Caste system in India - Wikipedia Beginning in ancient India, the caste system was originally centered around varna, with Brahmins (priests) and, to a lesser extent, Kshatriyas (rulers and warriors) serving as the elite classes, followed by Vaishyas (traders and merchants) and finally Shudras (labourers)
India - Caste System, Social Hierarchy, Diversity | Britannica India - Caste System, Social Hierarchy, Diversity: In South Asia the caste system has been a dominating aspect of social organization for thousands of years A caste, generally designated by the term jati (“birth”), refers to a strictly regulated social community into which one is born
What is Indias caste system? - BBC News India's caste system is among the world's oldest forms of surviving social stratification The BBC explains its complexities
History of the Caste System in India - ThoughtCo The caste system in India started over 2,000 years ago and was originally based on jobs People were born into a caste, which dictated many life aspects like marriage and worship Despite changes over time, the caste system still influences Indian society, especially politically
Jati: The Caste System in India - Asia Society The caste system, as it actually works in India is called jati The term jati appears in almost all Indian languages and is related to the idea of lineage or kinship group
The Indian Caste System: A Comprehensive Anthropological . . . The caste system in India is far more than a simple method of social organization; it is a deeply ingrained ideology, a paradigmatic ethnographic instance of caste and social stratification that has structured the lives of people on the subcontinent for over 3,000 years