Source: Sapiens (Book)
I’ll explain simply why India has a caste system and how it began.
Around 3000 years ago, Indo-Aryans invaded India and took control of its population. They became kings, priests, and warriors, while the local Indians were made their servants and slaves. Because the Indo-Aryans were fewer in number, they feared losing this power. So they divided the population into castes, using a divide and rule strategy.
Each caste had a specific job and social role. People from different castes couldn’t mix, marry, or even share meals. This separation became part of religious beliefs and practices. Hindu ideas of purity and impurity were used to make the caste system stronger.
People believed that contact with members of other castes would make them impure and harm society. This idea caused many social and political divisions throughout history. Those at the top kept their power by creating divisions between local people.
Sadly, even after the Indo-Aryan invasion was forgotten, Indians still believe in the caste system. They fear mixing with people from other castes could make them impure. The caste system grew from four original castes to nearly 3000 groups today.
In the past, people could only marry within their own caste, and their children did the same. Those who didn’t belong to any caste were seen as the lowest group called “Untouchables.” They lived separately without any privileges, often searching through garbage for scraps.
Even members of the lowest caste avoided these people – not eating, touching or marrying them. In modern India, marriage is still influenced by the caste system.
It’s important to know the history behind our beliefs. Share this with those who should know about the history of the caste system.