Any traveler who decides to visit India has probably heard or read that the population of this country is divided into castes. There is nothing like this in other countries; castes are considered a purely Indian phenomenon, so every tourist simply needs to get acquainted with 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.
- Hips are vaishyas.
- The feet are sudras.
Varna - more general concept. There are only 4 of them, while there can be a great many castes. All Indian classes differed from each other in a number of features: they had their own duties, homes, individual color of clothing, the color of the dot on the forehead and special food. Marriages between members of different varnas and castes were strictly prohibited. Hindus believed that human soul is reborn. If someone has followed all the rules and laws of his caste throughout his life, in his next life he will rise to a higher class. Otherwise he will lose everything he had.
A little 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 classes, later these groups were called varnas, which literally means “color”. The word “caste” itself contains a certain concept: origin or pure breed. Each caste has been defined over the centuries mainly by its profession or type of activity. The family craft passed from father to son and remained unchanged for dozens of generations. Any Indian castes lived under a certain set of regulations and religious traditions that regulated the norms of behavior of their members. The country developed, and along with it the number of different population groups increased. The multiple castes in India were striking in their numbers: there were more than 2000 of them.
Caste divisions 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 educated environments, division into castes is officially prohibited, but there are still classes that largely determine the life of entire groups of the Indian population:
- Brahmins are the most educated group: priests, mentors, teachers and scholars.
- Kshatriyas are warriors, nobles and rulers.
- Vaishyas are artisans, cattle breeders and farmers.
- Shudras 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.
Characteristics of castes
All castes in Ancient India are characterized by certain criteria:
- Endogamy, that is, marriages can only take place between members of the same caste.
- By heredity and continuity: you cannot move from one caste to another.
- You cannot eat with representatives of other castes. In addition, any physical contact with them is strictly prohibited.
- A specific place in the structure of society.
- Limited choice of professions.
Brahmins
Brahmins are the highest varna of Hindus. This is the highest Indian caste. The main goal of 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 the priests were Brahmins, and 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, and officials began to be classified as the highest caste.
Men of this caste were not allowed to work in the fields, and women could only do housework. A brahmana should not 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 relations among the various subclasses. But even the poorest of the Brahmin subcaste occupies a higher level than others. Killing a member of the highest caste in ancient India is the greatest crime. From time immemorial it was punishable by death in a cruel form.
Kshatriyas
Translated, “kshatriya” means “powerful, noble.” These include nobles, military personnel, managers, and kings. The main task of a kshatriya is to protect the weak, fight for justice, law and order. This is the second most important varna representing the Indian castes. This class maintained its existence by collecting minimal taxes, duties and fines from subordinates. Previously, warriors had special rights. They were the only ones allowed to carry out punishments against members of castes other than Brahmins, including execution and murder. Modern kshatriyas are military officers, representatives of law enforcement agencies, and heads of enterprises and firms.
Vaishyas and Shudras
The main task of a vaishya is work related to raising livestock, cultivating the land and harvesting crops. This is any socially respected occupation. For this work, the vaishya receives a 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.
Representatives of the lowest caste in India are the Shudras. 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 purpose of the Shudras is to serve the three highest 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.
The Untouchables
This category includes people whose soul 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, photos of which 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 most unusual layer of untouchable society is considered to be the hijru group, which includes representatives of all sexual minorities. Interestingly, these representatives are often invited to weddings or births of children, and they often participate in church ceremonies.
Most worst person- is 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 it does happen public opinion that modern India is free from the prejudices of the past, today this is far from the case. The system of division into classes has not disappeared anywhere; castes in modern India are as strong as ever. When a child enters school, he is asked what religion he professes. If it is Hindu, the next question will be about his caste. Also, when entering a university or college, caste is of great importance. If a prospective student belongs to a higher caste, he needs to score fewer 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 man from the Vaishya caste. Unfortunately, this is true. But if the groom is higher in social status than the bride, an exception is sometimes made. In such marriages, the child's caste will be determined by the paternal line. Such caste rules regarding marriage have been completely unchanged since ancient times and cannot be relaxed in any way.
The desire to officially downplay the importance of caste in modern India has led to the absence of a line on membership in a particular group in the latest census forms. The last data on castes in censuses was published in 1931. Despite this, the cumbersome mechanism of dividing the population into classes still works. This is especially noticeable in the remote provinces of India. At least caste system and appeared thousands of years ago, today it is alive, working and developing. It allows people to be around others like themselves, provides support from fellow humans, and defines rules and behavior in society.
Divided people into four classes called varnas. He created the first varna, the brahmanas, intended to enlighten and govern humanity, from his head or mouth; the second, kshatriyas (warriors), protectors of society, from the hand; the third, Vaishya, the nourishers of the state, from the stomach; the fourth, sudra, from the legs, devoting it to an eternal destiny - to serve the highest varnas. Over time, the varnas were divided into many sub-castes and castes, called jati in India. The European name is caste.
So, the four ancient castes of India, their rights and duties according to the ancient law of Manu*, which was strictly observed in.
(* Laws of Manu - an ancient Indian collection of instructions for religious, moral and social duty (dharma), today also called the “law of the Aryans” or the “code of honor of the Aryans”).
Brahmins
Brahman “son of the sun, descendant of Brahma, god among men” (the usual titles of this class), according to the law of Menu, is the head of all created creatures; the whole universe is subject to him; the rest of the mortals owe the preservation of their lives to his intercession and prayers; his almighty curse can instantly destroy formidable generals with their numerous hordes, chariots and war elephants. Brahman can create new worlds; may even give birth to new gods. A Brahmin should be given greater honor than a king.
The integrity of a Brahman and his life are protected by bloody laws. If a Shudra dares to verbally insult a Brahman, then the law orders that a red-hot iron be driven into his throat, ten inches deep; and if he decides to give some instruction to the brahmana, boiling oil is poured into the unfortunate man’s mouth and ears. On the other hand, anyone is allowed to take a false oath or give false testimony before a court if by these actions one can save a Brahman from condemnation.
A Brahman cannot, under any condition, be executed or punished, either physically or financially, although he would be convicted of the most outrageous crimes: the only punishment to which he is subject is removal from the fatherland, or exclusion from the caste.
Brahmins are divided into lay and spiritual, and are divided according to their occupations into different classes. It is noteworthy that among the spiritual Brahmins, the priests occupy the lowest level, and the highest are those who devoted themselves only to the interpretation of the sacred books. Lay brahmins are the king's advisors, judges and other high officials.
Only a brahmana is given the right to interpret sacred books, conduct worship and predict the future; but he is deprived of this last right if he makes a mistake in his predictions three times. A Brahman can primarily heal, for “illness is the punishment of the gods”; only a Brahmin can be a judge because the civil and criminal laws of the Hindus are included in their holy books.
