fifth group representing the Indian castes - the untouchables, who have recently come to be called the oppressed. These people do the hardest and dirtiest work.

Cast characteristics

All castes in ancient India are characterized by some criteria:

Endogamy, that is, marriages can only be between members of the same caste.
By heredity and continuity: one cannot move from one caste to another.
You can not eat with representatives of other castes. In addition, any physical contact with them is strictly prohibited.
A certain place in the structure of society.
Limited choice of professions.

Brahmins

Brahmins are representatives of the highest varna of Hindus. This is the highest Indian caste. The main goal of the Brahmins is to teach others and learn themselves, bring gifts to the gods and make sacrifices. Their main color is white. At the very beginning, only priests were brahmins, only in their hands was the right to interpret the word of God. Thanks to this, these Indian castes began to occupy the highest position, since only God himself was higher, and only they could communicate with him. Later, scientists, teachers, preachers, officials began to be attributed to the highest caste.

Men of this caste were not allowed to work in the fields, and women were only allowed to do domestic work. A Brahmin cannot eat food prepared by a person from another class. In modern India, more than 75% of government officials are representatives of this caste. There are unequal relationships among the various sub-estates. But even the most impoverished Brahmin podcast occupies a higher rung than others. The murder of a member of the highest caste in ancient India is the greatest crime. From time immemorial it has been punishable by death in a cruel form.

Kshatriyas

In translation, "kshatriya" means "powerful, noble." These include nobles, military personnel, managers, kings. The main task of a kshatriya is to protect the weak, to fight for justice, law and order. This is the second most important varna, representing the Indian castes. This estate maintained its existence by levying minimal taxes, duties and fines from subordinates. Previously, warriors had special rights. They were the only ones allowed to apply punishments against representatives of other castes, except for the Brahmins, including execution and murder. Modern kshatriyas are the military, representatives of law enforcement agencies, heads of enterprises and firms.

Vaishyas and Shudras

The main task of the vaishya is the work associated with raising livestock, cultivating the land and harvesting crops. This is any occupation respected in society. For this work, the vaisya receives profit or salary. Their color is yellow. This is the main population of the country. In modern India, these are clerks, simple hired workers who receive money for their work and are satisfied with it.

The lowest caste in India is the Sudras. From time immemorial, they have been engaged in the most difficult and dirty work. Their color is black. In ancient India, these were slaves and servants. The mission of the Shudras is to serve the three higher castes. They did not have their own property and could not pray to the gods. Even in our time, this is the poorest segment of the population, which often lives below the poverty line.

Untouchables

This category includes people whose soul has sinned greatly in a past life, the lowest stratum of society. But even among them there are numerous groups. The highest classes, representing the untouchable Indian castes, whose photos can be seen in historical publications, are people who have at least some kind of craft, for example, garbage and toilet cleaners. At the very bottom of the hierarchical caste ladder are petty thieves who steal livestock. The hijru group, which includes representatives of all sexual minorities, is considered the most unusual layer of the untouchable society. Interestingly, these representatives are often invited to weddings or births of children, and they often participate in church ceremonies.

The worst person is the one who does not belong to any caste. The name of this category of the population is pariahs. These include people who were born from other pariahs or as a result of inter-caste marriages and who are not recognized by any class.

Modern India

Although there is a public opinion that modern India is freed from the prejudices of the past, today this is far from being the case. The system of division into estates has not disappeared anywhere, castes in modern India are as strong as before. When a child enters school, he is asked what religion he professes. If it is Hinduism, the next question will be about its caste. Also, when entering a university or college, caste is of great importance. If the prospective student belongs to a higher caste, he needs to score less points, etc.

Belonging to a particular class affects employment, as well as how a person wants to arrange his future. A girl from a brahmin family is unlikely to marry a person from the vaishya caste. Unfortunately, this is so. But if the groom is higher in social status than the bride, sometimes an exception is made. In such marriages, the child's caste will be determined on the paternal side. Such caste rules regarding marriage are completely unchanged from ancient times and do not tolerate any relaxation.

The desire to officially downplay the importance of caste in modern India has led to the absence in the forms of the latest censuses of the population of the line about belonging to a particular group. The last data on castes in the censuses were published in 1931. Despite this, the cumbersome mechanism of dividing the population into estates still works. This is especially noticeable in the remote provinces of India. Although the caste system appeared thousands of years ago, today it is alive, working and developing. It enables people to be close to their own kind, provides support for fellows and determines the rules and behavior in society.

