Castes in modern India. Castes in India - how division occurs

Abstract of a series of articles

“They go to Parvat, to their buta, during Lent. Here is their Jerusalem; What is Mecca for the Besermen, Jerusalem for the Russians, is Parvat for the Hindus. And they all come naked, only a bandage on their hips, and the women are all naked, only a veil on their hips, and the others are all in veils, and there are a lot of pearls on their necks, and yahonts, and gold bracelets and rings on their hands. (By God!) And inside, to the butkhana, they ride on bulls, the horns of each bull are bound with copper, and there are three hundred bells on its neck and its hooves are shod with copper. And they call the bulls achche.” This is what the Tver merchant Afanasy Nikitin wrote in the year 6983 (1475). Has anything changed there, across the three seas, over the past five hundred and thirty years?

Indeed, representatives of the Brahmanical varna Nehru were respected and revered in Indian society, but when the only daughter of the famous politician Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira, got ready to marry Feroz Gandhi, the indignation of society knew no bounds. The point is not that Feroz was a journalist (also, by the way, very famous and respected) - he came from fire-worshipping Zoroastrians. For such a misalliance, Indira could freely be stoned in any Indian traditional village.

We all come from childhood, and Indians come from the childhood of civilization. Much has been preserved to this day almost unchanged. The caste system of society, for example. By the way, “varna” (“caste”) is translated from Sanskrit as “color”. Representatives of the lower caste Shudras are descendants of blacks. Brahma, the highest god, released the Brahmins from his mouth, the Kshatriyas (warriors and the highest officials in the state hierarchy) from his hands, the Vaishyas (farmers) from his thighs, and the “lower” Shudras emerged from the feet of the forefather deity. To this day, the feet are considered a very “dirty” place of the body, hence the Indians’ gesture of maximum respect: touching the feet in a low bow. Like, I respect you so much, I honor you so much that even the dirt from your sandals makes me happy. What we habitually call castes (4 main classes) from school are canonically varnas (“color differentiation” of parts of the body of the creator god).

However, in addition to varnas, in Indian society there are jatis, that is, divisions established on professional grounds. They exist, as it were, within the four main varnas. There are jatis of thieves and robbers (kallar, korava, maravar), priests (jangam, kurukkal, pandaram, pujari), carpenters, potters, washermen (male laundresses). Indian jatis are very close in meaning to medieval European guilds. In India, jati are also inherited, and the transition from one jati to another is extremely difficult, which is what the plots of Indian fiction and Bollywood tear-jerking film masterpieces are based on.

I must say, this is quite typical for such a heavily overpopulated country. However, no matter how you classify them, you can’t keep track of everyone - someone is bound to eat something forbidden or mess up their marriage. If a food sin can be mitigated by a cleansing ritual prescribed for the occasion, then with an inappropriate marriage everything is much more serious. In the Indian national epic Mahabharata, an interesting theory was put forward about the origin of so many jatis. Men should marry only women of their varna, or the one immediately following it, otherwise troubles would begin. An anuloma marriage - when the mother is two varnas lower than the father - sent the offspring no longer to the father's varna, but to the mother's varna. If a man married a woman of a higher varna - a pratiloma marriage - children were completely eliminated from the varna system. This is how the notorious untouchables arose, which also have significant gradations within themselves, since there is a reverse cause-and-effect relationship: the higher the origin of the mother, the lower the status of the untouchable child.

The jati system is carefully guarded by caste councils (khap panchayats), mixing varnas is a crime from the point of view of customs and often leads to real crimes - the murders of those young people who got married or simply fell in love with each other, despite the fact that they belong to different jati. Indeed, representatives of the Brahmanical varna Nehru were respected and revered in Indian society, but when the only daughter of the famous politician Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira, got ready to marry Feroz Gandhi, the indignation of society knew no bounds.

The point is not that Feroz was a journalist (also, by the way, very famous and respected) - he came from fire-worshipping Zoroastrians. For such a misalliance, Indira could freely be stoned in any Indian traditional village.