The entire way of life of a brahmana is built on the observance of a whole set of strict rules. For example, all brahmins are prohibited from accepting gifts from unworthy persons (lower castes). Music, dancing, hunting and gambling, are also prohibited to all brahmanas. But the consumption of wine and all sorts of intoxicating things, such as onions, garlic, eggs, fish, any meat, except from animals slaughtered as a sacrifice to the gods, is prohibited only to lower brahmanas.
A Brahman will defile himself if he sits at the same table even with the king, not to mention members of the lower castes or his own wives. He is obliged not to look at the sun at certain hours and to leave the house when it rains; he cannot step through the rope to which the cow is tied, and must pass by this sacred animal or idol, only leaving it on his right.
In case of need, a Brahman is allowed to beg alms from people of the three highest castes and engage in trade; but under no circumstances can he serve anyone.
A Brahman who wants to receive the honorary title of interpreter of laws and supreme guru prepares for this through various hardships. He renounces marriage, devotes himself to a thorough study of the Vedas in some monastery for 12 years, refraining from even conversation for the last 5 and explaining himself only by signs; Thus, he finally achieves the desired goal and becomes a spiritual teacher.
Monetary support for the Brahman caste is also provided for by law. Generosity towards Brahmins constitutes a religious virtue for all believers, and is the direct duty of rulers. Upon the death of a rootless Brahman, his property goes not to the treasury, but to the caste. A brahmana does not pay any taxes. Thunder would kill the king who dared to encroach on the person or property of a Brahman; the poor Brahmin is maintained at state expense.
The life of a Brahmin is divided into 4 stages.
First stage begins even before birth, when learned men are sent to the pregnant wife of a brahman for conversations in order to “thus prepare the child for the perception of wisdom.” At 12 days the baby is given a name, at three years his head is shaved, leaving only a piece of hair called kudumi. Several years later, the child is placed in the arms of a spiritual mentor (guru). Education with this guru usually lasts from 7-8 to 15 years. During the entire period of education, which consists mainly of the study of the Vedas, the student is obliged to blindly obey his mentor and all members of his family. He is often entrusted with the most menial household tasks, and he must perform them unquestioningly. The will of the guru replaces his law and conscience; his smile serves as the best reward. At this stage, the child is considered one-born.
Second stage begins after the ritual of initiation or rebirth, which the young man undergoes after completing the teaching. From this moment on, he is twice-born. During this period, he marries, raises his family and performs the duties of a brahmin.
The third period of a brahmana's life is vanaprastra.. Having reached the age of 40, a brahmana enters the third period of his life, called vanaprastra. He must retire to deserted places and become a hermit. Here he covers his nakedness with tree bark or the skin of a black antelope; does not cut nails or hair; sleeps on a rock or on the ground; must spend days and nights “without a home, without a fire, in complete silence, and eating only roots and fruits.” The Brahman spends his days in prayer and mortification.
Having thus spent 22 years in prayer and fasting, the Brahmana enters the fourth department of life, called sannyas. Only here he is freed from all external rituals. The old hermit deepens into perfect contemplation. The soul of a brahmana who dies in a state of sannyas immediately acquires merger with the deity (nirvana); and his body, in a sitting position, is lowered into the pit and sprinkled with salt all around.
The color of a brahman's clothing depended on what spiritual structure they belonged to. Sanyasi, monks, renounced the world wore orange clothes, family ones wore white.
Kshatriyas
The second caste consists of kshatriyas, warriors. According to the law of Menu, members of this caste could make sacrifices, and the study of the Vedas was a special duty for princes and heroes; but subsequently the Brahmins left them only permission to read or listen to the Vedas, without analyzing or interpreting them, and appropriated the right to explain the texts to themselves.
Kshatriyas should give alms, but not accept them, avoid vices and sensual pleasures, live simply, “as a warrior should.” The law states that “the priestly caste cannot exist without the warrior caste, just as the latter cannot exist without the former, and that the peace of the whole world depends on the consent of both, on the union of knowledge and the sword.”
With few exceptions, all kings, princes, generals and first rulers belong to the second caste; Since ancient times, the judicial part and the management of education have been in the hands of Brahmins (Brahmins). Kshatriyas are allowed to consume all meat except beef. This caste was previously divided into three parts: all the ruling and non-ruling princes (rayas) and their children (rayanutras) belonged to the upper class.
Kshatriyas wore red clothes.
Vaishya
The third caste is the Vaishyas. Previously, they too participated in both sacrifices and the right to read the Vedas, but later, through the efforts of the brahmanas, they lost these advantages. Although the Vaishyas stood much lower than the Kshatriyas, they still occupied an honorable place in society. They had to engage in trade, arable farming and cattle breeding. The Vaishya's rights to property were respected, and his fields were considered inviolable. He had the religious right to let money grow.
The highest castes - Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas, used all three scarfs, senar, each caste - their own, and were called twice-born, as opposed to once-born - Shudras.
Shudras
The duty of a sudra, Menu says briefly, is to serve the three highest castes. It is best for a Shudra to serve a Brahmin, if not a Kshatriya, and finally a Vaishya. In this only case, if he does not find an opportunity to enter into service, he is allowed to take up a useful craft. The soul of a Shudra, who has diligently and honestly served his entire life as a Brahmin, upon migration, is reborn into a person of the highest caste.
A Shudra is forbidden to even look at the Vedas. A Brahman not only has no right to interpret the Vedas to a Shudra, but is also obliged to read them to himself in the presence of the latter. A Brahmin who allows himself to interpret the law to a Shudra, or explain to him the means of repentance, will be punished in the Asamarit hell.
A Shudra must eat the scraps of his masters and wear their cast-offs. He is forbidden to acquire anything, “so that he does not take it into his head to become arrogant to the temptation of the sacred Brahmins.” If a Shudra verbally insults a Veisha or a Kshatriya, his tongue is cut out; if he dares to sit next to the Brahman, or take his place, then a red-hot iron is applied to the more guilty part of the body. The name of a sudra, says the law of Menu: there is a swear word, and the fine for killing it does not exceed the amount that is paid for the death of an unimportant domestic animal, for example, a dog or a cat. Killing a cow is considered a much more reprehensible act: killing a Shudra is a misdemeanor; Killing a cow is a sin!
Bondage is the natural position of a Shudra, and the master cannot free him by giving him leave; “for, says the law: who, except death, can liberate a Shudra from the natural state?”
