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Definition:
A caste system is one which divides people into a hierarchy based upon heredity.
Some believe that the caste system was originally based upon color lines between
the conquering Aryans and the darker, native Dravidians. In Sanskrit, the term
varna, or caste, means color. The higher castes, Brahmans and Kshatriyas,
were compsed of Aryans whereas the Vaisyas and Sudras were composed of native
peoples.
The term caste is Portugese in origin and, in India, each caste is divided into a number of jati, according to which a person's social and spiritual status is established at birth. The members of the same caste are supposed to have equal rank and basically the same profession or occupation. They are not allowed to eat or intermarry with those not of their own caste.
The original four castes in India are the Brahmin, or religious order; the Kshatriyas, or soldiers and secular rulers; the Vaishyas, or farmers and merchants; and the Sudras, or laborers and mechanics. People with no caste are pariahs, or outcasts and numerous mixed castes have developed over time.
Also Known As: varna
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
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