The Concept of Caste System

The word caste comes from the Portuguese Casta meaning lineage an its application to the system in India shows that the first westeners to reach the region understood the central place which kinship has in  the maintenance of gradation.The Hindu word for caste is varna meaning color and there is little doubt that in India color and racial differences have had some part in setting up caste lines.

In India we can across a special type of social stratification in the form of castes.Although evidences of caste are to be found in many parts of the world among the present day Masai,the most perfect instance is that which exists in India.

The word caste owes its origin to the spanish word caste which means breed,strains ora complex of hereditary qualities.The Portuguese applied this term to the classes of people.In India known by the term jati,the English word caste is an adjustment in the original term.

Various defintions have been given to the word caste.Risley has defined caste as a collection of families or group of families bearing a common name claiming a common descent from a mythical ancestor,human or divine professing to follow the same hereditary calling and regarded by those who are competent to give an opinion as forming a single homogenous community.C.H Cooley says when a class is somewhat strictly hereditary we may call it a caste.According to Ghurye we do not possess a real general definition of caste.

Main features of caste system-

members of a caste cannot move from one caste to another.

There are strict laws governing food.

Members of caste cannot marry outside their own caste

The status of the members of the caste is fixed.

Caste is frequently religious in its sanctions.