Ancient India is one of the first civilizations of the world, which brought to the world culture the largest number of various spiritual values. Ancient India is quite the richest subcontinent with a turbulent and complex history. It was here that the greatest religions were once born, empires appeared and collapsed, but from century to century the “enduring” identity of the Indy culture was preserved. This civilization built large and very well-planned cities with bricks with running water and built a pictographic script, which to this day cannot be deciphered.

India got its name from the name of the Indus River, in the valley of which it is located. "Indus" in the lane. means "river". With a length of 3180 kilometers, the Indus originates in Tibet, flows through the Indo-Gangetic lowland, the Himalayas, flows into the Arabian Sea. Various finds of archaeologists indicate that in Ancient India there was a human society already during the Stone Age, and it was then that the first social relations arose, art was born, permanent settlements appeared, prerequisites arose for the development of one of the ancient world civilizations - the Indian Civilization, which appeared in Northwest India (today almost the entire territory of Pakistan).

It dates back approximately to the XXIII-XVIII centuries BC and is considered the 3rd civilization of the Ancient East in time of appearance. Its development, like the first two in Egypt and Mesopotamia, was directly connected with the organization of high yields of irrigated agriculture. The first archaeological finds of terracotta figurines and pottery date back to the 5th millennium BC, they were made in Mehrgarh. From this it follows that Mehrgarh can already be considered a real city - this is the first city in Ancient India, which we became aware of through excavations by archaeologists. The primordial deity of the indigenous population of ancient India - the Dravidians, was Shiva. He is one of the 3 main deities of Hinduism - Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva. All 3 gods are considered a manifestation of a single divine essence, but each is assigned a specific “field of activity”.

So, Brahma is considered the creator of the world, Vishnu was his keeper, Shiva was his destroyer, but it is he who recreates it. Shiva among the indigenous people of ancient India was considered the main god, was considered a model that has achieved its spiritual self-realization, the ruler of the world, the demiurge. The Indus Valley extends to the NW of the subcontinent in the neighborhood of ancient Sumer. Between these civilizations, of course, there were trade relations, and it is quite possible that it was Sumer who had a huge impact on Indian civilization. Throughout Indian history, the northwest has remained the main route for the invasion of new ideas. All other routes to India were so closed by the seas, forests and mountains that, for example, the great ancient Chinese civilization left almost no traces in it.

Formation of slave states.

The development of agriculture and crafts, as well as aggressive wars, led to the appearance of property inequality among the Aryans. The rajas who led the predatory campaigns accumulate a lot of wealth. With the help of warriors, they strengthen their power, make it hereditary. The Rajas and their warriors turn the captives into slaves. From the peasants and artisans they demand the payment of taxes and work for themselves. Rajas are gradually turning into kings of small states. During wars, these small states are united into one, and then the ruler becomes a maharaja (“big king”). Over time, the council of elders loses its significance. From the tribal nobility, military leaders and officials are recruited who are in charge of collecting "taxes, organizing deforestation and draining swamps. Brahmin priests begin to play a significant role in the emerging state apparatus .. They taught that the king is higher than other people, that he is "like the sun , burns eyes and heart and no one on earth can even look at him.

Castes and their role.

In the slave-owning states of India in the first millennium BC. e. The population was divided into four groups, called castes. The first caste consisted of Brahmins. Brahmins did not engage in physical labor and lived on income from sacrifices. The second caste - kshatriyas - was represented by warriors; they also controlled the administration of the state. Power struggles often took place between Brahmins and Kshatriyas. The third caste - vaishyas - included farmers, shepherds and merchants. All the local population conquered by the Aryans made up the fourth caste - the Shudras. Shudras were servants and did the hardest and dirtiest work. Slaves were not included in any caste. The division into castes broke the old tribal unity and opened up the possibility of uniting people who came from different tribes within the same state. Caste was hereditary. The son of a brahmin was born a brahmin, the son of a sudra was born a sudra. To perpetuate castes and caste inequality, the Brahmins created laws. They say that the god Brahma himself established inequality between people. Brahma, according to the priests, created Brahmins from his mouth, warriors from his hands, Vaishyas from his thighs, and Shudras from his feet, which were covered with dust and dirt. Caste division doomed the lower castes to hard, humiliating work. It closed the way for capable people to knowledge and state activity. Caste division hindered the development of society; it played a reactionary role.

