The British Raj and the India’s Caste System Essay Example for Free

The British Raj and the Indias Caste System EssayThe Indian order outline, known as Varnas, is a centuries old brass of kindly stratification. It is a stark hierarchal arrangement that determines a soulfulnesss occupation for them. It also determines what they clear wear, who they can talk to, who they can marry. Those on the straighten out of the pyramid have all(a) the wealth, mightiness, and prestige, while those on the bottom are treated no better than the fleck that is thrown a focal point. It consists of four Varnas Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras. in that respect is also a class outside the Varnas historically called the untouchables. The clan system is an ancient hea indeedishalal tradition that is so deep-rooted in the India cultural, and backed by historical and ghostlike text. later the curb Aryans established themselves as the ruling class, they adapted a coterie system that would keep the Aryans in positions that would bring them wealth and prestige, and keep those they conquered subordinate to them. To strengthen their power, the Aryans were able to enforce their strict hearty rules through religious texts and the Hindu ideals of Varnas and Karma. It has been exploited and altered throughout the centuries by invaders, conquerors, and colonizers to prevent unification for their own benefit. Some whitethorn argue that the British created the redbrick company system to benefit themselves, however, If anything, the British tried to alter a system they saw as unjust to give all Indians jibe rights and equal opport sensation.The fresh company system has its roots in the Islamic-Hindu era. Outside the ancient Hindu texts, The Bhagavad Gita, translated by Eknath Easwaran, I use mainly mhoary sources to prove my thesis, that the modern caste system has its roots in the Islamic-Hindu era. I think history speaks for itself it the numerous studies done by scholars such as the Wisers who studied the caste system in tribes virtually untouched by the British and Brian Smith who studied how the ancient Aryan texts support the ideal caste system. It existed long in the lead the eastmost Indian Company landed on the shores of India, and I am proving that Nicholas Dirks argument that the caste system is the result of modern colonialism as invalid. Culturally, India has been real diverse India culture varies depending on the location you go to in the beautiful and vast country. charge though there are many antithetic ethnic groups in India with their own social and cultural identitiesthey dress contrastively, speak different languages, have different religions, and eat different foodsdepending on the region they are from, they all have the same temperament. They share the same values and common bond that shows a national cultural identity. The lifeline of that common bond is the Varnas, which evolved into the Indian caste system. Despite what religion Indians follow, their cultural values are hi ghly influence by the great Indian epics The Vedas, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata. Religious and spiritual musical theme has evolved from the Vedas, and reinforced cultural traditions.Many Indian Christians may still live by Hindu doctrines, such as the Doctrine of Karma, or practice meditation. These arent necessarily considered religious practices to all, just now are cultural practices, or philosophies. The Indian cast system is so deeply embedded into this national cultural identity, and widely accepted as small-arm of the Indian culture, that it is hard for Indians to escape it. As Nicholas Dirks says in his book Castes of judging Colonialism and the Making of Modern India Caste defines the core of Indian tradition. Indias rich heritage can be seen in their literature through the great epics the Vedas (3000 BC-1000 BC), the Ramayana (1ergocalciferol BC) and the Mahabharata (1000 BC).The Vedas werent only religious texts, but a range of a function that philosophers and religious attractors used seek their beliefs or law makers used to create a social and political lifestyle, such as the case with the Indian caste system. The Vedas seeks universal truths of cosmic functioning at all levels of existence. Knowledge and the identity of oneself in emphasized throughout its pages. The Puranas were later written to present and justify the truth of the Vedas. People pulled out what they wanted from it and used it to fit their needs. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are twain epics of the people they are ethnic stories that have been orally transmitted oer the centuries and recorded in a collective text.They reflect the ethos and the psyche of the Indian people. These great epics have shaped Indias values, beliefs, and lifestyles. They are the origins of the social, religious and cultural history of India. The caste system didnt arrive with the British East Indian Company in the 1700s, but between 1500 and 2000 B.C., when nomads known as the Aryans sta rted to migrate through the Hindu Kush passes and down into the Indus Valley. These tall, light cutisned warrior suits quickly sub callabled the short, dark-skinned indigenous peoples of northwestern India. These people, known as the Dravidians fled to the siemens for refuge.Taking control of their new domain, they forced their Divine Knowledgerecorded later in the Vedas (1200-600 B.C.)on their new subjects. The lay out Veda (1300-100 B.C.) was the main religious and socio-economic text. These philosophical and religious texts were said to have originated from the GodsAryan Godsand later texts dated 600 to 400 B.C. were written by the Divine. Because of the domination of the Aryan people and the popularity of these texts, the period between 1500 B.C. and 500 B.C. is known at the