O caste system in India it is a model of organization of society in class division based on religious precepts.
In this system, the stratification of society occurs according to the individual's birth in a given family.
This belief is based on the book seal, which would be the holy scripture for the Hindus. Therefore, those who are born in a lower caste are paying for the sins of their past life and must accept their karma.
Indian Varieties
The Indian or Hindu caste system is characterized by heredity and stratification.
The division into hereditary castes and emerged with the Hindu religion, but was abolished by the Indian government in 1947, when it gained independence.
In society, especially in rural areas, the caste system remains because practitioners believe that changing castes is disrespectful. In this way, marriages of people of different castes are prohibited.
Even friendships and work relationships are defined by the caste to which a person belongs.
Characteristics of Hindu Castes
Initially, there were four well-defined castes, but currently, it is estimated that these can reach up to 4,000.
The castes are passed from father to son and each one has its gods, its territory and its territory.
Likewise, skin color was essential in determining the caste to which a person belonged. Individuals with the lightest skin tone were linked to the privileged castes.
Below you can see the four main varieties of India.
brahmins
Compared to the gods, the highest caste is made up of the Brahmins who are priests, teachers and philosophers. Brahmins believe that the head of the god Brahma was born.
Xatria
Further down are the Xatrias, the military and members of the administration. Supposedly, they were born arms of the god Brahma, so they are considered warriors.
Vaishas
Below are the Vaishas, who think they were born from the legs of Brahma and act as merchants and merchants.
Sudras
Finally, the Sudras, who would have come from the feet of the god, are workers, artisans and peasants.
Dalits
Apart from the caste system are the untouchables, also called haridhans, haryans and, finally, dalits. Indians believe that Dalits are the result of the dust on Brahma's feet.
This group represents about 16% of Indians and they suffer all the cruelty imposed by the caste system. They can only wear clothes that were from corpses, they cannot drink from the same water sources as those protected by the caste system and can only carry out activities considered dirty, such as dealing with garbage or dead bodies.
They are considered impure, live in isolation and in extreme poverty. Prevented from climbing the social ladder as a result of heredity, they are not considered human beings. Dalits suffer all kinds of violence, in addition to social, physical and sexual.
One of the people who struggled to give a more dignified life to dalits it was the religious Mother Teresa of Calcutta, as well as Buddhists, who reject this caste system.
There are more texts on this subject for you:
- State Society
- independence of india
- Mahatma Gandhi