CASTES, a term applied primarily to the main division of Hindu society in the Indian subcontinent. It is also used to refer to any social group that adheres to strict norms of group behavior and does not allow outsiders into its ranks. The main characteristics of the Indian caste: endogamy (marriages exclusively between members of the caste); hereditary membership (accompanied by the practical impossibility of moving to another caste); the prohibition to share a meal with representatives of other castes, as well as to have physical contact with them; recognition of a firmly fixed place for each caste in the hierarchical structure of society as a whole; restrictions on choosing a profession; autonomy of castes in the regulation of intra-caste social relations.

STORY

Origin of varnas . From the earliest works of Sanskrit literature, it is known that the Aryan-speaking peoples during the period of the initial settlement of India (approximately from 1500 to 1200 BC) were already divided into four main classes, later called "varnas" (Skt. "color") : brahmins (priests), kshatriyas (warriors), vaishyas (traders, cattle breeders and farmers) and shudras (servants and laborers).

Hindus believe in reincarnation and believe that those who follow the rules of their caste will rise to a higher caste by birth in a future life, while those who violate these rules will lose their social status. See also METEMPSICHOSE.

Cast stability . Throughout Indian history, the caste structure has shown remarkable stability before change. Even the flourishing of Buddhism and its adoption as the state religion by Emperor Ashoka (269-232 BC) did not affect the system of hereditary groups. Unlike Hinduism, Buddhism as a doctrine does not support caste division, but at the same time it does not insist on the complete elimination of caste distinctions.

During the rise of Hinduism, which followed the decline of Buddhism, a very complex multi-layered system grew out of a simple, uncomplicated system of four varnas, building a strict order of alternation and correlation of different social groups. Each varna, in the course of this process, outlined the framework for a multitude of independent endogamous castes (jati). Neither the Muslim invasion, which ended with the formation of the Mughal empire, nor the establishment of British domination, shook the fundamental foundations of the caste organization of society. See also BUDDHA AND BUDDHISM; HINDUISM.

Castes in modern India . Indian castes are literally innumerable. Since each denominated caste is divided into many sub-castes, it is impossible to even roughly calculate the number of social units that have the minimum necessary features of jati. The official tendency to downplay the importance of the caste system has led to the fact that the corresponding column has disappeared from the once a decade censuses of the population. The last time information about the number of castes was published in 1931 (3000 castes). But this figure does not necessarily include all local podcasts that function as social groups in their own right.

It is widely believed that castes have lost their former importance in the modern Indian state. However, developments have shown that this is far from the case. The position taken by the INC and the Government of India after Gandhi's death is controversial. Moreover, universal suffrage and the need of politicians for the support of the electorate have given new importance to the corporate spirit and the internal cohesion of the castes. As a result, caste interests became an important factor during election campaigns.

NATURE CAST

Brahmins. In a typical rural area, the highest stratum of the caste hierarchy is formed by members of one or more Brahmin castes, constituting from 5 to 10% of the population. Among these Brahmins there are a number of landowners, a few village clerks and accountants or accountants, a small group of clergy who perform ritual functions in local shrines and temples. Members of each Brahmin caste marry only within their circle, although it is possible to marry a bride from a family belonging to a similar sub-caste from a neighboring area. Brahmins are not supposed to plow or do certain types of manual work; women from their midst can serve in the house, and landowners can cultivate allotments, but only not plow. Brahmins are also allowed to work as cooks or domestic servants.

A Brahman is not entitled to eat food prepared outside his caste, but members of all other castes may eat from the hands of Brahmins. In choosing food, a Brahmin observes many prohibitions. Members of the Vaishnava caste (who worship the god Vishnu) have been vegetarian since the 4th century, when it became widespread; some other castes of Shiva-worshipping Brahmins (Shaiva Brahmins) do not abstain from meat in principle, but abstain from the meat of animals included in the diet of the lower castes.

Brahmins serve as spiritual guides in the families of most high or middle status castes, with the exception of those considered "impure". Brahmin priests, as well as members of a number of religious orders, are often recognized by "caste signs" - patterns painted on the forehead with white, yellow or red paint. But such marks only indicate belonging to the main sect and characterize this person as worshiping, for example, Vishnu or Shiva, and not as a subject of a certain caste or sub-caste.