It is quite difficult for us Europeans to understand such an alien world and we, involuntarily, want to bring everything under our own concepts - and this is what misleads us. So, for example, according to the concepts of the Hindus, the Shudras constitute a class of people designated by nature for service in general, but at the same time they are not considered slaves and do not constitute the property of private individuals.
The attitude of the masters towards the Shudras, despite the given examples of an inhuman view of them, from a religious point of view, was determined by civil law, especially the measure and method of punishment, which in all respects coincided with the patriarchal punishments allowed folk custom in the relationship of father to son, or older brother to younger, husband to wife, and guru to disciple.
Impure castes
Just as almost everywhere women were subjected to discrimination and all kinds of restrictions, so in India the strictness of the division of castes weighs much more heavily on women than on men. When entering into a second marriage, a man is allowed to choose a wife from a lower caste other than a Shudra. So, for example, a Brahmin can marry a woman of the second or even third caste; the children of this mixed marriage will occupy a middle rank between the castes of the father and mother. A woman, marrying a man of a lower caste, commits a crime: she defiles herself and all her offspring. Shudras can only marry among themselves.
The mixing of any of the castes with the Shudras gives rise to impure castes, of which the most despicable is the one that comes from the mixing of a Shudra with a Brahmin. The members of this caste are called Chandals, and must be executioners or flayers; the touch of a chandala entails expulsion from the caste.
The Untouchables
Below the unclean castes there is still a miserable race of pariahs. They do the lowest jobs together with the Chandals. The pariahs skin the carrion, process it, and eat the meat; but they abstain from cow meat. Their touch defiles not only a person, but also objects. They have their own special wells; near the cities they are given a special quarter, surrounded by a moat and slingshots. They also do not have the right to show themselves in villages, but must hide in forests, caves and swamps.
A Brahmin, defiled by the shadow of a pariah, must bathe in the sacred waters of the Ganges, for only they can wash away such a stain of shame.
Even lower than the Pariah are the Pulai, who live on the Malabar Coast. Slaves of the Nairs, they are forced to take refuge in damp dungeons, and do not dare to raise their eyes to the noble Hindu. Seeing a Brahmin or Nair from afar, the pulai emit a loud roar to warn the masters of their proximity, and while the “gentlemen” wait on the road, they must hide in a cave, in the thicket of the forest, or climb a tall tree. Those who did not have time to hide are cut down by the Nairs like an unclean reptile. The Pulai live in terrible untidiness, eating carrion and all kinds of meat except cow meat.
But even a pulai can rest for a moment from the overwhelming universal contempt; There are human creatures even more pitiful, lower than him: these are the pariyars, lower because, sharing all the humiliation of the pulai, they allow themselves to eat cow meat!.. You can imagine how the soul of a devout Hindu shudders at such sacrilege, and therefore the Europeans and Muslims who also do not respect the sanctity of fat Indian cows and introduce them to the location of their kitchen, all of them, in his opinion, morally, are completely in line with the despicable pariar.
Since childhood, we have been taught that there is nothing worse than caste society. But oddly enough, castes have survived to this day, as evidenced, for example, by India. What do we actually know about how the caste system functions?
Every society consists of certain basic units that form it. So, in relation to Antiquity, such a unit can be considered a polis, modern to the West - capital (or a social individual owning it), for Islamic civilization - a tribe, Japanese - a clan, etc. For India, from ancient times to the present day, caste has been and remains such a basic element.
The caste system for India is not at all a dense archaic or a “relic of the Middle Ages” as we have been taught for a long time. The Indian caste system is part of the complex organization of society, a historically established diverse and multifaceted phenomenon.
One can try to describe castes through a number of characteristics. However, there will still be exceptions. Indian caste differentiation - system social stratification isolated social groups bound by a common origin and legal status of their members. They are built according to the principles:
1) common religion;
2) general professional specialization (usually hereditary);
3) marriages only between “our own”;
4) nutritional characteristics.
In India there are not 4 at all (as many of us still think), but about 3 thousand castes and they can be called in different parts countries in different ways, and people of the same profession may belong to different castes in different states. What are sometimes mistakenly considered Indian “castes” are not castes at all, but varnas (“chaturvarnya” in Sanskrit) - social strata of the ancient social system.
Varna brahmins (brahmins) are priests, doctors, teachers. Kshatriyas (rajanyas) - warriors and civil leaders. Vaishyas are farmers and traders. Shudras are servants and landless peasant laborers.
Each varna had its own color: Brahmins - white, Kshatriyas - red, Vaishayas - yellow, Shudras - black (once every Hindu wore a special cord in the color of his varna).
Varnas, in turn, are theoretically divided into castes. But in a very complex and intricate way. An obvious direct connection is not always visible to a person with a European mentality. The word “caste” itself comes from the Portuguese casta: birthright, clan, class. In Hindi, this term is identical to “jati”.
The infamous "untouchables" are not one particular caste. In Ancient India, everyone who was not included in the four varnas was automatically classified as “marginal”, they were avoided in every possible way, they were not allowed to settle in villages and cities, etc. As a result of this position, the “untouchables” had to take on the most “non-prestigious”, dirty and low-paid work and they formed their own separate social and professional groups - essentially, their own castes.
There are several such castes of “untouchables” and, as a rule, they are associated either with dirty work, or with the killing of living beings or death (so all butchers, hunters, fishermen, tanners, garbage men, sewer men, laundresses, cemetery and morgue workers, etc. must be “untouchable”).
At the same time, it would be wrong to believe that every “untouchable” is necessarily someone like a homeless person or a “lowlife.” In India, even before it gained independence and the adoption of a number of legislative measures to protect lower castes from discrimination, there were “untouchables” who reached a very high social status and deserve universal respect. Like, for example, the outstanding Indian politician, public figure, human rights activist and author of the Indian Constitution - Dr. Bhimaro Ramji Ambedkar, who received a law degree in England.
One of the many monuments to Bhimaro Ambedkar in India
The “untouchables” have several names: mleccha - “stranger”, “foreigner” (that is, formally all non-Hindus, including foreign tourists can be classified as them), Harijan - “child of God” (a term specially introduced by Mahatma Gandhi), pariahs - “outcasts”, “expelled”. And the most frequently used modern name“untouchables” - Dalits.
Legally, castes in India were recorded in the Laws of Manu, compiled in the period from the 2nd century BC to the 2nd century AD. The varna system traditionally developed in a much more ancient period (there is no exact dating).
As mentioned above, castes in modern India still cannot be considered simply an anachronism. On the contrary, all of them are now carefully counted and listed in a special annex to the current Indian Constitution (Table of Castes).
In addition, after each population census, changes are made to this table (usually additions). The point is not that some new castes appear, but that they are recorded in accordance with the data provided about themselves by census participants. Only discrimination on the basis of caste is prohibited. What is written in Article No. 15 of the Indian Constitution.
