Caste and Its Characteristics
The caste system of India is one of the main dimensions where people in India socially differentiated through religion, class, tribe, region, gender and language. The Indian caste system is considered a closed system of stratification, which means that a person’s social status is obligated to which caste they were born into. Caste is a social status determined by a system in society based on one’s position in that position could be low and high depending on the importance attached with that position.
Sociologists have defined caste or ‘jati’ as a hereditary, endogamous, a group which is usually localised. It has a traditional association with an occupation, and a particular position in the local hierarchy of castes. Relations between castes are governed, among other things by the concepts of pollution and purity, and generally maximum commensality i.e. interdining occurs within the caste” (Srinivas 1962:3).
Varna and Caste
In theory, the caste system is interlinked with the ‘Varna’ model which divides the Hindu society into four orders, viz., Brahmana, (Brahman, traditionally, priest and scholar), Kshatriya (ruler and soldier), Vaishya (merchant) and Shudra (peasant, labourer and servant). The first three castes are ‘twice-born’ or ‘dvija’ since the men from these castes are entitled to don the sacred thread at the Vedic rite of upanayana, which the Shudras were not allowed to perform. The untouchable castes are outside the varna scheme.
The term ‘varna’ literally means colour and it was originally used to refer to the distinction between Arya and Dasa, in ancient India. According to the Rig-Veda, it was not applied to any classes, such as Brahman, Kshatriya, etc. However, the classes which existed at that time later came to be described as varna and the original distinction between Arya and Dasa gave place to the distinction between Arya and Shudra (Ghurye 1950: 52).
Definition: ‘Caste’ is so complex a phenomenon which is difficult to define. Writers and
Sociologists have defined caste or ‘jati’ as a hereditary, endogamous, a group which is usually localised. It has a traditional association with an occupation, and a particular position in the local hierarchy of castes. Relations between castes are governed, among other things by the concepts of pollution and purity, and generally maximum commensality i.e. interdining occurs within the caste” (Srinivas 1962:3).
Varna and Caste
In theory, the caste system is interlinked with the ‘Varna’ model which divides the Hindu society into four orders, viz., Brahmana, (Brahman, traditionally, priest and scholar), Kshatriya (ruler and soldier), Vaishya (merchant) and Shudra (peasant, labourer and servant). The first three castes are ‘twice-born’ or ‘dvija’ since the men from these castes are entitled to don the sacred thread at the Vedic rite of upanayana, which the Shudras were not allowed to perform. The untouchable castes are outside the varna scheme.
The term ‘varna’ literally means colour and it was originally used to refer to the distinction between Arya and Dasa, in ancient India. According to the Rig-Veda, it was not applied to any classes, such as Brahman, Kshatriya, etc. However, the classes which existed at that time later came to be described as varna and the original distinction between Arya and Dasa gave place to the distinction between Arya and Shudra (Ghurye 1950: 52).
Definition: ‘Caste’ is so complex a phenomenon which is difficult to define. Writers and