So the caste-jatiya realities in India have to be taken seriously. My friend, an officer with a very difficult fate, disappeared from view for two years and just recently finally appeared. A man lived for himself, served his homeland, pulled the household cart - but suddenly he took it and went to become a sathu wanderer. He lived Buddhism seriously - hence this extraordinary decision. Visited Tibet, wandered around Hindustan and Indochina. He talked about realities and ups and downs with his characteristic humor. Any fresh tourist (he is distinguished by the lack of a specific Indian tan) is immediately attacked by crowds of aborigines (and, in strict accordance with belonging to the jati, the division of spheres of influence is such). Half of the attackers will drag you to the nearest "tourist office". The owner of the establishment will try to sell you train, bus or air tickets at a price three to five times more expensive than they really cost. Then he will offer souvenirs, then drugs, a girl, himself, an Indian head massage course, sing, dance, and finally he will ask you for money for poverty. Here and there, beggars, women with children, children without women, cripples, as well as fully able-bodied men will follow you and explain with gestures that they are hungry. If you give it to just one applicant, the rest will become even more annoying. So you shouldn't pay attention to them. If they start grabbing your hands, put your palm forward and the phrase “Bass.” Chilo! (“I’m tired of it. Go!”)” help. Under no circumstances should you be angry. Beggars react to strong emotions like piranhas to blood. It’s easy to turn off uninvited guides and numerous petitioners - with a decisively said “No!” enough. English doesn’t help - switch to Hindi: “Chil o!” (“Fuck you!” - neutral), but for “Chill o Pakistan!” You can get pretty nasty. So it is better not to mention Pakistan, even in extreme irritation. And you certainly shouldn’t say “Jab(v)a!”, “Abu jab(v)a!” (“Get out!”) - it’s hard to inflict a worse insult. Here they won’t remember whether they are inferior or completely untouchable - hurry up and run away.

By the way, in connection with this humorous story, I remembered an interesting fragment from Lev Gumilyov’s work “Ethnogenesis and the Biosphere of the Earth.”

The fact is that when in our 20th century large trading cities such as Bombay grew up, and this is a city with several million inhabitants, then the untouchables, who alone could clean the streets, be street cleaners (no other Hindu, under threat of exclusion from the caste, will not pick up a broom), increased the price of their labor. And the British and the Englishwomen who lived there could not even wipe off the dust in their own houses, otherwise all the Indians would begin to despise them and might rebel. Therefore, we had to hire some low-caste Hindu woman who would come, wipe off the dust and take half of her husband’s salary for it. Subsequently, these untouchables staged a strike of sweepers and cleaners throughout Bombay, and not a single strikebreaker!.. And how could they not win the strike? They had the best lawyers. They selected talented boys from their caste and sent them to England, to Oxford and Cambridge. They graduated from law faculties, became lawyers, returned and very effectively defended the interests of their caste in the courts. As paradoxical as it may sound, being a member of a lower caste turned out to be, in some sense, even beneficial. And the income, and the work is tireless, and, moreover, there is no competition. So the new stereotype of behavior turned out to be extremely resilient - from the 7th-8th centuries. (when it was established) survived until the 20th century.

However, the attitude towards representatives of the lowest of the Shudras - the untouchables - turned out to be just as resilient. One of the particularly large caste groups in India is formed by many different endogamous castes of tanners, called by the common name “Chamars” (jati dhor, chamar, chambhar, mahar and many others). Chamars skin animals and clean the skeleton, tan leather, make shoes , leather utensils, belts and other crafts. For upper caste Hindus, live cattle are the most sacred animals, dead cattle are the most polluting. Therefore, one of the least prestigious caste occupations is cleaning up the remains of dead livestock. The Chamars have developed a reputation as carrion eaters, although they now usually claim that they have recently abandoned this practice in favor of higher status. Like, we have parted with our previous delusions, don’t judge them harshly.

Garbage, slop and feces collectors (bhangi, chandal, churkha, etc.) are the most “defiled” group of castes, located at the very bottom of the Hindu hierarchy. The scavengers will also sing to anyone willing to listen a “fecal jalis” song about how they come from very high castes, but at some point were accidentally desecrated, like, unfazed looked around. Or even - deliberately, they say, some ill-wishers sent an untouchable, disguised as a brahman, and I, supposedly, out of the simplicity of my soul, showed him inappropriate respect, thereby irrevocably getting dirty and damaging my own karma. I suffer innocently, they say, for my sincerity. (Purely like domestic homeless people, all of them in the past were “major bosses, talented unrecognized poets, artists, actors”, whom the villainous fate threw to the very bottom). In addition to the untouchables, there are also the untouchables and the irrespective - this division is generally beyond the boundaries of good and evil.

It is believed that even the wind blowing from the direction of someone who is not approachable defiles a representative of the highest varna. The unseen are ordered to appear on the street only at night, or literally move in short dashes without taking their eyes off the ground, since these poor fellows supposedly have a desecrating gaze. In short, humanity has been fairly successful in only one thing - in the matter of mocking one's neighbor. And the neighbor, relegated to the margins of existence, is ready to repay adequately to the first person he comes across.