Indian society is very colorful and heterogeneous in its structure; In addition to division into castes, there are several other differentiations in it. There are both caste and non-caste Indians. For example, adivasis (descendants of the main indigenous black population of India before its conquest by the Aryans), with rare exceptions, do not have their own castes. In addition, for some misdemeanors and crimes a person can be expelled from his caste. And there are quite a lot of non-caste Indians, as evidenced by the census results.
Castes exist not only in India. A similar public institution takes place in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bali and Tibet. By the way, Tibetan castes do not correlate with Indian castes at all - the structures of these societies were formed completely separately from each other. It is curious that in Northern India (the states of Himachal, Uttar Pradesh and Kashmir) the caste system is not of Indian origin, but of Tibetan origin.
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 non-Aryan peoples of India. Then other religions (Buddhism, Jainism) began to spread in India. As the country was subjected to invasions by various conquerors, representatives of other religions and peoples began to adopt from the Hindus their system of varnas and professional caste-jatis. Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians in India also have their own castes, but they are somehow different from the Hindu castes.
What about Indian Muslims? After all, the Koran initially proclaimed the equality of all Muslims. A natural question. Despite the fact that British India was divided into two parts in 1947: “Islamic” (Pakistan) and “Hindu” (India proper), today Muslims (approximately 14% of all Indian citizens) in absolute terms live in India more than in Pakistan, where Islam is the state religion.
However, the caste system is inherent in India and Muslim society. However, caste differences among Indian Muslims are not as strong as among Hindus. They have virtually no “untouchables.” There are no such impenetrable barriers between Muslim castes as there are among Hindus - transition from one caste to another or marriages between their representatives is allowed.
The caste system was established among Indian Muslims relatively late - during the Delhi Sultanate in the 13th-16th centuries. The Muslim caste is usually referred to as biradari ("brotherhood") or biyahdari. Their occurrence is often attributed by Muslim theologians to the influence of Hindus with their caste system (supporters of “pure Islam” see this, of course, as the insidious machinations of pagans).
In India, as in many Islamic countries, Muslims also have their nobility and common people. The former are called sharifs or ashraf (“noble”), the latter are called ajlaf (“low”). Currently, about 10% of Muslims living in the territory of the Republic of India belong to the Ashraf. They usually trace their ancestry to those external conquerors (Arabs, Turks, Pashtuns, Persians, etc.) who invaded Hindustan and settled for many centuries.
For the most part, Indian Muslims are descendants of the same Hindus who, for one reason or another, converted to a new faith. Forced conversion to Islam in medieval India was the exception rather than the rule. Typically, the local population was subjected to a slow Islamization, during which elements of foreign faith were unobtrusively incorporated into local cosmology and ritual practice, gradually displacing and replacing Hinduism. It was implicit and sluggish social process. During it, people maintained and protected the closedness of their circles. This explains the persistence of caste psychology and customs among large sections of Indian Muslim society. Thus, even after the final conversion to Islam, marriages continued to be concluded only with representatives of their own castes.
Even more curious is that even many Europeans were included in the Indian caste system. Thus, those Christian missionary preachers who preached to high-born Brahmins eventually found themselves in the “Christian Brahmin” caste, and those who, for example, carried the Word of God to the “untouchable” fishermen, became Christian “untouchables”.
Often it is impossible to accurately determine which caste an Indian belongs to only by his appearance, behavior and occupation. It happens that a kshatriya works as a waiter, and a brahmin sells goods and removes garbage from a shop - and they don’t particularly have a complex about these reasons, but a sudra behaves like a born aristocrat. And even if an Indian says exactly what caste he is from (although such a question is considered tactless), this will give a foreigner little to understand how society is structured in such an outlandish and peculiar country as India.
The Republic of India declares itself a “democratic” state and, in addition to prohibiting caste discrimination, has introduced certain benefits for representatives of lower castes. For example, they have adopted special quotas for their admission to higher education. educational institutions, as well as positions in state and municipal bodies.
The problem of discrimination against people from lower castes and Dalits, however, is quite serious. The caste structure is still fundamental to the lives of hundreds of millions of Indians. Outside of large cities in India, caste psychology and all the conventions and taboos arising from it are firmly preserved.
Recently I was preparing an anthropology essay on the topic “Indian Mentality”. The creation process was very exciting, since the country itself amazes with its traditions and characteristics. If anyone is interested, read it.
I was especially struck by: the plight of women in India, the phrase that “The husband is the earthly God,” the very difficult life of the untouchables (the last class in India), and the happy existence of cows and bulls.
Contents of the first part:
1. General information
2. Castes
1
. General information about India
INDIA, Republic of India (in Hindi - Bharat), a state in South Asia.
Capital - Delhi
Area - 3,287,590 km2.
Ethnic composition. 72% Indo-Aryans, 25% Dravidians, 3% Mongoloids.
Official name of the country , India, comes from the ancient Persian word Hindu, which in turn comes from the Sanskrit Sindhu (Sanskrit: सिन्धु), the historical name of the Indus River. The ancient Greeks called the Indians Indoi (ancient Greek Ἰνδοί) - “people of the Indus”. The Indian Constitution also recognizes a second name, Bharat (Hindi भारत), which is derived from the Sanskrit name of the ancient Indian king, whose history was described in the Mahabharata. The third name, Hindustan, has been used since the time of the Mughal Empire, but has no official status.
Indian territory in the north it extends in the latitudinal direction for 2930 km, in the meridional direction - for 3220 km. India is bordered by the Arabian Sea in the west, the Indian Ocean in the south and the Bay of Bengal in the east. Its neighbors are Pakistan in the northwest, China, Nepal and Bhutan in the north, and Bangladesh and Myanmar in the east. India also shares maritime borders with the Maldives in the southwest, Sri Lanka in the south and Indonesia in the southeast. The disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with Afghanistan.
India ranks seventh in the world by area, second largest population (after China) , currently lives in it 1.2 billion people. India has had one of the highest population densities in the world for thousands of years.
Religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism originated in India. In the first millennium AD, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam also came to the Indian subcontinent and had a major influence on the formation of the diverse culture of the region.
More than 900 million Indians (80.5% of the population) profess Hinduism. Other religions with significant numbers of followers are Islam (13.4%), Christianity (2.3%), Sikhism (1.9%), Buddhism (0.8%) and Jainism (0.4%). Religions such as Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Baha'i and others are also represented in India. Animism is common among the aboriginal population, which makes up 8.1%.
