Change In The Caste System

Change in the Caste System The caste system is a system which decides a person’s social status and trade by his or her birth. The four castes and the untouchables determined the basic structure of the Hindu society when the caste system had begun till now. The untouchables were considered so impure by society that they were not even considered part of the caste system. The caste system equally applied to both men and women, boys and girls inherited their father’s caste when they were born. The caste system set expectations for the young people were expected to marry people in their own caste. The changes in the Indian caste system have created a lasting impact on its culture and identity. Brahmins were the highest of all of the classes, …show more content…
Before taking up the job of the Vaishyas, the Shudras were usually peasants, artisans, servants, or even laborers. Shudras were thought of having no special traits or abilities and they were considered to only be capable of serving as slaves to the three castes higher than them, including the Vaishyas. They were not given any rights or privileges, they were also forbidden to perform any sacrificed or learn or read any of the holy scriptures unlike the classes above them. They were forbidden from entering temples and could only serve the upper castes as a slaver, barber, or blacksmith. Due to the harsh treatment of the upper castes, as well as the Vaishyas, the Shudras also supported anti-Brahminical acts. The other caste was the “untouchbles”, they completed tasks that were considered unclean and polluting by the other castes. They performed tasks such as scavenging, performing final rites of a dead person, and skinning dead animals. They were considered outcastes among the other castes and were also thought of as impure. The “outcastes” were considered so impure and polluted that they were not allowed to enter streets that the houses of the upper castes were. They were rated out of the caste sytem since they were so impure, they were also forced to live in the outskirts of the village and could not live in the …show more content…
A key factor in the change is the modernization of the world around us. The modern liberal education has helped undermine the importance of a caste in the Indian social life. Urbanization is another key factor in the change of the caste system, the emergence of new towns caused people from rural areas to migrate into towns to be more stable economically. Urbanization ruins the balance created by the caste system and changes it and modernizes it. The new legal system that was made after the British rule changed how the caste system worked, equality was chosen before the priority of the castes. The influence of the western culture has undermined the caste system while also changing it because it promoted equality and education among all. The government as well changed the rule of who could receive education and adopted new ideas to spread education among all castes. The changes in the marriage restrictions changed a part of the purpose of the caste system and legally allowed people to marry outside their caste. The inter-caste relations had gone through huge changes. The members of the lower castes were no longer obliged to obey the orders and command of the high caste members. The lower caste members also didn’t have to do forced labor for the upper caste