Caste System in India Caste System in India: An Overview The origin of Caste System in India can be traced 3000

years back in history. Such a system was formed mainly to meet the need of a social order based on hierarchy. The curse of caste system is still prevalent in rural India. Its adverse effects are mostly seen in the social affairs of marriages and kinship. Prevalent in the country for so many centuries, we still do not know whether India will be able to come out of the curse of caste system or not. Caste System in India for Hindus The caste system in ancient India is divided into various 'Varnas' and 'Jatis'. 'Varnas' are categorized into the following 4 types: Brahmans Shudras Vaishyas Kshatriyas

However, there is another 'Varna' called Parjanya or Untouchables. However, most of the ancient scriptures do not talk about this 'Varna'. According to Bhagavad Gita, the varnas

are grounded on 'Guna' and 'Karma'. People belonging to various 'varnas' are sub-divided into 'jatis'. Effects of Caste system in Modern India Inter-caste marriage were prohibited in ancient India. There is no such prohibition in modern India. Modern India sanctions inter-caste marriages but still you can find castebased categories in matrimonial websites and newspapers. Even the Indian Government has officially authenticated castes, basically to decide upon the deserving reservation by means of census. The reservation system in India is completely based on quotas. People belonging to the groups like Scheduled Tribe, Scheduled Castes and OBCs enjoy special preferences in educational institutions and jobs. Indian caste System: Opinions of Scholars According to the critics of Hinduism, the caste system of India has its roots in the varna system. But religious groups like ISKCON state that the caste system of modern India is very different from the varna system. Again, many other scholars regard caste system as an anachronistic social practice