Almost 70% of Indians live in rural areas, although in recent decades migration to big cities led to a sharp increase in the urban population. The largest cities in India are Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Delhi, Kolkata (formerly Kolkata), Chennai (formerly Madras), Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. In terms of cultural, linguistic and genetic diversity, India ranks second in the world after the African continent. The gender composition of the population is characterized by an excess of men over the number of women. The male population is 51.5%, and the female population is 48.5%. For every thousand men there are 929 women, this ratio has been observed since the beginning of this century.
India is the birthplace of the Indo-Aryan language group(74% of the population) and Dravidian language family(24% of the population). Other languages spoken in India come from the Austroasiatic and Tibeto-Burman linguistic families. Hindi, the most widely spoken language in India, is the official language of the Indian government. English language, which is widely used in business and administration, has the status of an “auxiliary official language”, it also plays a large role in education, especially in secondary and higher education. The Constitution of India defines 21 official languages that are spoken by a large part of the population or that have classical status. There are 1652 dialects in India.
Climate humid and warm, mostly tropical, tropical monsoon in the north. India, located in tropical and subequatorial latitudes, fenced off by the wall of the Himalayas from the influence of continental Arctic air masses, is one of the hottest countries in the world with a typical monsoon climate. The monsoon rhythm of precipitation determines the rhythm of economic work and the entire way of life. 70-80% of the annual rainfall falls during the four months of the monsoon season (June-September), when the southwest monsoon arrives and rains almost incessantly. This is the main Kharif field season. October-November is the post-monsoon period when the rains mostly stop. The winter season (December-February) is dry and cool, at this time roses and many other flowers bloom, many trees bloom - this is the most pleasant time to visit India. March-May is the hottest, driest season, when temperatures often exceed 35 °C, often rising above 40 °C. This is a time of sweltering heat, when the grass burns out, leaves fall from the trees, and air conditioners work at full capacity in rich houses.
National animal - tiger.
National bird - peacock.
National flower - lotus.
National fruit - mango.
The national currency is the Indian rupee.
India can be called the cradle of human civilization. The Indians were the first in the world to learn how to grow rice, cotton, and sugar cane, and they were the first to raise poultry. India gave the world chess and the decimal system.
The average literacy rate in the country is 52%, with the figure for men being 64% and for women 39%.
2. Castes in India
CASTES - division of Hindu society in the Indian subcontinent.
For many centuries, caste was determined primarily by profession. The profession that passed from father to son often did not change throughout the lives of dozens of generations.
Each caste lives according to its own dharma - with that set of traditional religious prescriptions and prohibitions, the creation of which is attributed to the gods, to divine revelation. Dharma determines the norms of behavior of members of each caste, regulates their actions and even feelings. Dharma is that elusive but immutable thing that is pointed out to a child already in the days of his first babble. Everyone must act in accordance with his own dharma, deviation from dharma is lawlessness - this is what children are taught at home and at school, this is what the brahmana - mentor and spiritual leader - repeats. And a person grows up in the consciousness of the absolute inviolability of the laws of dharma, their immutability.
At present, the caste system is officially prohibited, and the strict division of crafts or professions depending on caste is gradually being eliminated, while at the same time public policy rewards for those who have been oppressed for centuries at the expense of members of other castes. It is widely believed that in the modern Indian state castes are losing their former meaning. However, developments have shown that this is far from the case.
In fact, the caste system itself has not gone away: when entering school, a student is asked about his religion, and if he professes Hinduism, his caste, in order to know whether there is a place in this school for representatives of this caste in accordance with state norms. When entering a college or university, caste is important in order to correctly estimate the threshold value of points (the lower the caste, the fewer points are enough for passing score). When applying for a job, caste is again important in order to maintain balance. Although castes are not forgotten even when arranging the future of their children - weekly supplements with marriage advertisements are published in major Indian newspapers, in which columns are divided into religions, and the most voluminous column is with representatives of Hinduism - to castes. Often under such advertisements, which describe the parameters of both the groom (or bride) and the requirements for the prospective applicants (or applicants), there is a standard phrase “Cast no bar”, which translated means “Caste does not matter”, but, to be honest, I doubt a little that for a bride from the Brahman caste, her parents will seriously consider a groom from a caste lower than the Kshatriyas. Yes, inter-caste marriages are also not always approved, but they do happen if, for example, the groom occupies a higher position in society than the bride’s parents (but this is not a mandatory requirement - cases vary). In such marriages, the caste of the children is determined by the father. So, if a girl from a Brahmin family marries a Kshatriya boy, then their children will belong to the Kshatriya caste. If a Kshatriya youth marries a Veishya girl, then their children will also be considered Kshatriyas.
The official tendency to downplay the importance of the caste system has led to the disappearance of the corresponding column in the once-a-decade population censuses. The last time information about the number of castes was published was in 1931 (3000 castes). But this figure does not necessarily include all local podcasts that operate as independent social groups. In 2011, India plans to conduct a general population census, which will take into account the caste affiliation of the inhabitants of this country.
The main characteristics of the Indian caste:
. endogamy (marriage exclusively between caste members);
. hereditary membership (accompanied by the practical impossibility of moving to another caste);
. prohibition on sharing meals with representatives of other castes, as well as having physical contact with them;
. recognition of the firmly established place of each caste in the hierarchical structure of society as a whole;
. restrictions on choosing a profession;
Indians believe that Manu is the first person from whom we all descended. Once upon a time, the god Vishnu saved him from the Flood, which destroyed the rest of humanity, after which Manu came up with rules that should henceforth guide people. Hindus believe that it was 30 thousand years ago (historians stubbornly date the laws of Manu to the 1st-2nd centuries BC and generally claim that this collection of instructions is a compilation of the works of different authors). Like most other religious precepts, the laws of Manu are distinguished by exceptional meticulousness and attention to the most insignificant details human life- from swaddling babies to culinary recipes. But it also contains much more fundamental things. It is according to the laws of Manu that all Indians are divided into four estates - varnas.
Varnas, of which there are only four, are often confused with castes, of which there are a great many. Caste is a fairly small community of people united by profession, nationality and place of residence. And varnas are more similar to categories such as workers, entrepreneurs, employees and the intelligentsia.
There are four main varnas: Brahmanas (officials), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaishyas (merchants) and Shudras (peasants, workers, servants). The rest are “untouchables”.
Brahmins are the highest caste in India.
Brahmins appeared from the mouth of Brahma. The meaning of life for brahmins is moksha, or liberation.
These are scientists, ascetics, priests. (Teachers and priests)
Today Brahmins most often work as officials.
The most famous is Jawaharlal Nehru.
