The Ancient Indian Caste System By Sofia, Kaiya, and Melisa

Class and Caste in India ➢ Shares features with China ○ Birth determines social status ○ Little social mobility (rebirth) ○ Sharp distinctions and great inequalities ○ Religion or culture defined inequality as natural, external, or godly ➢ Etymology (origin of word) ○ From the Portuguese word casta ○ Means “race” or “purity”

Origins Of Caste System ➢ Theory ○ Racially defined encounter ■ Aryans: light skinned ■ Native Indians: dark skinned ➢ Caste is not a racial system ○ Mainly economical and job specialized ➢ Conclusion ○ Caste system due to South Asian cultures merging and spreading Ancient Aryan Warriors

Caste as Varna ➢ Around 500 BCE ○ Society split into 4 classes ○ Classes were called varnas ○ Classes deeply embedded into Indian thinking ➢ Purusha ○ 4 classes were formed from his body ○ Eternal and changeless ➢ Four Ranked Classes ○ Brahmin (highest caste, mainly priests) ○ Kshatriya (second highest caste, warriors) ○ Vaisya (third caste, commoners) ○ Shudras (lowest caste, servants to higher castes) ➢ “Fifth” Caste ○ Untouchables (street sweepers, latrine workers) ○ Outside the Varna system (“out-caste”/outcast) ○ Weren’t worthy of being associated with Purusha

Caste (Varna)Color/SymbolismPart of Purusha BrahminWhite/spiritualityHead KshatriyaRed/courageShoulders VaisyaYellow/wealthThighs SudraBlack/ignoranceFeet Caste as Varna (continued)

Caste as Jati ➢ Specialized occupations ○ Organized in guilds ○ Regulated their own affairs ○ Blended with varna system ➢ Ranked in a hierarchy ○ Marriage only permitted within your jati ○ Jatis had rules and obligations ➢ Each Jati could expel violators ○ Greatest catastrophe ○ No social life or social support ➢ Jati hierarchy changed ○ Acquiring land, adopting higher caste behaviors caused jati promotion Ancient Indian Priest

Vocabulary ➢Dharma: ○ Faithful and selfless performance of present caste duties ➢ Karma: ○ The result of your Dharma; your fate based on your past life Is this an example of good or bad karma? Explain.

Social Life ➢ Pollution ○ Lower-castes had impure presence ○ Untouchables forbidden to share wells with upper-castes ○ Forced to wear wooden clappers ➢ Dharma, Karma, and rebirth ○ Birth into social classes due to karma in past life ○ “If you fulfill your dharma, you will get good karma.” ○ Doing selfless things subdued ego Symbol for Dharma

Compared to China ➢ Religious status is highest caste ➔ Politicians are more valued ➢ Many detailed and diverse social classes ➔ Fewer and broader groups ➢ Rigid groups with little social mobility ➔ More mobility and less rigid ➢ India ➔ China

Functions of Caste ➢ Very concentrated locally ○ Rooted in certain regions ○ Focused on restricting territory ○ Weakened appeal or authority for larger all-Indian states ➢ Jatis provided social security to all castes (even lowest) ➢ Method to accommodate migrating citizens ○ Allowed for merging of cultures ➢ Created distinct order and class consciousness ○ Made organized resistance to castes difficult Kshatriya

Questions 1. What’s the name of the God whom the Caste as Varna was based on? Purusha 2. Which level of the caste wasn’t allowed to eat meat? Brahmins 3. What determined social status? Birth 4. Which class did commoners fall under? Vaisya 5. What two things played a major role in what caste you were born into? Karma and Dharma

Questions (continued) 1. What is the mantra for karma and dharma? “If you fulfill your dharma, you will get good karma.” 2. What would happen if you were expelled from your jati? Lose social support 3. What did lower-castes have to wear to alert others of their presence? Wooden clappers 4. What were Jatis based on? Occupation 5. How could a jati be promoted to a higher level? By acquiring land and adopting upper-caste behaviors

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