Question

Trace the origins of the caste system, making aure to include a discussion of Varna and Jati.

Answer 1

The origins of the caste system originated from the early Aryans, when they started to interact with the aboriginal inhabitants of India, the Dravidian people. They considered the Dravidian people to be subordinate, so social distinctions were first created upon the basis of ancestry. The Aryans used the word "Varna" to refer to the Sanskrit term meaning "color". This rose from the distinctions in complexion between the Aryans who referred to themselves as "wheat-colored" and the darker skinned Dravidians. The Aryans later developed their social distinctions into the caste system, which consisted of four main levels: Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors and aristocrats), Vaishyas (cultivators, artisans, and merchants), and Shudras (landless peasants and serfs). Over time, the caste system came to hold a complicated hierarchy of subcastes known as Jati. Memebers of similar occupations belonged to the same Jati. They formed a division of systematic communities where members of the same jati could intermarry, and even oust members for violating the rules they created.