In a typical rural area, the highest stratum of the caste hierarchy is formed by members of one or more Brahmin castes, constituting 5 to 10% of the population. Among these Brahmins there are a number of landowners, a few village clerks and accountants or accountants, and a small group of clergy who perform ritual functions in local sanctuaries and temples. Members of each Brahmin caste marry only within their own circle, although it is possible to marry a bride from a family belonging to a similar subcaste from a neighboring area. Brahmins are not supposed to follow the plow or perform certain types of manual labor; women from their midst can serve in the house, and landowners can cultivate plots, but not plow. Brahmins are also allowed to work as cooks or domestic servants.
A Brahman has no right to eat food prepared outside his caste, but members of all other castes can eat from the hands of Brahmans. When choosing food, a Brahmin observes many prohibitions. Members of the Vaishnava caste (who worship the god Vishnu) have adhered to vegetarianism since the 4th century, when it became widespread; some other castes of Brahmans who worship Shiva (Shaiva Brahmans) do not in principle refuse meat dishes, but abstain from the meat of animals included in the diet of lower castes.
Brahmins serve as spiritual guides in the families of most high- or middle-status castes, except those considered "impure". Brahmin priests, as well as members of a number of religious orders, are often recognized by their “caste marks” - patterns painted on the forehead with white, yellow or red paint. But such marks indicate only belonging to the main sect and characterize this person as a worshiper of, for example, Vishnu or Shiva, and not as a subject of a particular caste or sub-caste.
Brahmins, more than others, adhere to the occupations and professions that were provided for in their varna. Over the course of many centuries, scribes, clerks, clergymen, scientists, teachers and officials emerged from 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 communicating with the rest of the population, 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. There is no complete equality among the Brahman castes, but even the lowest of them stands above the rest of the highest castes.
The mission of a member of the Brahmin caste is to study, teach, receive gifts and give gifts. By the way, all Indian programmers are Brahmins.
Kshatriyas
Warriors who emerged from the hands of Brahma.These are warriors, administrators, kings, nobles, rajas, maharajahs.
The most famous is Buddha Shakyamuni
For a kshatriya, the main thing is dharma, fulfillment of duty.
After the Brahmins, the most prominent hierarchical place is occupied by the Kshatriya castes. In rural areas they include, for example, landowners, possibly associated with former ruling houses (for example, the Rajput princes in North India). Traditional occupations in such castes are working as managers on estates and serving in various administrative positions and in the army, but now these castes no longer enjoy the same 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 subcaste (a union called hypergamy), but in no case can a woman marry a man from a subcaste lower than her own. Most kshatriyas eat meat; they have the right to accept food from Brahmins, but not from representatives of any other castes.
Vaishya
They emerged from the thighs of Brahma.
These are artisans, traders, farmers, entrepreneurs (layers that engage in trade).
The Gandhi family is from the Vaishyas, and at one time the fact that it was born with the Nehru Brahmins caused a huge scandal.
The main motivation in life is artha, or the desire for wealth, for property, for hoarding.
The third category includes merchants, shopkeepers and moneylenders. These castes recognize the superiority of the Brahmins, but do not necessarily show the same attitude towards the Kshatriya castes; as a rule, vaishyas are more strict in observing the rules regarding food, and are even more careful to avoid ritual pollution. The traditional occupation of Vaishyas is trade and banking; they tend to stay away from physical labor, but sometimes they are included in the management of the farms of landowners and village entrepreneurs, without directly participating in the cultivation of the land.
Shudras
Came from the feet of Brahma.
Peasant caste. (farms, servants, artisans, workers)
The main aspiration at the sudra stage is kama. These are pleasures, pleasant experiences delivered by the senses.
Mithun Chakraborty from "Disco Dancer" is a sudra.
They, due to their numbers and ownership of a significant part of local land, play important role in solving social and political issues of some areas. Shudras eat meat, and widows and divorced women are allowed to marry. The lower Shudras are numerous sub-castes whose profession is of a highly specialized nature. These are the castes of potters, blacksmiths, carpenters, joiners, weavers, oil makers, distillers, masons, hairdressers, musicians, tanners (those who sew products from finished leather), butchers, scavengers and many others. Members of these castes are supposed to practice their hereditary profession or craft; however, if a Shudra is able to acquire land, any of them can engage in agriculture. Members of many craft and other professional castes have traditionally had traditional relationships with members of higher castes, which consist of the provision of services for which no cash is paid, but an annual remuneration in kind. This payment is made by each household in the village whose requests are satisfied by a given member of the professional caste. For example, a blacksmith has his own circle of clients, for whom he makes and repairs equipment and other metal products all year round, for which he, in turn, is given a certain amount of grain.
The Untouchables
Those engaged in the dirtiest jobs are often poor or very poor people.
They are outside the Hindu society.
Activities such as tanning leather or slaughtering animals are considered clearly polluting, and although this work is very important to the community, those who engage in it are considered untouchables. They are engaged in cleaning dead animals from streets and fields, toilets, tanning leather, and cleaning sewers. They work as scavengers, tanners, flayers, potters, prostitutes, laundresses, shoemakers, and are hired for the hardest work in mines, construction sites, etc. That is, everyone who comes into contact with one of the three dirty things specified in the laws of Manu - sewage, corpses and clay - or leads a wandering life on the streets.
In many respects they are outside the boundaries of Hindu society, they were called "outcaste", "low", "scheduled" castes, and Gandhi proposed the euphemism "harijans" ("children of God"), which became widely used. But they themselves prefer to call themselves “Dalits” - “broken”. Members of these castes are prohibited from using public wells and taps. You cannot walk on the sidewalks so as not to inadvertently come into contact with a representative of the upper caste, because they will have to cleanse themselves after such contact in the temple. In some areas of cities and villages they are generally prohibited from appearing. Dalits are also prohibited from visiting temples; only a few times a year they are allowed to cross the threshold of the sanctuaries, after which the temple is subjected to thorough ritual cleansing. If a Dalit wants to buy something in a store, he must put money at the entrance and shout from the street what he needs - the purchase will be taken out and left on the doorstep. A Dalit is prohibited from starting a conversation with a representative of a higher caste or calling him on the phone.
After some Indian states passed laws fining canteen owners for refusing to feed Dalits, most catering establishments installed special cabinets with dishes for them. However, if the canteen does not have a separate room for Dalits, they have to dine outside.
Most Hindu temples until recently were closed to untouchables; there was even a ban on approaching people from higher castes closer than a set number of steps. The nature of caste barriers is such that Harijans are believed to continue to pollute 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 others social conditions and situations, for example, while in an industrial city or on a train, an untouchable can have physical contact with members of higher castes and not pollute them; in his home village, untouchability is inseparable from him, no matter what he does.