In general, tourists in India should not flapping their ears too much. How not to wander around at night, so pumped up on alcohol that your ears are spitting. Local thieving and fraudulent jatis have become adept at swindling reckless revelers very quickly and fruitfully (for themselves and their loved ones, of course). Not without divine supervision, from their point of view, of course. Indian “gentlemen of fortune” consider the “Heffalump” as their patron, the god of thieves’ luck, and will not go to work without offering prayers to Ganesha and scratching the divine belly. The marginalized are especially criminalized in Goa. If in the vicinity of Delhi tourists can count on prompt assistance from the police, then in the state of Goa the local “laws of the jungle” outweigh the declared legislation. In order for a crime committed against a foreigner to be properly recorded in police reports, one has to go through tantalum torture:

they “don’t understand” the tourist, the testimony is written down in local dialects, and the translator has disappeared somewhere, “he’s about to come” (but either you’ll be tormented by the wait, or you won’t get guarantees that they translated to you exactly what your testimony contains on paper) . Why be surprised - tourists for poor aborigines (and the police are no exception) seem to be rich, careless bums, literally walking bags of bucks. Even if a criminal case is formally accepted for proceedings, one cannot count on its actual disclosure. In this life, at least.

One can talk endlessly about India, its past and present. For India is a book without end and beginning, everyone opens it on their own page and reads as best they can. Someone finds their dream, someone finds happiness, others change their worldview, others change their citizenship. But for some, it is preferable for India to remain an eternal fairy tale, an untouched vessel of universal wisdom, a genie slumbering over mountains of treasures. For me, for example, let my precious pearl lie in obscurity and inviolability, where there are no tourists, false sadhus and caste-oriented policemen.

To be continued

Dravidians- the Sanskrit name for a large group of Indian tribes, representing in physical structure and language a race completely different from the Aryan Hindus. Descendants of the original inhabitants of India, pushed to the south by the Aryans who came from the northwest about 4,000 years ago, the Dravidians remained mainly in the Deccan and in the mountains of northern India. The population of Ceylon also belongs to the Dravidian race. The Brahuis living in Balochistan are also related to the Dravidians. The most pure Dravidian type was preserved in the pastoral Toda tribe: dark, almost black skin color, Roman nose, large black eyes, thick black curly hair, strong physique. Ethnologically, the Dravidians are divided into 3 groups: the Munda tribes, or Mundari, which include the Kol tribes, or Kolarians, the semi-wild population of Chota Nagpur, then the Dravidian tribes themselves and the Sinhalese. The total number of Dravidians is about 50 million.

Ganesha(“Chief of the Retinue”) - the son of Shiva and Parvati, the god of luck and entrepreneurship, the head of his father’s retinue (the retinue consists of gods of the lower rank). Ganesha is depicted as a teenager with four arms and a head similar to that of an elephant. This is the only god in Hinduism who has a trunk instead of a nose. Hindus strive to have a sculpture of Ganesha at home. They do not start any business without praying to Ganesha. And in order to especially please Ganesha, they scratch his belly in the morning.

Literature:

1. Kutsenkov A.A., Evolution of Indian castes. M., 1983
2. Bongard-Levin G.M., Ilyin G.F. India in ancient times. M., 1985

Additional information for the series of articles

Kuchipudi: a dance that has become the quintessence of Indian cultural heritage

A series of articles about India on the pages of the World Travel Encyclopedia is sponsored by the Moscow Kuchipudi Center, whose leaders are Padma Puttu and Alexey Fedorov. Together with the Encyclopedia, the Kuchipudi Center is starting a new project -. We are starting the project with ancient India, the culture and magic of whose attraction has always found a response in Russia. Child psychologists, neurologists, speech therapists and simply advanced teachers have long noticed that performing hastas and mudras, techniques of classical Indian dance, has a colossal psychophysical effect.

The so-called “finger games” contribute to the development of children’s speech and intelligence. Doctors use hastas and mudras to stimulate acupuncture points located on the fingers - and successfully treat vascular diseases, and restore patients even after severe strokes. And Hindus firmly believe that hastas and mudras activate the “ajna chakra” - the “third eye of Shiva.” Respectable ladies believe that Indian dance classes will restore their almost lost elegance and attractiveness. Young women are attracted to the exotic. Active and cheerful optimists are frightened by the ascetic work of yoga, but dance, on the contrary, attracts uncontrollably. And it gives the body and spirit no less than the practice of yoga. Perhaps even more.

Kuchipudi is an ancient sacred art of temple dance, significantly enriched and changed thanks to the guru Vempati Chinna Satyam.

