In this lecture, we shall discuss the basic features of caste system and concepts such as sanskritization, westernization and the dominant caste.

The word, ‘caste’ is of Spanish and Portuguese origin. The term, ‘caste’ originated from the Spanish word ‘casta’, meaning ‘lineage’ or ‘race’ or ‘a group having hereditary quality’. It is derived from the Latin word ‘Castus’, which means pure. The Spaniards were the first to use it, but its Indian application is from the Portuguese, who had so applied it in the middle of the fifteenth century. The current spelling of the word is after the French word ‘Caste’, which appears in 1740 in the academies, and is hardly found before 1800. Before that time it was spelt as ‘cast’. In the sense of race or breed of man it was used as early as 1555 AD. The Spanish word ‘Casta’ was applied to the mixed breed between Europeans, Indians (American) and Negroes. But ‘caste’ was not used in its Indian sense till the 17th century. The Indian use is the leading one now, and it has influenced all other uses.

Caste can be defined as hereditary endogamous group, having a common name, common traditional occupation, common culture, relatively rigid in matters of mobility, distinctiveness of status and forming a single homogeneous community. However, in the changing situation caste has adapted too many new features like having formal organizations, becoming less rigid and having a link with politics. Thus we may list from the above the following features of caste system.

1.Hereditary in nature: It implies that caste system is based on heredity. It is based on ascribed values rather than achieved qualities.

2. Segmental division of society: It means Indian social stratification is largely based on caste. There are various castes having a well-developed life style of their own. The membership of a caste is determined by birth. Thus caste is hereditary in nature.

3. Hierarchy: It indicates various castes according to their purity and impurity of occupations are ranked from higher to lower positions. It is like a ladder where pure caste is ranked on the top and impure is ranked at the bottom. For example the occupation of Brahmin is that of performing rituals and teaching. It is considered to be the purest occupation; hence they are placed at the top of the hierarchy. On the other hand sweeper, whose occupation is cleaning and scavenging, is placed at the bottom the bottom of the hierarchy because of impure occupation.

4. Restrictions on food, drink and smoking: Usually different castes do not exchange food and drink, and do not share smoking of hukka among them. For instance, Brahmins do not take food from any other caste. It is a complicated process. For example in Uttar Pradesh, among Kanyakubj Brahmins, there are many sub-divisions. Each sub-division does not take food from other sub-division. There are two types of food: ‘pucca” (food prepared in ghee like puri, kachodi and pulao) and kuchcha (food prepared in water like rice, pulses and vegetable curries). Some castes exchange only pucca food among themselves. Invariably, the high caste does not take anything from the low caste. The same principle is applied to smoking.

5. Endogamy: It indicates members of the caste have to marry within their own caste only. Inter-castes marriages are prohibited. However, among educated people, particularly in the urban areas, inter-castes marriages are gradually increasing.