The term caste is derived from the Portuguese word caste meaning breed or lineage.

The Portuguese used the term caste to denote the divisions in the Indian caste system. The word case also signifies race or kind. The Sanskrit word for caste is varna, which means colour. Races and colour seem to be the basis of Indian caste in addition to the division of labour and occupation. The popular equivalent of caste is jati. The caste stratification of the Indian society has had its origin in the Chaturvarna system. According to the Chaturvarna doctrine, the Hindu society was divided into four main varnas namely: the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas, and the Shudras. The Varna system which was prevalent during the Vedic period was mainly based on the division of labour and occupation. The case system owes its origin to the Varna system. The present caste system can be said to be the degenerated form of the original Varna system. Varnas which were four in number and castes which are found in hundreds and thousands are not one and the same.

Definition of Caste

MacIver & Page : When status is wholly predetermined so that men are born to their lot without any hope of changing it, then the class takes the extreme form of caste. C.H. Cooley : When as class is somewhat strictly hereditary, we may call it a caste. Ketkar : A caste is a group having two characteristics; (i) membership is confined to those who are born of members and includes all persons so born, (ii) the members are forbidden by an inexorable social law to marry outside the group.

Features of Caste G.S. Ghurye The caste system is highly complex in nature. As Dr. G.S. Ghurye says, any attempt to define caste is bound to fail because of the complexity of the phenomenon. He describes the characteristics of caste in his Caste and Class in India 1950-1956. The following have been the main traditional features of the caste system. 1. Caste as a hierarchical division of society: The Hindu society is a gradational one. It is divided into several small groups called castes and sub-castes. A sense of highness and lowness or superiority and inferiority is associated with this gradation or ranking. The Brahmins are placed at the top of the hierarchy and are regarded as pure, supreme or superior. The degraded caste or the so called untouchables have occupied the other end of the hierarchy. All over India neither the supremacy of the Brahmins nor the degraded positions of the outcastes

have been questioned. It is taken for granted, but regarding the exact position of the intermediary castes there are disputes on the part of the members. 2. Caste as a segmental division of society: The Hindu society is a caste-ridden society. It is divided into a number of segments called castes. It is not a homogeneous society. Castes are groups with defined boundary of their own. The status of an individual is determined by his birth and position of man. The membership of the caste is hence unchangeable, unacquirable, inalienable, unattainable and non-transferable. Further, each caste in a way has its own way of life. Each caste has its own customs, traditions, practices and rituals. It has its own informal rules, regulations and procedures. There were caste councils or caste panchayats to regulate the conduct of members also. The caste used to help its members when they were found in distress. Indeed, the caste was its own ruler. 3. Restrictions on Food Habits: The caste system has imposed certain restrictions on the food habits of its members. They differ from caste to caste. Who should accept what kind of food and from whom, is often decided by the caste. Generally, any kind of food that is prepared by the Brahmins is acceptable to all the caste people. This factor explains as to why the Brahmins dominated the hotel industry for a long time. Further, restrictions are also there still on the use of certain vegetables for certain castes. Even today, some traditional Brahmins do not consume onions, garlic, cabbage, carrot, beetroot etc. Eating beef is not allowed except for the Harijans. 4. Restrictions of Social Relations: The caste system puts restrictions on the range of social relations also. The idea of pollution makes this point very clear. It means a touch of a lower caste man would pollute or defile a man of higher caste. Even his shadow is considered enough to pollute a higher caste man. This has resulted in the practice of untouchability. This process has made the lower caste people to be segregated completely from the higher caste. 5. Social and Religious disabilities of certain castes: In the traditional caste society some lower caste people suffered from certain civil or social and religious disabilities. Generally, the impure castes are made to live on the outskirts of the city or the village. In South India, certain parts of the towns or the villages are not accessible to the Harijans. Even today, in many places they are not allowed to draw water from the public wells. During the early days, public places like hotels, hostels, public lecture halls, schools, temples, theatres were not kept open for the lower caste people. Entrance to temples and other places of religious importance was forbidden for them. Education facilities, legal rights and political representation were denied to them for a long time. 6. The Civil and Religious privileges of certain castes: If the lower caste people suffer from certain disabilities, some higher caste people like the Brahmins enjoy certain privileges. Nowhere the Brahmins suffered from the disabilities cited above. They are given more liberty, because they are believed to be born pure and superior. The Brahmins never saluted others, but they always had the privilege of being saluted by others. They never even bowed to the idols of the lower caste people. Education and teaching were almost the monopoly of the higher caste

people. Chanting the Vedic Mantras was great privilege of the Brahmins. The upper caste people in general, enjoyed social, political, legal and religious privileges. 7. Restrictions on Occupational Choice: In the caste-ridden society there is a gradation of occupations also. Some occupations are considered to be superior and sacred while others degrading and inferior. For a long time, occupations were very much associated with the caste system. Each caste had its own specific occupation. The caste members were expected to continue the same occupations. Occupations were almost hereditary. 8. Restrictions on Marriage: The caste system imposes restrictions on marriage also. Case is an endogamous group. Endogamy is a rule of marriage according to which an individual has to marry within his or her group. Each caste is sub-divided into several sub-castes, which are again endogamous. Inter-Caste marriages were strictly forbidden then. Even at present, inter-caste marriages have not become popular.

Sapinda and Sagotra Exogamy Sapinda Exogamy In Hindu society marriage within the Pinda is prohibited. Pinda means common parentage. According to Brahaspathi, offspring from five maternal generations and seven paternal generations are Sapinda and they cannot intermarry. Sagotra Exogamy Sagotra Exogamy, that is, marrying outside ones own gotra is very much prevalent among the upper caste such as Brahmins and Kshatriyas. Marriage within the gotra is prohibited. This restriction has been imposed since people of one gotra are believed to have similar blood.