Brahmins, to a greater extent than others, adhere to the occupations and professions that were provided for by their varna. For many centuries, scribes, scribes, clergymen, scientists, teachers and officials came out of their midst. Back in the first half of the 20th century. in some areas, brahmins occupied up to 75% of all more or less important government positions.

In dealing with the rest of the population, the Brahmins do not allow reciprocity; thus, they accept money or gifts from members of other castes, but they themselves never make gifts of a ritual or ceremonial nature. Among the Brahmin castes there is no complete equality, but even the lowest of them stands above the rest of the highest castes.

Kshatriyas. Following the Brahmins, the most prominent hierarchical place is occupied by the Kshatriya castes. In rural areas they include, for example, landlords, possibly associated with former ruling houses (eg Rajput princes in Northern India). Traditional occupations in such castes are the work of managers on estates and service in various administrative positions and in the army, but now these castes no longer enjoy their former power and authority. In ritual terms, the kshatriyas are immediately behind the brahmins and also observe strict caste endogamy, although they allow marriage with a girl from a lower podcast (a union called hypergamy), but in no case can a woman marry a man of a podcast below her own. Most kshatriyas eat meat; they have the right to take food from the Brahmins, but not from representatives of any other castes.

Vaishya. The third category of "twice-born" castes includes merchants, shopkeepers, and usurers. These castes recognize the superiority of the Brahmins, but do not necessarily show such an attitude towards the Kshatriya castes; as a rule, vaishyas are more strict about the rules regarding food, and are even more careful to avoid ritual pollution. The traditional occupation of the Vaishyas is trading and banking, they tend to stay away from physical labor, but sometimes they are included in the management of the farms of landlords and village entrepreneurs, not directly participating in the cultivation of the land.

"Pure" Shudras. Members of the above "twice-born" castes constitute only a minority of the inhabitants of any rural area, while the majority of the agrarian population consists of one or more castes, called the "pure" castes of the Shudras. Although such castes are included in the fourth varna, this does not mean that they occupy the lowest rung in the social hierarchy: there are many areas where the peasant caste, due to its size and ownership of a significant part of the local land, plays a crucial role in solving social and political issues. . In ancient times, the Sudra peasant castes recognized the political dominance of the Kshatriyas who ruled in the area, but today these relations are a thing of the past, and the superiority of the Kshatriya landowners is recognized only in ritual terms, and even then not always. The peasants employ Brahmins as family priests and sell their products through members of the trading castes. Individuals from "pure" Shudras can act as tenants of land from brahmins, landowners, merchants.

All peasant castes are endogamous, and even if their status is approximately equal, as is the case in many areas, out-of-caste marriages are not allowed. The rules regarding food intake are less strict among the plowman castes than among the "twice-born", they eat meat. Their prescriptions also leave much more space for social acts, allowing, for example, the marriage of widows and divorced women, which is strictly forbidden among the “twice-born”.

Inferior Shudras. Below those sudras who are engaged in agriculture are numerous castes, whose profession is of a highly specialized nature, but is generally considered less honorable. These are castes of potters, blacksmiths, carpenters, carpenters, weavers, butter makers, distillers, masons, barbers, musicians, tanners, butchers, scavengers and many others. The members of these castes are supposed to practice their hereditary profession or trade; however, if the sudra is able to acquire land, any of them can take up agriculture. Members of many artisan and other professional castes have a traditional relationship with the higher castes, which consists in the provision of services for which no monetary allowance is paid, but an annual remuneration in kind. This payment is made by each household in the village, whose requests are satisfied by this representative of the professional caste. For example, a blacksmith has his own circle of clients, for whom he manufactures and repairs inventory and other metal products all year round, for which he, in turn, is given a certain amount of grain.

Untouchables. Those whose profession requires physical contact with the client (for example, hairdressers or people who specialize in washing clothes) serve members of castes above their own, but potters or blacksmiths work for the whole village, regardless of which caste the client belongs to. Activities such as tanning or slaughtering animals are seen as clearly defiling, and while these jobs are very important to the community, those who do them are considered untouchables. In many ways they are outside of Hindu society, they were called "outcasts", "low", "registered" castes, and Gandhi proposed the euphemism "harijanas" ("children of God"), which became widely used. Members of these castes are forbidden to visit the houses of "pure" castes and take water from their wells. Until recently, most Hindu temples were closed to the untouchables, there was even a ban on approaching people from higher castes closer than the set number of steps. The nature of the caste barriers is such that it is believed that the Harijans continue to defile members of the "pure" castes, even if they have long abandoned their caste occupation and are engaged in ritually neutral activities, such as agriculture. Although in other social settings and situations, such as being in an industrial city or on a train, an untouchable may have physical contact with members of higher castes and not defile them, in his native village, untouchability is inseparable from him, no matter what he does.

