Castes in India

Indian castes were introduced in ancient times. There were four main ones: Brahmins (judges, teachers, priests), Ksatriyas (warriors and kings), Weishia (traders and farmers), Shundra (artisans and workers). There were also people who did not belong to any caste. They were called "untouchables". These people carried out, so-called, "dirty work", any related to the completion of life - cleaning, fishing, carcass freshness and so on.

Representatives of the highest caste in India, the Brahmins, according to the legends, came out of the mouth of the god Brahma. For these people, the meaning of life consisted in comprehending philosophy, freeing oneself from the burden of life, material limitations, suffering. This caste includes priests, scientists, teachers, priests, preachers. Often Brahmins work as bureaucrats. One of the most famous representatives of this caste in India was the prime minister (the first in the country) Jawaharlal Nehru.

To kill Brahman was the greatest crime, the punishment for which was also death (the death penalty).

Ksatriyas were considered to have come from the hands of Brahma. Representatives of this caste in India were nobles, managers, servicemen, maharajas, rajas, kings, and the most famous was the Buddha Shakyamuni. This legendary founder of Buddhism was a spiritual teacher of a huge number of people.

For quite a long period, castes in India existed in parallel. Their representatives did not intersect, but they lived their own lives. At the same time, weddings between people belonging to different strata of Indian society were banned.

The "Untouchables" had absolutely no rights. They were forbidden to visit churches and schools. They were also not allowed to draw water from wells, in which caste representatives took it. The look or touch of the "untouchable" was considered "dirty, defiling a person". After that, the representative of the caste needed to perform a ritual bath. In this regard, the "untouchables" in some regions of the country had to work only at night, and in the daytime to sleep. Many of these "dirty people" subsequently adopted another faith, so as not to be subjected to more humiliation.

Castes in modern India are officially banned, gradual and strict separation by profession and craft is eliminated. At the same time, the government of the country pursues a policy aimed at rewarding those who have been oppressed for a long time. "Untouchable" allocate seats in the parliament, various companies, educational institutions.

Along with this, caste separation actually continues to exist. So, a child entering the school is asked about his religion. If the future student professes Hinduism, then they are also interested in caste. So it turns out, is there a place for the child at school in accordance with accepted norms.

Caste is important when enrolling in a university or college - the lower it is, the less you need to score for admission.

It is also important for a person to work. Thus, the enterprises observe a balance.

Remember about the caste division and the structure of future children. Every week, the country's leading newspapers contain an attachment with marriage announcements. In them, the columns are divided by religion, the largest is about the representatives of Hinduism - castes. However, often under the ad you can find the phrase that membership is not important.

Marriages between representatives of different castes are not always approved. However, in some cases, welcome. For example, when the groom refers to a higher than the bride, caste. It should be noted that children belong to the "estate" of their father.

The desire for official understatement of the role of caste in the structure of the state led to the fact that there was no line on caste belonging to the last censuses of the country's population. The last publications of the division date back to 1931.