Vempatti Chinna Satyam was born in the village of Kuchelapuram in 1929. Nine generations of his Brahmin ancestors dedicated their lives to Kuchipudi. He became a student of the legendary Vedantam Lakshmi Narayan Sastri and adopted the ideas of innovation from him. At the age of 18, Vempatti went to the cultural center of South India - Madras. The path to recognition was long and difficult, but in 1963 the guru founded the Kuchipudi Art Academy and trained more than 1000 students. Among them are such legendary dancers as Vyjanthimala, Yamini Krishnamurti, Manju Bagavi, Shobha Naidu, Hemma Malini, Kamadev and others.

Vempatti Chinna Satyam has given about 3,000 concerts in India and abroad, composed about 180 solo dances and staged 17 dance dramas. In addition, he systematized Kuchipudi and gave it a more perfect form without compromising the pristine purity of the dance.

The goal of yogic practices is personal change and improvement. The task of the Kuchipudi performer is not only to merge with the higher forces and energies of the Universe, but also to involve his audience in this divine action.

The psychotherapeutic effect of kuchipudi is not a myth. Having once become a spectator of the sacred rite, a person experiences an extraordinary uplift of spirit and a significant improvement in health. That’s why there are no empty seats in the auditorium during Padma’s performances. And each event ends with the appearance of new Kuchipudi fans who want to find harmony in the soul, family, favorite business, and at the same time comprehend the art of being a Woman worthy of divine attention. Skeptics may lazily chuckle through their lips - they say, tell your fairy tales to gullible fools!

I ran to class, swiveled my hips - and you have success in life in a golden crispy package. If only it were that simple. And the skeptics will be absolutely right - with this approach, success is not guaranteed, because our hypothetical skeptic has seen enough of pop dancing and, paradoxically, made an almost correct conclusion. Indian pop music and film dance, as its variant, are echoes of the rule of the Great Mughals, when the deepest religious and ethical philosophy of dance was not needed in the luxurious palaces of Muslim feudal lords, the main thing (just like the new Russians, “to make it beautiful”). Now say the word “yoga” to ten ladies - at least half will wrinkle their noses in disgust - ewww, tantra-mantras, tediousness... But say “kuchipudi” - the same, at least half will say with interest “from now on, more details, please.” To go into more detail, go to the guru. And to understand the essence of the process, we can say this: Kuchipudi is not just an elegant, mesmerizing spectacle that amazes the stage, Kuchipudi is yoga, history, theater, philosophy and physical health in one bottle.

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 traded 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 trading. This is also the main segment of the population that works in offices.

Vaishyas have never liked hard physical labor and dirty work - for this they have shudras. 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 do not have the right to inquire into what caste a person belongs to if he himself does not want to talk about it.

Conclusion

Thank you very much for your attention, dear readers! I would like to believe that the answers to your questions about Indian castes were comprehensive, and the article told you a lot of new things.

See you soon!

It will come across, I know many Indian travelers who live there for months, but are not interested in castes because they are not necessary for life.
The caste system today, like a century ago, is not exotic, it is part of the complex organization of Indian society, a multifaceted phenomenon that has been studied by Indologists and ethnographers for centuries, dozens of thick books have been written about it, so I will publish here only 10 interesting facts about Indian castes - about the most popular questions and misconceptions.

1. What is an Indian caste?

Indian caste is such a complex phenomenon that it is simply impossible to give an exhaustively complete definition!
Castes can only be described through a number of characteristics, but there will still be exceptions.
Caste in India is a system of social stratification, a separate social group related by the origin and legal status of its members. Castes in India are built according to the following principles: 1) general (this rule is always observed); 2) one profession, usually hereditary; 3) members of castes enter into relationships only among themselves, as a rule; 4) members of the caste generally do not eat with strangers, with the exception of other Hindu castes of significantly higher social position than their own; 5) caste members can be determined by who they can accept water and food, processed and raw.

2. There are 4 castes in India

Now in India there are not 4, but about 3 thousand castes, they can be called differently in different parts of the country, and people with the same profession can have different castes in different states. For a complete list of modern castes by state, see http://socialjustice...
What nameless people on tourist and other near-Indian sites call 4 castes are not castes at all, they are 4 varnas - chaturvarnya - an ancient social system.

4 Varnas (वर्ना) is an ancient Indian class system. Brahmins (more correctly a brahmin) historically are clergy, doctors, teachers. Varna Kshatriyas (in ancient times it was called Rajanya) are rulers and warriors. Varna vaishyas are farmers and traders, and varna sudras are laborers and landless peasants who work for others.
Varna is a color (in Sanskrit again), and each Indian varna has its own color: the Brahmins have white, the Kshatriyas have red, the Vaishyas have yellow, the Shudras have black, and before, when all representatives of the varnas wore a sacred thread - he was just their varna.

