THE UNIVERSITY OF DODOMA

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY

COURSE NAME: SURVEY OF WORLD HISTORY TO CA 1500 A.D.

COURSE CODE: HS 125
NATURE OF WORK: GROUP ASSINGMENT.
COURSE COORDINATOR: MR. MAGOGO F.P.M
GROUP NO 14.

NO NAME SEX REG. NUMBER DEGR. SIGN

PROG

1 ELIBARIKI, Victor M T/UDOM/2013/02435 BED- ARTS

2 HAMADI, Hashim .K M T/UDOM/2013/06093 BED-ARTS

8 JAMES, Thomas .P M T/UDOM/2013/03295 BED-PSYC

3 KASHANGA, Zubeda F T/UDOM/2013/02422 BED- ARTS

4 MADUNDO, Issa .S M T/UDOM/2013/02512 BED- ARTS

5 MBWANA, Pilly .H F T/UDOM/2013/02485 BED- ARTS

6 MWAMBAGI, Manase M T/UDOM/2013/02543 BED- ARTS

7 NAMGUGU, Ramadhani .S M T/UDOM/2013/02391 BED- ARTS

9 SEVERINE, Raphael M T/UDOM/2013/02402 BED- ARTS

QUESTION 5.

Examine the impacts of the caste system as it was practiced in ancient India.
The word caste is derived from Spanish word caste which means race or hierarchical
qualification. So the English word caste obtained after the adjustment of the origin word casta.
According to Henry Maine, caste system began as the natural division of occupations classes and
later on spread to religious and other social aspects. It come into being when it reached the point
that people in Indian Society divided into superior and inferior groups with various
responsibilities, functions and standard of living.1

Generally, the caste system as applied in Ancient India societies referred to the extreme form of
social class organization to determine ones status hierarchy by decent and birth. Under this
system, people from any lower class or caste should not co-operate or share anything with the
upper caste.2

There were five major castes in ancient Indian societies as they were classified by Aryans
(Aryans were the Indo-speaking nomadic people who moved in the plain of northern India
between 2000BC and 1500BC) 3. At the top were two Castes that were clearly the ruling elites in
Aryan societies even before the arrival in India, The Priest and the Warriors.

The Priest class members were known as Brahmins, they were at the top caste who were in
charge of the religious ceremonies that where so important in Ancient India.

1
The second caste was Kshatriyas or the Warriors, like Brahmins, the Kshatriyas were associate
with a single occupation, that of fighting. As the character of Aryans society change, however the
Kshatriyas often acquired new form of employment and at the same time new acquired family
from other caste were sometimes accepted in the rank of the warriors.

The third caste was Vaisyas or Commoners, The vaisyas were usually the merchants who were
engaged in commerce. Quietly possible that the Vaisyas were originally guardians of the tribal
herds of cattle and rationale in to trade.

The fourth was the Sundras, who make up the great bulk of Indian population The Sundras were
not Aryans and the term probably referred to the “conquered dark skin native”. Most Sundras

1
Jensen Anne .J (1991). Indian, Its Culture and People. Longman Publish Group, New York p.31

2.
Ibid p 3.4 Page 1
were peasant, artisans or people or people who work at the other form of manual labor. They had
only limited right in the society.

At the lowest level of Indian society, and in fact they were not even considered as the real part of
caste system, were the Untouchables. The untouchables probably began as the slaves class
consisting of prisons of wars, criminals, members of minority and other groups considered in
outside Indian society. Even after slave was out lowed, the untouchables were given the manual,
degrading tasks that other Indians would not accept, such as collecting trash and handling dead
bodies. Untouchables probably made up five percent (5%) of the total population in Ancient
India. 4

The origin of caste system has several theories, such theories including Religious theory,
Biological theory and Historical theory just to mention the few.5

The Religious theory derived from Ancient Hindu book. In the Ancient Hindu book state that; the
primal man named “Purush” destroyed himself to create the human society and the four parts of
his body created the classes. It believed that:-

The Brahmins were from his head, Kshatryas from his hands, Vaishyas from his things and from
his fee is where the Shudras were created.2

