The caste system in India is a composite structure of various social classes in the Hindu religion. The caste system as we know it today was not pronounced in a single book; rather, it was shaped by several texts. The most ancient mention of the caste system is found in the Rig Veda, which is thought to have been developed between 1500 and 800 BC and was known as the Varna system. It divided society into four varnas: Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. It dates back to a time when people believed that people were born into a particular social status. They also believed that past life experiences and good deeds could reincarnate one into a higher social stratum in the next life. In this article, we will discuss The Caste System during 800-1200 which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Caste System - Background

• According to a smriti writer Parasara, eating a sudra's food, associating with a sudra, sitting in the same seat as a sudra, and taking lessons from a sudra, are all acts that bring even the most noble person down.
• Marriages between different castes were discouraged. The caste of the offspring was determined by the lowest caste of the parents.
• A large number of castes, such as potters, weavers, leather workers, fishermen, bird hunters, and so on, were considered low occupations by the smriti writers.
• As a result, most workers and tribals such as the Bhilas were considered untouchables.
• Some scholars believe that the Rajput clans who trace their ancestry back to the solar and lunar families of kshatriyas mentioned in the Mahabharata, as well as some of them who trace their ancestry back to a sacrificial fire held at Mt. Abu by the sage Vasistha (Pratihara, Paramara, Chauhana, and Solanki), are the descendants of Scythians and Hunas who settled in India after Hars
• It appears that people from various castes, including Brahamanas and Sudras, who worked in royal establishments were originally referred to as Kayastha.
• Individuals can rise and fall on the Varna scale and are not as rigid as previously thought.
• Hinduism absorbed a large number of Buddhists and Jains, and many indigenous tribes and foreigners were also Hinduized, and many of them retained their own customs, marriage rituals, and even tribal gods and goddesses.

The Ruling Class

• Brahman
  • The caste system, which had been in place for a long time, remained the foundation of society. However, there were significant changes within the caste system.
  • As a result, the Brahmans' position was significantly strengthened.
  • As we have seen, the ruler of Sind, who was a Brahman himself, as well as the rulers of Bengal and south India, invited Brahmans and provided them with large tracts of revenue-free land on which to settle.
  • These Brahmans not only expanded agriculture, but also served as local revenue officials, ministers, accountants, and other positions. Some of them were also involved in military affairs.
  • Another important aspect of their work was education and the creation of literary works.
  • The period's smriti writers appear to reflect the growing importance of the Brahmans by exalting their position.
  • Some argue that after the ancient caste of Kshatriyas vanished and the Vaishyas became Shudras, the only dvija (twice born or privileged) section of society was the Brahmans.
• Rajputs
  • A new group known as the Rajputs emerged who ruled over a large number of states during this time period.
  • These Rajputs were considered clan leaders who dominated certain tracts of land and formed the core of the armed forces.
  • The clan's leaders, the majority of whom were blood relatives to the ruler, considered the state to be jointly ruled by them.
  • Scholars disagree about the Rajputs' origins. Some consider them to be of mixed origin, with some descended from foreigners, such as Shakas, Hunas, and others, as well as indigenous tribes and even Brahmans.
  • On the other hand, many of the thirty-six Rajput clans trace their ancestry to the Rshatriya solar and lunar families mentioned in the Mahabharata.
  • Modern scholarship emphasises the process by which people from various social groups attempted to legitimise their newly acquired power and position by being granted the status of Kshatriyas.
  • Sometimes a mixed Brahman-Kshatriya status was sought by claiming descent from a Brahman mother. Scholars believe this is part of a complex process of social growth.
  • Thus, tribal lands in Rajasthan were colonised, and Brahmans, traders, and warriors settled there.
  • In many areas, this was accompanied by the introduction of a superior type of economy based on irrigation via wells, bunds, and so on, as well as the introduction of superior crops. Some of the cultivators became Rajputs, while others remained Shudras.
  • The process of 'Rajputization' is accompanied by the expansion of the agrarian economy as well as the acquisition of political power by some sections. The Brahmans were crucial in this process.
  • There was the agnikula legend, which dates back to the eleventh century, in which the sage Vashishtha created four Rajput clans out of the sacred fire: the Pratiharas, Solanki or Chalukyas, Parmar or Pawar, and Chahamans or Chauhan.
  • During this time, Brahmans wrote many geneologies of ruling families, linking them to ancient kshatriya families.
  • Thus, the Gurjara Pratiharas, who are said to be of Gurjar descent, were linked to Lakshman, who had served as Rama's doorkeeper (pratihar).
  • This Brahman-Rajput alliance had numerous political and cultural ramifications.
  • The Rajputs, as supporters of the newly expansionist Hinduism symbolised their power by erecting grand temples and bestowing large grants of lands, gifts, and endowments on them and the Brahman priests.

Position of Shudras and Dalits

• According to the lawgiver Yagyavalkya, a Brahman could eat with his farmer, barber, milkman, and family friends.
• The gradual elevation of the social position of the Shudras was an important feature of the caste system during this period.
• Although they were not permitted to study the Vedas, they became eligible for smarta rituals such as birth, death, and naming.
• Many tribals were included in this category as agriculture expanded. The Jats, a pastoral nomadic tribe from Sind, eventually moved to Punjab and became agriculturists and warriors.
• Although they were classified as shudras in the varna system, they considered themselves to be on par with the Rajputs.
• Marriages between the higher castes and the shudras were frowned upon, but their existence is demonstrated by labelling a marriage between a high caste man and a lower caste woman anulom (according to norm) and a marriage between a low caste man and a high caste woman pratilom (against norm).
• The origins of new castes, which frequently consisted of professional groups such as potters, weavers, barbers, and so on, or tribals, were attributed to such mixed marriages.
• In comparison to the Shudras, the Dalits' position appears to have deteriorated. The Dalits included people who worked in occupations such as scavenging, skinning dead animals, shoemaking, hunting, and so on.
• These people were known as antyaja, or untouchables, and made up the fifth social grade outside of the four-tiered varna system. They were frequently required to live in areas away from the upper castes.
• In some parts of the country, Chandals were required to walk with a wooden board on a stick in order to avoid coming into contact with upper caste people.
• In most parts of the country, these groups were not permitted to own cultivated land.

Slavery

• Slavery was also practised during this time period. Prisoners of war and debtors unable to pay their stakes could be sold into slavery.
• During famines, many farmers sold themselves or their wives and children for food. Women were also purchased for domestic work or for business.
• However, unlike the Turks, there were no systematic slave raids. Slaves were generally treated better than people from the antyaja, or despised castes.
• Though slaves were not trained to fight, we know that if a slave saved his master's life, he became free and was entitled to a share of his master's property.
• A female slave who bore a child for her master was also set free. Slave emancipation was generally regarded as a good deed, and there were rules governing it.

Conclusion

The cultural life of Hindus during the Rajput period was not dissimilar to that of earlier periods. Political security had no effect on the Indian social system. Brahmins granted themselves greater privileges. Shankaracharya's mathas grew to become the epicentres of opulence. Rajputs were indifferent to the larger patriotism of the country because they were loyal to their own clans. New castes and sub-castes arose, which were so constrained by vested interests that they had negative consequences for the country's social and political life. As a result, foreign Muslims began attacking India.