INDIAN SOCIETY AND CULTURE

AKHAYA KUMAR NAYAK akhina@iitk.ac.in

Features of Caste System in India

Segmental Division of Society

Castes have a well developed life of their own Membership unlike voluntary association and class are determined by birth Status is determined by his birth to a particular caste instead of wealth Social intercourse is status based which in turn is decided by caste Caste council It is called as Panchayat which deals with a wider aspect of the life of people than trade union, guilds

Segmental Division of Society

Offences dealt in Caste Panchayat
Eating, drinking, or having similar dealings with a caste or sub-caste with which it is prohibited Keeping a concubine from another caste Seduction of or adultery with a married women Fornication Refusal to fulfill a promise of marriage Refusing to send a wife to her husband when she is old enough Non-payment of debt Petty assaults Branches of the customs of trade peculiar to a caste Encroaching on anothers clientele Killing a cow or any other forbidden animals Insulting a Brahmin Defying the customs of castes regarding feasts Sometimes caste council re-try criminal cases dealt by courts of law This shows that in a caste bound society people feel moral allegiance to the caste first, rather than to community that exactly shows the segmental division of society to Ghurye

Segmental Division of Society

Punishments awarded by castes
Out-castig either temporary or permanent Fines Feasts Corporal punishments Religious expiation

Cultural gulf between castes: worshiped different deities, different customs regarding marriage, and other rite-d-passage Castes are small and complete social worlds in themselves

Hierarchy
Definite scheme of social precedence Brahmins at the top and untouchables at bottom with a fuzzy middle section Kammalan competition with Brahmins No principle of ranking, no statistical tools to measure the status or position to rank them

Restriction on Feeding and Social Intercourse/Commensality

Minute rules as to what short of food and drinks can be accepted by a person and from what castes Great diversity in this matter Two broad belts in India on the basis of practices regarding food In Hindustan Proper, Castes can be divided into five groups:
first the twice born castes Second those castes at whose hands the twice born can take Pakka food Third the castes at whose hand the twice born can not take any food but can take water Castes which are not untouchables but even water from them can not be taken by twice born Last comes those whose touch defiles high castes

Two kinds of foods

Pakka Kachcha

The pollution by touch or shadow is very prominent in south than in north

Commensality
Bengal: there are two major divisions
The Brahmins and Sudras Sudras are divided in to four subcastes
The sat-Shudra group including kayasthas and Navashak Jalacharaniya-Sudras Jalabyabaharya-Sudras Ashprisya-Sudra

Contamination of water bodies Contamination by touch different states different rules Different rules for accepting Kachcha and Pakka food or water from different castes Service castes not providing services to untouchables

Civil and Religious Disabilities and Privileges

Segregation of different castes in to different areas in village Difference in South and North India Disabilities of untouchables in Maratha kingdom and South India
Shadow Water bodies Spiting Foot prints Type of house/materials to be used to build house Carrying Umbrellas Wearing shoes or golden ornaments Seats and sitting arrangement Breast cloth controversy

Privileges for Brahmins

Reading sacred literature Approaching inner most chamber of temple Obeisance and benedictions

Lack of unrestricted choice of occupations

Occupations are decided on caste basis. One can not take up an occupation of another caste how lucrative it may be Not only moral restraints or social checks but also restriction put by other castes which play a role Degraded occupations for lower castes

Restrictions on Marriage
Endogamy
Caste Sub-caste

Permissible Hypergamy (Anuloma) but not Pratiloma Consequences of Inter caste marriage Reasons
Maintain the purity of castes Compatibility of spouses Match the social position or status Ritual similarities Similarities in rules i.e. inheritance, property rights, customs, social intercourse, etc