According to this theory, the hierarchy of the caste system determined by organs from which the
caste created. For example, Brahmins considered being intelligent, wise and very powerful class
because they came from the head of the Purush. The same to Kshatryas considered the warriors
as they created by the arms which stand for strength.In historical theory, caste system believed to
exist in Ancient Indian society after the arrival of Aryans in 1500BC. Aryans were differ in color
with the indigenous, something which make them to feel that they are superior, hence they
conquered regions all over the India and after dominated Indian society they passed the principle
of social order called “Varna Vyavasha” which based on the four hierarchical divisions of
functions in the society where those division believed to occupy different position from the top to
the bottom. 6
2
Spiel Vogel Jackson .J (1999). World History-The human Odyssey. ThePensylvania State University-National Tex book
Company(NTC) USA. P.64

4.
Ibid p. 64 Page 2
The existence of these caste systems in ancient India created a lot of impacts which can be traced
as follows;

The rise of anti-Brahiminical movement in order to take stance against the discriminatory acts
they were facing. It should be noted that, the lower caste were forceful subordinate to the upper
ones especially the Brahmins. Later on, particularly after the introduction of British control in
India, the inferior caste decocted that all people should be treated the same as human beings. The
biggest number of anti-Brahmins came from the Untouchables and Shudras castes with the aims
of waging their effort so that to gain value in the society. For example, the massive conversion to
Buddhism during 1950s under the leadership of B.R.Ambedkar as they believed that Buddhism is
the only means to anticipate from injustice. 7

The emergence of discrimination, segregation, violence and inequality. Hinduism was the
dominant religion in the Ancient Indian societies. Unfortunately, it was the source of caste
system as it believed in the religious theory of the caste system in the ancient Indian societies
was dehumanization to the lower castes. The untouchables for instances denied to share anything
3
with the higher castes claiming that they are dirty and valueless people. This justifies the
injustice to them that associated with the caste system. Brahmins were highly supported those
anti-humanistic practices.8

Weakening of Hinduism religion. It should be noted that, Hinduism was the dominant region in
Ancient Indian societies. The caste system practiced under the umbrella of Hinduism meaning
that Hinduism was abide with the religion of the caste system, when the Indians of the lower
casted decertify that they were considered valueless in the societies due to that religion, they
started to find alternative religion that determine their position, Fortunately the Buddhism
religion arose as it considered the lower castes as it witnessed the weakening of Hinduism.

Exploitations among the Indian societies, this can be traced by focusing on heavy taxation which
was imposed to Indian society which could amount as one-half of farmers crops, For example
traders from rural to urban were paying double tax.

3
Jensen Anne .J (1991). Indian, Its Culture and People. Longman Publish Group, New York p.35

6.
Ibid p.36. Page 3.
Economic development, as the impact of social division of labor in Aryans society, people
engaged in different task according to their position, for instance commoners where engaged in
trade activities as a result of well organized and control of works which increase efficiently that
lead to the development of trade centers.

Amendment of Indian constitution, due to the intensive exploitation existed in Ancient Indian
society, in 1950s the Indian government made amendments of the constitution which guaranteed
equal treatment and opportunities for all people regardless of their caste and prohibited
discrimination based on untouchability.

Apart from other measures which were taken by the government, more efforts have to be taken
so as to eliminate the dehumanization associated with caste system, for example they should
encourage intermarriage among different castes thus will result to the next generation which will
not based on castes. It will be difficult for the children whose parents are of different castes to
develop the notion of superiority hence caste will disappear. This will actually help the
c4onstitution of India which prohibits caste system which actually succeed in town’s centers but
failed in local areas.

REFERENCES.

Deshpande Manali .S (2010). History of the Indian Caste System and its Impacts on India Today.
Calfornia Polythechnic States University. San Luis Obispo.

Spiel Vogel Jackson .J (1999). The human Odyssey. Contemporary Publishing Group.

4
Deshpande Manali .S (2010). History of the Indian Caste System and its Impacts on India Today. Calfornia
Polythechnic States University. San Luis Obispo. P.233

8.
Spiel Vogel Jackson .J (1999). The human Odyssey. Contemporary Publishing Group. P.64-65

9.
Ibid p.247 Page 4.
Ftikhar Ahmad & Brodsky. (2001) World Cultures, A Global Mosaic. Upper Saddle River. New
Jersey.

Jensen Anne .J (1991). Indian, Its Culture and People. Longman Publish Group, New York.

Spiel Vogel Jackson .J (1999). World History-The human Odyssey. ThePensylvania State
University-National Tex book Company(NTC) USA.

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