When Indian-born British journalist Ramita Navai decided to make a revolutionary film revealing to the world the terrible truth about the lives of untouchables (Dalits), she endured a lot. She courageously looked at the Dalit teenagers frying and eating rats. Of little children splashing in the gutter and playing with parts of a dead dog. A housewife cutting up more decorative pieces from a rotten pig carcass. But when the well-groomed journalist was taken on a work shift by ladies from a caste that traditionally cleans toilets by hand, the poor thing vomited right in front of the camera. “Why do these people live like this?!! - the journalist asked us in the last seconds documentary film“Dalit means broken.” Yes, because the child of the Brahmins spent the morning and evening hours in prayers, and the son of a Kshatriya at the age of three was put on a horse and taught to swing a saber. For a Dalit, the ability to live in the dirt is his valor, his skill. Dalits know better than anyone: those who are afraid of dirt will die faster than others.
There are several hundred untouchable castes.
Every fifth Indian is a Dalit - that's at least 200 million people.
Hindus believe in reincarnation and believe that whoever follows the rules of his caste future life will rise by birth to a higher caste, but the one who breaks these rules will generally not know who he will become in his next life.
The first three high classes of varnas were required to undergo an initiation rite, after which they were called twice-born. Members of high castes, especially Brahmins, then wore a “sacred thread” over their shoulders. Twice-born people were allowed to study the Vedas, but only brahmanas could preach them. Shudras were strictly forbidden not only to study, but even to listen to the words of Vedic teachings.
Clothing, despite its apparent uniformity, is different for different castes and significantly distinguishes a member of a high caste from a member of a low one. Some wrap their hips with a wide strip of fabric that falls to the ankles, for others it should not cover their knees, women of some castes should drape their bodies in a strip of fabric of at least seven or nine meters, while women of others should not use fabric longer than four or five on their sari meters, some were required to wear a certain type of jewelry, others were prohibited from it, some could use an umbrella, others did not have the right to do so, etc. etc. The type of housing, food, even the vessels for its preparation - everything is determined, everything is prescribed, everything is studied from childhood by a member of each caste.
That is why in India it is very difficult to pretend to be a member of any other caste - such imposture will be immediately exposed. Only one can do this who has studied the dharma of another caste for many years and had the opportunity to practice it. And even then he can only succeed so much far from his locality, where they know nothing about his village or city. And that’s why the most terrible punishment has always been exclusion from the caste, loss of one’s social face, and severance from all production ties.
Even the untouchables, who from century to century performed the dirtiest work, were brutally suppressed and exploited by members of higher castes, those untouchables who were humiliated and disdained as something unclean - they were still considered members of caste society. They had their own dharma, they could be proud of their adherence to its rules, and they maintained their long-legalized industrial ties. They had their own very definite caste face and their own very definite place, albeit in the lowest layers of this multi-layered hive.
List of used literature:
1. Guseva N.R. - India in the mirror of centuries. Moscow, VECHE, 2002
2. Snesarev A.E. - Ethnographic India. Moscow, Nauka, 1981
3. Material from Wikipedia - India:
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BD%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%8F
4. Online Encyclopedia Around the World - India:
http://www.krugosvet.ru/enc/strany_mira/INDIYA.html
5. Marry an Indian: life, traditions, features:
http://tomarryindian.blogspot.com/
6. Interesting articles about tourism. India. Women of India.
http://turistua.com/article/258.htm
7. Material from Wikipedia - Hinduism:
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%83%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%BC
8. Bharatiya.ru - pilgrimage and travel through India, Pakistan, Nepal and Tibet.
http://www.bharatiya.ru/index.html
Hello, dear readers – seekers of knowledge and truth!
Many of us have heard about castes in India. This is not an exotic system of society that is a relic of the past. This is the reality that the people of India live in even today. If you want to learn as much as possible about Indian castes, today’s article is especially for you.
She will tell you how the concepts of “caste”, “varna” and “jati” are related, why the caste division of society arose, how castes appeared, what they were like in ancient times, and what they are like now. You will also learn how many castes and varnas there are today, and also how to determine an Indian’s caste.
Caste and Varna
In world history, the concept of “caste” originally referred to Latin American colonies, which were divided into groups. But now, in people's minds, caste is strongly associated with Indian society.
Scientists - Indologists, orientalists - have been studying this unique phenomenon for many years, which does not lose its power after thousands of years, they write scientific works about it. The first thing they say is that there is caste and there is varna, and these are not synonymous concepts.
There are only four Varnas, and there are thousands of castes. Each varna is divided into many castes, or, in other words, “jatis”.
The last census, which took place in the first half of the last century, in 1931, counted more than three thousand castes throughout India. Experts say that their number is growing every year, but cannot give an exact figure.
The concept of “varna” has its roots in Sanskrit and is translated as “quality” or “color” - based on the specific color of clothing worn by representatives of each varna. Varna is a broader term that defines position in society, and caste or “jati” is a subgroup of varna, which indicates membership in a religious community, occupation by inheritance.
A simple and understandable analogy can be drawn. For example, let’s take a fairly wealthy segment of the population. People growing up in such families do not become the same in occupation and interests, but occupy approximately the same status in material terms.
They can become successful businessmen, representatives of the cultural elite, philanthropists, travelers or people of art - these are the so-called castes, passed through the prism of Western sociology.
From the very beginning until today, Indians have been divided into only four varnas:
- brahmins - priests, clergy; upper layer;
- kshatriyas - warriors who guarded the state, participated in battles and battles;
- Vaishya - farmers, cattle breeders and traders;
- Shudras - workers, servants; lower layer.
Each varna, in turn, was divided into countless castes. For example, among the kshatriyas there could be rulers, rajas, generals, warriors, policemen and further on the list.
There are members of society who cannot be included in any of the varnas - this is the so-called untouchable caste. At the same time, they can also be divided into subgroups. This means that a resident of India may not belong to any varna, but he must belong to a caste.
Varnas and castes unite people by religion, type of activity, profession, which are inherited - a sort of strictly regulated division of labor. These groups are closed to members of lower castes. An unequal marriage in Indian style is a marriage between representatives of different castes.
One of the reasons why castesystemso strong is the Indian belief in rebirth. They are convinced that by strictly observing all the regulations within their caste, in their next birth they can incarnate as a representative of a higher caste. Brahmins have already gone through their entire life cycle and will certainly incarnate on one of the divine planets.
Characteristics of castes
All castes follow certain rules:
- one religious affiliation;
- one profession;
- certain property they may possess;
- regulated list of rights;
- endogamy - marriages can only take place within a caste;
- heredity - belonging to a caste is determined from birth and is inherited from parents, you cannot move to a higher caste;
- the impossibility of physical contact, sharing food with representatives of lower castes;
- allowed food: meat or vegetarian, raw or cooked;
- color of clothes;
- the color of the bindi and tilak are the dots on the forehead.
