Hinduism: Unpacking the Indian Caste System

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Religion and Caste System in India
The Religion and caste system in India is a system of social stratification which historically separated communities into thousands of endogamous hereditary groups called jatis, usually translated into English as "castes". The jatis are thought of as being grouped into four varnas: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. In Hinduism there exist four castes arranged in a hierarchy. Anyone who does not belong to one of these castes is an outcast. The religious word for caste is 'Varna'. Each Varna has certain duties and rights. Each Varna members have to work in certain occupation which only those Varna members are allowed. Each Varna has certain type of diet. The highest Varna is of the Brahman. Members …show more content…

The jatis are thought of as being grouped into four varnas: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras.
According to the 2011 census, 79.8% of the population of India practices Hinduism and 14.2% adheres to Islam, while the remaining 6% adheres to other religions Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism and various indigenous ethnically-bound faiths. Christianity is the 3rd largest religion in India. Hinduism: Caste System, Reincarnation, and Karma.The Caste System groups assigned by birth not personality. The Hindu conception of the social order is that people are different, and different people will fit well into different aspects of society. Untouchable, also called Dalit, officially Scheduled Caste, formerly Harijan, in traditional Indian society, the former name for any member of a wide range of low-caste Hindu groups and any person outside the caste system.
The Development of Religious and Caste …show more content…

In 1989, quotas were extended to include a grouping called the Other Backward Classes, which fall between the traditional upper castes and the lowest.
In recent decades, with the spread of secular education and growing urbanisation, the influence of caste has somewhat declined, especially in cities where different castes live side-by-side and inter-caste marriages are becoming more common. In certain southern states and in the northern state of Bihar, many people began using just one name after social reform movements. Despite the changes though, caste identities remain strong, and last names are almost always indications of what caste a person belongs

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