The first peoples of India were settled along the Indus River, in the Sind and Punjab regions of modern Pakistan.2 The major cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro are known for a sophistication that pre-dates the Aryan conquest that was once considered to be the beginning of true civilization in India. The reason for the collapse of the Indus River Valley civilizations are unknown but, most scholars point to natural disasters or the invasion of the Aryans. The Aryans were nomadic warriors that came to India around 1500 C.E., and are responsible for the development of many linguistic traditions in Europe and around the Indian sub-continent.3 The Aryan 's religious texts, the Vedas, have been preserved for over 3,000 years through strict oral tradition. It is in the Rig Veda, the main book, that we find the potential beginnings of the caste system and it 's racist aspects. When telling of the Aryan 's invasion of “fortified cities”, potentially Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, the Rig Veda draws attention the difference in skin colour between the light-skinned Aryans and the dark-skinned enemies. Although this doesn 't give an immediate indication of …show more content…
While the Aryans were dominate in most of the country, there were other tribal units present. The diversity of the sub-continent proved difficult to unite. The individual groups were united in some way, but India did not have a true border to define it as a true country. When the British established the British East India Company, the idea of unity had become a necessity for economic success. The Indians mutinied against the British in 1857, leading to a revamping of the system. India became part of the British Empire until they declared independence in 1950. During the British rule, the caste system was at it 's strongest because the British ruling class saw it as a convenient way for their subjects to assert a social hierarchy that put them at the top. Throughout its ' history, the outline of the caste system from the Rig Veda developed into the system we see today in the Hindu religion. Even modern scientists are using “genetic proof” that the light-skinned higher-castes are descended from the Aryan race more than the dark-skinned lower-castes.6 The same emphasis used by the Nazi 's during the Holocaust are present in this assertion that Aryan blood means higher social standing. Although the divisions are less strict and many people deny the presence of the caste system in modern India, judgment based on caste is still prevalent.