Varnas correlate with castes, but in very different ways, sometimes there is no direct connection, and since we have already delved into science, it must be said that Indian castes, unlike varnas, are called jati - जाति.
Read more about Indian castes in modern India

3. Caste Untouchables

The untouchables are not a caste. During the times of ancient India, everyone who was not part of the 4 varnas automatically found themselves “outside” of Indian society; these strangers were avoided and not allowed to live in villages, which is why they were called untouchables. Subsequently, these untouchable strangers began to be used in the dirtiest, lowest-paid and shameful work, and formed their own social and professional groups, that is, untouchable castes, in modern India there are several of them, as a rule this is associated with either dirty work or murder living creatures or death, so that all hunters and fishermen, as well as gravediggers and tanners, are untouchable.

4. When did Indian castes appear?

Normatively, that is, legislatively, the caste-jati system in India was recorded in the Laws of Manu, which date back to the 2nd century BC.
The Varna system is much older; there is no exact dating. I wrote in more detail about the history of the issue in the article Castes of India, from varnas to modern times

5. Castes have been abolished in India

Castes in modern India are not abolished or prohibited, as is often written.
On the contrary, all castes in India are counted and listed in the annex to the Indian Constitution, which is called the Table of Castes. In addition, after the population census, changes are made to this table, usually additions; the point is not that new castes appear, but that they are recorded in accordance with the data indicated about themselves by the census participants.
Only discrimination on the basis of caste is prohibited, this is written in Article 15 of the Indian Constitution, see the test at http://lawmin.nic.in...

6. Every Indian has a caste

No, this is also not true.
Indian society is very heterogeneous in its structure, and besides the division into castes there are several others.
There are caste and non-caste, for example, representatives of Indian tribes (aboriginals, adivasis), with rare exceptions, do not have castes. And the part of non-caste Indians is quite large, see the census results http://censusindia.g...
In addition, for some misdemeanors (crimes) a person can be expelled from the caste and thus deprived of his status and position in society.

7. Castes exist only in India

No, this is a fallacy. There are castes in other countries, for example, in Nepal and Sri Lanka, since these countries developed in the bosom of the same huge Indian civilization, as well as on. But there are castes in other cultures, for example, in Tibet, and Tibetan castes do not correlate with Indian castes at all, since the class structure of Tibetan society was formed from India.
For the castes of Nepal, see Ethnic mosaic of Nepal

8. Only Hindus have castes

No, this is not the case now, we need to go deeper into history.
Historically, when the overwhelming majority of the Indian population professed - all Hindus belonged to some caste, the only exceptions were pariahs expelled from castes and the indigenous, tribal peoples of India who did not profess Hinduism and were not part of Indian society. Then other religions began to spread in India - India was invaded by other peoples, and representatives of other religions and peoples began to adopt from the Hindus their class system of varnas and the system of professional castes - jati. Now there are castes in Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Christianity, but they are different from the Hindu castes.
It is curious that in northern India, in the modern states, the Buddhist caste system is not of Indian, but of Tibetan origin.
It is even more curious that even European Christian missionary preachers were drawn into the Indian caste system: those who preached the teachings of Christ to high-born Brahmins ended up in the Christian “Brahmin” caste, and those who communicated with untouchable fishermen became Christian untouchables.

9. You need to know the caste of the Indian you are communicating with and behave accordingly.

This is a common misconception, propagated by travel sites, for no known reason and not based on anything.
It is impossible to determine which caste an Indian belongs to just by his appearance, and often by his occupation too. One acquaintance worked as a waiter, although he came from a noble Rajput family (that is, he is a kshatriya). I was able to identify a Nepalese waiter I knew by his behavior as an aristocrat, since we had known each other for a long time, I asked and he confirmed that this was true, and the guy was not working because of a lack of money at all.
My old friend started his working career at the age of 9 as a laborer, cleaning up trash in a shop... do you think he is a Shudra? no, he is a Brahmin (Brahmin) from a poor family and his 8th child... another 1 Brahmin I know sells in a shop, he is the only son, he needs to earn money...
Another friend of mine is so religious and bright that one would think that he is a real, ideal Brahmin. But no, he was just a sudra, and he was proud of it, and those who know what seva means will understand why.
And even if an Indian says what caste he is, although such a question is considered rude, it will still give nothing to the tourist; a person who does not know India will not understand what and why things are done in this amazing country. So there is no need to be puzzled by the caste issue, because in India it is sometimes difficult to even determine the gender of the interlocutor, and this is probably more important :)

10. Caste discrimination in modern times

India is a democratic country and, in addition to prohibiting caste discrimination, has introduced benefits for representatives of lower castes and tribes, for example, there are quotas for admission to higher education institutions and for holding positions in state and municipal bodies.
discrimination against people from lower castes, Dalits and tribal people in India is quite serious, casteism is still the basis of life for hundreds of millions of Indians outside large cities, it is there that the caste structure and all the prohibitions arising from it are still preserved, for example, in some temples in India Indian Shudras are not allowed in, this is where almost all caste crimes take place, for example, a very typical crime