Economic interdependence . The various professional castes are economically interdependent, and their functions are complementary rather than competitive. Each caste has the right to perform certain jobs that other castes are prohibited from doing. Its members in any given locality usually form a closely knit group of relatives who do not compete in the struggle for the provision of services to other castes, but by mutual agreement divide the clientele among themselves. For this reason, they are in an advantageous position in relation to the members of the castes, standing at the top rungs of the caste hierarchy, who are forbidden to change at their discretion the blacksmith, hairdresser or person washing their clothes.

The absence of competition does not apply to persons cultivating the land. Although there are traditional peasant castes whose natives will never become potters or weavers, tillage is not an exclusively hereditary occupation, and a member of any caste can cultivate the land. Wherever the artisan group becomes too numerous and lacks a clientele, or where the introduction of machine-made goods breeds unemployment, those who can no longer live off the traditional profession tend to turn to peasant labor and become agricultural laborers or tenants.

The special patron-client relationship between the higher, land-owning castes and the professional castes of artisans and handymen is called the jajmani system. Jajman, Hindi for patron landowner, people from other castes provide services in exchange for a certain amount of grain received annually.

Hierarchy. The rigid hierarchy and economic interdependence of castes are most closely related to the fact that castes and subcastes are endogamous and are hereditary groups. However, in practice, a person from a high caste may be accepted into a lower caste; thus, in the case of an unequal marriage deviating from the rule between members of two different castes, the person who is higher in status has no choice but to ask for his (or her) life partner on Wednesday. Such mobility is always unilinear and directed from top to bottom.

At the heart of the idea of maintaining social distance between castes are the concepts of pollution and ritual purity. Many activities, from performing religious rites and offering prayers to cooking, are only allowed to be performed in a state of ritual purity. Thus, a person belonging to a high caste can be defiled not only by a deliberate act, such as sexual intercourse with an untouchable, but also unintentionally, in particular by eating food prepared by a person with a lower ritual status, or even sharing a meal with a person of another higher caste, lost, however, their ritual purity. Defilement is contagious, and a family or caste group must remain constantly vigilant about any contact with a potential taint. Caste members are extremely intolerant of deviant behavior on the part of their caste brethren, and excommunicate anyone who does not abide by accepted norms. Most castes have their own regional councils that deal with matters affecting the welfare and especially the prestige of the caste. These councils also function as courts and have the power to investigate and punish wrongdoing, expelling the offender from the caste if necessary. Return to it is possible in all cases, except for particularly egregious ones, provided that the violator pays a fine and undergoes a purification rite. Being extremely strict about the observance of rules and prohibitions within their own caste, Hindus are usually tolerant of the norms of behavior adopted in other castes.

Indian caste system outside of India . This system is common throughout the country, with the exception of a few outlying tribal areas, such as Nagaland. It also prevails in most of Nepal, where immigrants from India brought with them a social order that, in principle, repeats that which existed in medieval India. The indigenous population of the main Nepalese cities, where the Newars live, is largely organized on a caste basis, but the idea of castes has not spread to the peoples of the mountainous regions and adherents of Tibetan Buddhism.

In Bangladesh, the caste system continues to function among the Hindus who have survived there, and even in the Muslim community of the country there is a similar stratification.

In Sri Lanka, Sinhala Buddhists and Tamil Hindus are also split into castes. Although there are no Brahmins or other “twice-born” on the island, here, as in India, there is a division of labor along caste lines and mutual obligations of a ritual and economic nature.

Outside of India, the ideas and practices of the caste system dominate, often in a modified and weakened form, wherever significant numbers of Indians have settled, such as Malaysia, East Africa, and Fiji.

Many Europeans, Americans, and also our compatriots believe that Eastern culture is much more sublime and more humane than the values of the pragmatic Western world. However, they forget that it was in India that one of the toughest forms of social stratification arose - caste, dooming millions of people and their descendants to a lifetime of poverty and lawlessness, while a select minority is surrounded by honor and has access to all the benefits of civilization.