Historical excursion
The varna system was entrenched in the Laws of Manu. Hindus believe that we all descended from Manu, because it was he who was saved from flooding thanks to the god Vishnu, while other people died. Believers claim that this happened about thirty thousand years ago, but skeptic scientists call another date - the 2nd century BC.
In the laws of Manu, with amazing accuracy and prudence, all the rules of life are described to the smallest detail: starting with how to swaddle newborns, ending with how to properly cultivate rice fields. It also talks about the division of people into 4 classes, already known to us.
Vedic literature, including the Rigveda, also says that all the inhabitants of ancient India were divided back in the 15th-12th centuries BC into 4 groups that emerged from the body of the god Brahma:
- brahmins - from the lips;
- kshatriyas—from the palms;
- vaishya—from the thighs;
- sudras - from the legs.
Clothing of the ancient Indians
There were several reasons for this division. One of them is the fact that the Aryans who came to Indian soil considered themselves to be a superior race and wanted to be among people like themselves, abstracting from the ignorant poor people who did what they considered “dirty” work.
Even the Aryans married exclusively women of the Brahman family. They divided the rest hierarchically according to skin color, profession, class - this is how the name “Varna” appeared.
In the Middle Ages, when Buddhism weakened in the Indian expanses and Hinduism spread everywhere, even greater fragmentation occurred within each varna, and from here castes, also known as jati, were born.
Thus, the rigid social structure became even more entrenched in India. No historical vicissitudes, neither the Muslim raids and the resulting Mughal Empire, nor the English expansion could prevent it.
How to distinguish people of different varnas
Brahmins
This is the highest varna, the class of priests and clergy. With the development of spirituality and the spread of religion, their role only increased.
The rules in society prescribed to honor the brahmins and give them generous gifts. The rulers chose them as their closest advisers and judges, appointing high ranks. At the present time, brahmanas are temple servants, teachers, and spiritual mentors.
TodayBrahmins occupy about three-quarters of all government posts. For the murder of a representative of Brahmanism, both then and now, the terrible death penalty invariably followed.
Brahmins are prohibited from:
- engage in agriculture and housekeeping (but Brahmin women can do housework);
- marry representatives of other classes;
- eat what a person from another group has prepared;
- eat animal products.
Kshatriyas
Translated, this varna means “people of power, nobility.” They are engaged in military affairs, govern the state, protect the Brahmins who are higher in the hierarchy, and their subjects: children, women, old people, cows - the country as a whole.
Today, the Kshatriya class consists of warriors, soldiers, guards, police, and leadership positions. Modern Kshatriyas also include the Jat caste, which includes the famous - these long-bearded men with a turban on their heads are found not only in their native state of Punjab, but throughout India.
A kshatriya can marry a woman from a lower varna, but girls cannot choose a husband of a lower rank.
Vaishya
Vaishyas are a group of landowners, cattle breeders, and traders. They also engaged in crafts and everything related to profit - for this the Vaishyas earned the respect of the entire society.
Now they are also involved in analytics, business, the banking and financial side of life, and trade. This is also the main segment of the population that works in offices.
Vaishyas never liked heavy physical labor and dirty work - for this they have sudras. In addition, they are very picky when it comes to cooking and preparing dishes.
Shudras
In other words, these were people who performed the most menial jobs and were often below the poverty line. They serve other classes, work in the land, sometimes performing the function of almost slaves.
Shudras did not have the right to accumulate property, so they did not have their own housing and plots. They could not pray, much less become “twice-born,” that is, “dvija,” like the brahmanas, kshatriyas and vaishyas. But Shudras can even marry a divorced girl.
Dvija are men who, as children, underwent the Upanyan initiation rite. After it, a person can perform religious rituals, so upanyan is considered a second birth. Women and Shudras are not allowed to visit him.
The Untouchables
A separate caste that cannot be classified as one of the four varnas is the untouchables. For a long time they experienced all kinds of persecution and even hatred from other Indians. And all because, in the view of Hinduism, untouchables in a past life led an unrighteous, sinful lifestyle, for which they were punished.
They are somewhere beyond this world and are not even considered people in the full sense of the word. These are mainly beggars who live on the streets, in slums and isolated ghettos, and rummage through garbage dumps. At best, they do the dirtiest work: they clean toilets, sewage, animal corpses, work as gravediggers, tanners, and burn dead animals.
Moreover, the number of untouchables reaches 15-17 percent of the total population of the country, that is, approximately every sixth Indian is an untouchable.
The caste “outside society” was prohibited from appearing in public places: schools, hospitals, transport, temples, shops. They were not only forbidden to approach others, but also to step on their shadows. And the Brahmins were offended by the mere presence of an untouchable in sight.
The term used for untouchables is Dalit, which means oppression.
Fortunately, in modern India, everything is changing - discrimination against untouchables is prohibited at the legislative level, now they can appear everywhere, receive education and medical care.
The only thing worse than being born an untouchable is being born a pariah - another subgroup of people who are completely erased from public life. They become the children of pariahs and inter-caste spouses, but there were times when just touching a pariah made a person the same.
Modernity
Some people in the Western world may think that the caste system in India is a thing of the past, but this is far from the truth. The number of castes is increasing, and this is the cornerstone among representatives of the authorities and ordinary people.
The diversity of castes can sometimes surprise, for example:
- jinvar – carry water;
- bhatra - brahmanas who earn money by alms;
- bhangi - remove garbage from the streets;
- darzi - sew clothes.
Many are inclined to believe that castes are evil because they discriminate against entire groups of people and infringe on their rights. During the election campaign, many politicians use this trick - they declare the fight against caste inequality as the main direction of their activities.
Of course, the division into castes is gradually losing its significance for people as citizens of the state, but still plays a significant role in interpersonal and religious relations, for example, in matters of marriage or cooperation in business.
The Indian government is doing a lot for the equality of all castes: they are legally equal, and absolutely all citizens are entitled to vote. Now the career of an Indian, especially in large cities, may depend not only on his origin, but also on personal merit, knowledge, and experience.
Even Dalits have the opportunity to build a brilliant career, including in the government apparatus. An excellent example of this is President Kocheril Raman Narayanan, from a family of untouchables, elected in 1997. Another confirmation of this is the untouchable Bhim Rao Ambedkar, who received a law degree in England and subsequently created the Constitution of 1950.
It contains a special Table of Castes and every citizen can, if he wishes, obtain a certificate indicating his caste in accordance with this table. The Constitution stipulates that government agencies They have no right to be interested in what caste a person belongs to if he himself does not want to talk about it.
Conclusion
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