Instead of an afterword.
If you are seriously interested in the caste system in India, I can recommend, in addition to the articles section on this site and publications on the Hindunet, reading major European Indologists of the 20th century:
1. Academic 4-volume work by R.V. Russell "and the castes of the central provinces of India"
2. Monograph by Louis Dumont "Homo hierarchicus. Experience in describing the caste system"
In addition, in recent years, a number of books on this topic have been published in India; unfortunately, I myself have not held them in my hands.
If you are not ready to read scientific literature, read the novel “The God of Small Things” by the very popular modern Indian writer Arundhati Roy, it can be found in RuNet.

On September 24, 1932, the right to vote in India was granted to the untouchable caste. the site decided to tell its readers how the Indian caste system was formed and how it exists in the modern world.

Indian society is divided into classes called castes. This division occurred many thousands of years ago and continues to this day. Hindus believe that by following the rules established in your caste, in your next life you can be born as a representative of a slightly higher and more respected caste, and occupy a much better position in society.

After leaving the Indus Valley, Indian arias conquered the country along the Ganges and founded many states here, whose population consisted of two classes, differing in legal and financial status. The new Aryan settlers, the victors, took over India and land, and honor, and power, and the defeated non-Indo-European natives were plunged into contempt and humiliation, forced into slavery or into a dependent state, or, driven into the forests and mountains, there they led a meager life in inaction of thought without any culture. This result of the Aryan conquest gave rise to the origin of the four main Indian castes (varnas).

Those original inhabitants of India who were subdued by the power of the sword suffered the fate of captives and became mere slaves. The Indians, who submitted voluntarily, renounced their father's gods, adopted the language, laws and customs of the victors, retained personal freedom, but lost all land property and had to live as workers on the estates of the Aryans, servants and porters, in the houses of rich people. From them came a caste sudra . "Sudra" is not a Sanskrit word. Before becoming the name of one of the Indian castes, it was probably the name of some people. The Aryans considered it beneath their dignity to enter into marriage unions with representatives of the Shudra caste. Shudra women were only concubines among the Aryans.

Over time, sharp differences in status and professions emerged between the Aryan conquerors of India themselves. But in relation to the lower caste - the dark-skinned, conquered native population - they all remained a privileged class. Only the Aryans had the right to read the sacred books; only they were consecrated by a solemn ceremony: a sacred thread was placed on the Aryan, making him “reborn” (or “twice-born”, dvija). This ritual served as a symbolic distinction between all Aryans and the Shudra caste and the despised native tribes driven into the forests. Consecration was performed by placing a cord, which was worn placed on the right shoulder and descending diagonally across the chest. Among the Brahmin caste, the cord could be placed on a boy from 8 to 15 years old, and it is made of cotton yarn; among the Kshatriya caste, who received it no earlier than the 11th year, it was made from kusha (Indian spinning plant), and among the Vaishya caste, who received it no earlier than the 12th year, it was made of wool.

Indian society was divided into castes many thousands of years ago

The "twice-born" Aryans were divided over time, according to differences in occupation and origin, into three estates or castes, with some similarities to the three estates of medieval Europe: the clergy, the nobility and the urban middle class. The beginnings of the caste system among the Aryans existed back in the days when they lived only in the Indus basin: there, from the mass of the agricultural and pastoral population, warlike princes of the tribes, surrounded by people skilled in military affairs, as well as priests who performed sacrificial rites, already stood out.

When the Aryan tribes moved further into India, into the country of the Ganges, militant energy increased in bloody wars with the exterminated natives, and then in a fierce struggle between the Aryan tribes. Until the conquests were completed, the entire people were busy with military affairs. Only when the peaceful possession of the conquered country began did it become possible for a variety of occupations to develop, the possibility of choosing between different professions arose, and a new stage in the origin of castes began. The fertility of the Indian soil aroused the desire for peaceful means of subsistence. From this, the innate tendency of the Aryans quickly developed, according to which it was more pleasant for them to work quietly and enjoy the fruits of their labor than to make difficult military efforts. Therefore, a significant part of the settlers (“vishes”) turned to agriculture, which produced abundant harvests, leaving the fight against enemies and the protection of the country to the princes of the tribes and the military nobility formed during the period of conquest. This class, engaged in arable farming and partly shepherding, soon grew so that among the Aryans, as in Western Europe, it formed the vast majority of the population. Because the name vaishya "settler", which originally meant all Aryan inhabitants in new areas, came to mean only people of the third, working Indian caste, and warriors, kshatriyas and priests, brahmanas (“prayers”), who over time became the privileged classes, made the names of their professions the names of the two highest castes.

