The Caste System
The Caste system, to put it simply, is the ladder of society. People at the top are considered to be the elite while the people at the bottom are considered to be, well, "untouchable". These castes comes from the story of Brahma, in which all people were "caste" from his body. It is said that the Bhramins come from his mouth, the Kshatryias come from his arms, the Vaishyas from his thighs, and lastly the Sudras from his feet.
Living in a Caste
When one is born into their caste they are committed to that group of people. These people lived, ate, married, and worked within their own group. It is and was very rare that someone would ever change society groups.
The Bhramin were the priests, teachers, and judges who fully understood Dharma. They spent most of their life isolated from society and living in private temples. Bharmin priests believed that contact with the lower castes would contaminate their souls. Some prayers were so pure that they could not even be heard by the people of the lower castes. Indian law stated that if a Sudra was caught listening to the prayer, molten lead was to be poured into his ears.
The Kshatryia were considered the warrior caste, made everyday decisions, and ruled the government. This community had most of the power unless, of course, the Bhramin were to step in.
The Vaishyas and the Sudras are very similar. The Vaishayas occasionally had some power in local villages while the Sudras had almost none. The main difference is that the Vaishyas were skilled farmers and the Sudras were less skilled and worked for the people that lived in a higher caste.
When one is born into their caste they are committed to that group of people. These people lived, ate, married, and worked within their own group. It is and was very rare that someone would ever change society groups.
The Bhramin were the priests, teachers, and judges who fully understood Dharma. They spent most of their life isolated from society and living in private temples. Bharmin priests believed that contact with the lower castes would contaminate their souls. Some prayers were so pure that they could not even be heard by the people of the lower castes. Indian law stated that if a Sudra was caught listening to the prayer, molten lead was to be poured into his ears.
The Kshatryia were considered the warrior caste, made everyday decisions, and ruled the government. This community had most of the power unless, of course, the Bhramin were to step in.
The Vaishyas and the Sudras are very similar. The Vaishayas occasionally had some power in local villages while the Sudras had almost none. The main difference is that the Vaishyas were skilled farmers and the Sudras were less skilled and worked for the people that lived in a higher caste.
The Untouchables
The Untouchables are not even considered part of the caste system. Foreigners, lawbreakers, people from isolated tribes, and people suffering from contagious diseases lived inside this group of society. The Untouchables were paid very little to do the work that essentially, no one wanted to do like disposing of dead animals or other jobs that required contact with human emissions. These people were also forbidden to enter temples, schools, and wells were other caste members drew water. Some even considered if one saw an Untouchable, they would be polluted. Because of this, the Untouchables had to sleep during the day and had to come out at night to work.
Modern Times
Even today these Untouchables are not even considered a part of society. The Indian government has granted them with some employment privileges and some representation in the Indian parliament but still these "lower people" are given for educational and employment opportunities than Indians from the higher castes.
Today, some Sudras some Untouchables consider converting to Islam because Muslims reject the caste system. This thinking can lead to a decrease in the Hindu population over the next few years.
The Untouchables are not even considered part of the caste system. Foreigners, lawbreakers, people from isolated tribes, and people suffering from contagious diseases lived inside this group of society. The Untouchables were paid very little to do the work that essentially, no one wanted to do like disposing of dead animals or other jobs that required contact with human emissions. These people were also forbidden to enter temples, schools, and wells were other caste members drew water. Some even considered if one saw an Untouchable, they would be polluted. Because of this, the Untouchables had to sleep during the day and had to come out at night to work.
Modern Times
Even today these Untouchables are not even considered a part of society. The Indian government has granted them with some employment privileges and some representation in the Indian parliament but still these "lower people" are given for educational and employment opportunities than Indians from the higher castes.
Today, some Sudras some Untouchables consider converting to Islam because Muslims reject the caste system. This thinking can lead to a decrease in the Hindu population over the next few years.