The division into castes (or, as they are called in India, "varnas") arose in the era of the decomposition of the primitive communal system, when property inequality appeared. The first written mention of the caste system dates back to the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. e. The Rigveda tells about the appearance of four varnas that exist in India to this day:

Brahmins are a caste of priests. These days the Brahmins are also engaged in religious ceremonies, often they are officials or teachers;
Kshatriyas are the warrior caste. Today kshatriyas not only serve in the army and police, but also occupy important positions in the state administration;
vaishyas are farmers and merchants. Many Vaishyas could even surpass the upper castes in wealth and influence. In modern India, the Vaishyas continue to engage in trade and agriculture, as well as credit and banking operations;
Sudras - a semi-subordinate caste of peasants and workers, usually in the service of representatives of the higher castes. Despite the low prestige of this caste, many Shudras could accumulate solid wealth and have large plots of land.

There is also a separate group of the population, including all those who are not included in the four above-mentioned castes - the untouchables or Dalits. Anthropologists and historians believe that the untouchable caste arose during the Aryan conquest of India (XII-VII centuries BC). The conquerors who came to the new lands wanted to keep the local Dravidian peoples in subjection, so they came up with a social system in which the natives could not normally integrate into society and take any significant position in it. So, all the Aryan invaders became members of one or another caste (depending on their occupation), and all the defeated were declared untouchable. The Dalits did the dirtiest work. They dressed leather, removed dead animals from the streets, and cleaned toilets. They were strictly forbidden to enter the courtyards of representatives of other castes and use public wells. Although the untouchables were despised by everyone, these people also had a certain amount of power. It was believed that the untouchable could defile a person from a higher caste. The most dangerous such defilement was for a Brahmin. The mere touch of a Dalit on a Brahmin's clothes meant for the latter many years of trying to purify his karma.

The life of a representative of each varna is clearly regulated. Caste determines what clothes a person can wear, what he can eat, how he should communicate with others. Representatives of different castes, with rare exceptions, are forbidden to marry each other. Children born in a certain caste can no longer change their social position. Officially, the transition from one caste to another is possible only with a lowering of status. It is impossible to move to a more prestigious caste. However, many Hindus resort to tricks that allow them to go beyond the strict varna system. First, since each caste has its own set of surnames, it is possible to bribe an official and take a high-caste surname. Secondly, one can abandon Hinduism and adopt a religion where there is no caste division. Some Hindus then return to Hinduism again, but at the same time they declare that before the change of religion they were Brahmins or Kshatriyas.

Religious explanation of human inequality

The caste system follows from the religious ideas of the Hindus. According to the Rigveda, the entire cosmos was created from the body of the first man Purusha. Purusha was sacrificed by the gods for the creation of the world. From separate parts of his body arose: earth, air, wind and heavenly bodies. In addition, Purusha gave rise to the entire human race. Brahmins arose from his mouth, kshatriyas from his hands, vaishyas from his thighs, and sudras from his feet.

The doctrine of reincarnation also aims to perpetuate the existing social inequality in India. According to Hindu ideas, a person who strictly observes all the rules of his caste, after death, can be born in the body of a representative of a higher varna.

Caste division today

Despite the fact that the division into castes seems cruel and undemocratic to a Westerner, in modern India, castes have not only not disappeared, but have become more structured. Each caste today is divided into additional subgroups - jati. There are more than 80 different jati in total. Although there are no documents that would prescribe a person's belonging to one or another varna, caste division is strictly protected by religion and traditions.

The largest caste of modern India are the untouchables - about 1/5 of the entire population of the country. Dalits live in special ghettos where unemployment and crime flourish. Untouchables cannot receive a normal education or quality medical care. They are not allowed to enter shops, pharmacies, hospitals, temples and public transport used by members of other castes. Like thousands of years ago, these people are engaged in the dirtiest and hardest work.

Attempts to establish social equality were made by many Indian civil rights activists, including Mahatma Gandhi. They were able to ensure that the constitution of India recognized the equality of the untouchables with representatives of other castes, however, in fact, the attitude towards Dalits in modern India remains the same as 4,000 years ago. The courts are lenient with criminals who commit illegal acts against the untouchables, Dalits receive lower salaries compared to members of other castes.

Despite the fact that today India is open to Western liberal ideas, the untouchables have never dared to rebel. The centuries-old habit of being submissive and the fear of polluting karma prevent these people from starting the fight for freedom and equality.