The four Indian classes listed above became completely closed castes (varnas) only when they rose above the ancient service of Indra and other gods of nature. Brahmanism, - new religious teaching about Brahma , the soul of the universe, the source of life, from which all beings originated and to which they will return. This reformed creed gave religious sanctity to the division of the Indian nation into castes, especially the priestly caste. It said that in the cycle of life forms passed through by everything existing on earth, brahman is the highest form of existence. According to the dogma of rebirth and transmigration of souls, a creature born in human form must go through all four castes in turn: to be a Shudra, a Vaishya, a Kshatriya and, finally, a Brahman; having passed through these forms of existence, it is reunited with Brahma. The only way to achieve this goal is for a person, constantly striving for deity, to exactly fulfill everything commanded by the brahmanas, to honor them, to please them with gifts and signs of respect. Offenses against Brahmanas, severely punished on earth, subject the wicked to the most terrible torments of hell and rebirth in the forms of despised animals.

According to the dogma of transmigration of souls, a person must go through all four castes

The belief in the dependence of the future life on the present was the main support of the Indian caste division and the rule of the priests. The more decisively the Brahman clergy placed the dogma of transmigration of souls at the center of all moral teaching, the more successfully it filled the imagination of the people with terrible pictures of hellish torment, the more honor and influence it acquired. Representatives of the highest caste of Brahmins are close to the gods; they know the path leading to Brahma; their prayers, sacrifices, holy feats of their asceticism have magical power over the gods, the gods have to fulfill their will; bliss and suffering in the future life depend on them. It is not surprising that with the development of religiosity among the Indians, the power of the Brahman caste increased, tirelessly praising in its holy teachings respect and generosity towards the Brahmans as the surest ways to obtain bliss, instilling in the kings that the ruler is obliged to have Brahmans as his advisers and make judges, is obliged to reward their service with rich content and pious gifts.

So that the lower Indian castes did not envy the privileged position of the Brahmans and did not encroach on it, the doctrine was developed and strenuously preached that the forms of life for all beings are predetermined by Brahma, and that the progression through the degrees of human rebirth is accomplished only by a calm, peaceful life in the given position of man, the right one. performance of duties. Thus, in one of the oldest parts of the Mahabharata it is said: “When Brahma created beings, he gave them their occupations, each caste a special activity: for the brahmanas - the study of the high Vedas, for the warriors - heroism, for the vaishyas - the art of labor, for the sudras - humility before other flowers: therefore ignorant Brahmanas, unglorious warriors, unskillful Vaishyas and disobedient Shudras are worthy of blame.”

This dogma, which attributed divine origin to every caste, every profession, consoled the humiliated and despised in the insults and deprivations of their present life with the hope of an improvement in their lot in a future existence. He gave religious sanctification to the Indian caste hierarchy. The division of people into four classes, unequal in their rights, was from this point of view an eternal, unchangeable law, the violation of which is the most criminal sin. People do not have the right to overthrow the caste barriers established between them by God himself; They can achieve improvement in their fate only through patient submission.

The mutual relations between the Indian castes were clearly characterized by the teaching; that Brahma produced Brahmanas from his mouth (or the first man Purusha), Kshatriyas from his hands, Vaishyas from his thighs, Shudras from his feet dirty in mud, therefore the essence of nature for Brahmanas is “holiness and wisdom”, for Kshatriyas - “power and strength”, among the Vaishyas - “wealth and profit”, among the Shudras - “service and obedience”. The doctrine of the origin of castes from different parts of the highest being is set forth in one of the hymns of the last, most recent book of the Rig Veda. There are no concepts of caste in the older songs of the Rig Veda. Brahmins attach extreme importance to this hymn, and every true believer Brahmin recites it every morning after bathing. This hymn is the diploma with which the Brahmins legitimized their privileges, their dominion.

Some Brahmins are not allowed to eat meat.

Thus, the Indian people were led by their history, their inclinations and customs to fall under the yoke of the caste hierarchy, which turned classes and professions into tribes alien to each other, drowning out all human aspirations, all the inclinations of humanity.

Main characteristics of castes

Each Indian caste has its own characteristics and unique characteristics, rules of existence and behavior.

Brahmins are the highest caste

Brahmins in India are priests and priests in temples. Their position in society has always been considered the highest, even higher than the position of ruler. Currently, representatives of the Brahmin caste are also involved in the spiritual development of the people: they teach various practices, look after temples, and work as teachers.

Brahmins have a lot of prohibitions:

Men are not allowed to work in the fields or do any manual labor, but women can do various household chores.

A representative of the priestly caste can only marry someone like himself, but as an exception, a wedding with a Brahman from another community is allowed.

A Brahmana cannot eat what a person of another caste has prepared; a Brahmana would rather starve than eat forbidden food. But he can feed a representative of absolutely any caste.

Some brahmanas are not allowed to eat meat.

Kshatriyas - warrior caste

Representatives of the Kshatriyas always performed the duties of soldiers, guards and policemen.

Currently, nothing has changed - kshatriyas are engaged in military affairs or go to administrative work. They can marry not only in their own caste: a man can marry a girl from a lower caste, but a woman is prohibited from marrying a man from a lower caste. Kshatriyas can eat animal products, but they also avoid forbidden foods.

Vaishyas, like no one else, monitor the correct preparation of food

Vaishya

Vaishyas have always been the working class: they farmed, raised livestock, and traded.

Now representatives of the Vaishyas are engaged in economic and financial affairs, various trades, and the banking sector. Probably, this caste is the most scrupulous in matters related to food intake: vaishyas, like no one else, monitor the correct preparation of food and will never eat contaminated dishes.

Shudras - the lowest caste

The Shudra caste has always existed in the role of peasants or even slaves: they did the dirtiest and hardest work. Even in our time, this social stratum is the poorest and often lives below the poverty line. Shudras can marry even divorced women.

The Untouchables

The untouchable caste stands out separately: such people are excluded from all social relations. They do the dirtiest work: cleaning streets and toilets, burning dead animals, tanning leather.

Amazingly, representatives of this caste were not even allowed to step on the shadows of representatives of higher classes. And only very recently they were allowed to enter churches and approach people of other classes.

Unique Features of Castes

Having a brahmana in your neighborhood, you can give him a lot of gifts, but you shouldn’t expect anything in return. Brahmins never give gifts: they accept, but do not give.

In terms of land ownership, Shudras can be even more influential than Vaishyas.

The untouchables were not allowed to step on the shadows of people from the upper classes

Shudras of the lower stratum practically do not use money: they are paid for their work in food and household supplies.You can move to a lower caste, but it is impossible to get a caste of a higher rank.

Castes and modernity

Today, Indian castes have become even more structured, with many different subgroups called jatis.

During the last census of representatives of various castes, there were more than 3 thousand jatis. True, this census took place more than 80 years ago.

Many foreigners consider the caste system to be a relic of the past and believe that the caste system no longer works in modern India. In fact, everything is completely different. Even the Indian government could not come to a consensus regarding this stratification of society. Politicians actively work on dividing society into layers during elections, adding protection of the rights of a particular caste to their election promises.

In modern India, more than 20 percent of the population belongs to the untouchable caste: they have to live in their own separate ghettos or outside the boundaries of the populated area. Such people are not allowed to enter stores, government and medical institutions, or even use public transport.

In modern India, more than 20% of the population belongs to the untouchable caste

The untouchable caste has a completely unique subgroup: society’s attitude towards it is quite contradictory. These include homosexuals, transvestites and eunuchs who make their living through prostitution and asking tourists for coins. But what a paradox: the presence of such a person at the holiday is considered a very good sign.

Another amazing podcast of the untouchables is Pariah. These are people completely expelled from society - marginalized. Previously, one could become a pariah even by touching such a person, but now the situation has changed a little: one becomes a pariah either by being born from an intercaste marriage, or from pariah parents.

Sources

1. http://indianochka.ru/kultura/obshhestvo/kasty.html

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.

The 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 2930 km in the latitudinal direction, and 3220 km in the meridional direction. 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, which had a great 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 migration to big cities has led to a sharp increase in the urban population in recent decades. 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 home to the Indo-Aryan language family (74% of the population) and the 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, 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 significant 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 instructions 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.

Currently, 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 a government policy is being pursued to reward those who have been oppressed for centuries at the expense of representatives of other castes. It is widely believed that in the modern Indian state castes are losing their former significance. 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 score (the lower the caste, the lower the number of points required for a passing grade). 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), the standard phrase “Cast no bar” is placed, 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 instructions, the laws of Manu are distinguished by exceptional meticulousness and attentiveness to the most insignificant details of 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 brahmanas 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 abstain from 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 membership in a major sect and characterize a given 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 accumulation.

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 an important role in solving social and political issues in 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 salary 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 highest 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 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 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?!! - a journalist asked us in the last seconds of the documentary “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 the one who follows the rules of his caste will rise by birth to a higher caste in a future life, while the one who breaks these rules will become unknown in the 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. and so on. 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.

Bibliography:
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