Vedic period of Indian historyand this is where the caste system originated.Long in the lead the Aryans arrived in the Indus Valley, they were already divided into three different classes the warriors, the priest, and the cultivators with the warriors on top of the social structure, and the priest, or Brahman, second. These light-skinned warriors had no desired to mix with the dark-skinned Dravidians that they had conquered. To prevent their ethic traits from being polluted by the dasyu, or slaves, they prohibited intermarriage between the two distinct ethnic groups thus a fourth class was created to do most of the manual labor. As the Aryans and the topical anesthetic inhabitants mingled, Hinduism developed.The Hindu caste system would evolve from this ideal that ethnic traits, such as ones skin color determined ones social positionwith lighter skin on the top, and those with darker skin on the bottom, and reinforced by the religious philosophies of the Vedas. Before the Vedic civilization of the Aryans, archaeological evidence suggests that the Harappan civilization was composed of many kinds of ethnic groups that were divided into different classes depending on their wealth. B ecause of evidence such as a permanent and sophisticated city structure and a uniformity of weights and measures, it is widely call upd that this mingled population had a importantized government who was ruled by a group of people, perhaps Brahmin, or priest.However, some people dont believe that there was a centralized government at all since there were no holy temples uncovered, that the evidence just points to a sophisticated trade system. This second group believes that the Aryans werent invaders, but a group that lived amongst the existing Harappan civilization, who became powerful and were able to dominate the others. According to Robert Heine-GeldernIt, the second isnt likely, because archeological evidence points to a people who were of Western origin perhaps Transcaucasia. If the first were true, that would explain how the invading Aryans eventually adapted caste structure with the Brahmin class on top. After they already established themselves as the ruling class, over centuries, as they mingled with the indigenous peoples, they may have adopted elements of hierarchy of the local faith, with the priests, or Brahmin, on the top of the pyramid. in that location were four different castes, called varnas, in India Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras. The highest caste was the Brahmins. They are the priests and philosophers. Originally ranked number two on the Varna system, but rose significantly in a higher place the warrior class to number one. The second ranking castes were the Kshatriyas. They were initially warriors and highest ranking. The third ranking caste were the Vaishyas, they were the starters farmers, artisans, metal workers, and trades peoples. The lowest ranking of the Varnas were the Shudras. They are the peasants, servants, farm hands, and laborers. There were also subdivisions in every caste called jati, which further broke down peoples inheritable social status and occupational group.Historically, the vocation you went in to was genetical and passed down from your father. As the civilization expanded, sometimes one could get away with going into a different line of work, if it was within their same caste. The structure of the traditionalistic Indian village economy was reliant on a hereditary caste system. William and Charlotte Wiser called it the jajmani system, where a wealthy Brahman landlord would provide annual sustenance of his garner for services of the different village servants and artisans throughout the year. The heirs to distributively particular service member, whether it be the village barber, blacksmith, astrologer, accountant, doctor, or whatever their particular job was, would be evaluate to take over for their fathers.Women were only allowed to be married absent to men in the same caste as they were. By keeping everything hereditary, those in power were guaranteed to stay in power, and their superior genes to remain unpolluted by lower caste. Within the Jamani system, there wa s no chance of upward mobility each individual had a fixed economic and social status that was essential to village life. When the Aryans first arrived, the warrior class was on the top of the social structure, with the priest, or Brahmin, below them. As the conquering Aryans expanded eastward over the close five centuries, they took on some characteristics of the native Indians they had conquered, the tribal structure being one of them. Since it is known that priest-kings ruled the pre-Aryan Harappa, Wolpert suggests that the Aryans wise(p) from their conquered subjects to place more value on the counsel of their own Brahmans.This revelation that the Brahmins had over the warrior class, and subsequently, the Raj who were born Kshatriyas, or warriors, can be found in the Rig Veda hymn, the Sacrifice of the Cosmic Man. Division of occupational group into castes was applied according to the ancient Aryan-Hindu book, the Rig Veda. According to legend of the Sacrifice of the Cosmic Ma n, the first super-being, Purush, allowed himself to be destroyed to create a human society out of different parts of his body the Brahmins from his mouth, or thousand heads, the Kshatriyas from his arms, the Vaishyas from his thighs, and the Shudras from his feet. The highest caste was the Brahmins, who were the priest, because the brain holds knowledge.The second highest caste was the Kshatriyas, who were warriors, because the arms resemble strength. The caste below the warrior class was the merchants, known as the Vaishyas. These top three were considered twice born, their second birth making them initiated into the Hindu faith. On the bottom were the Shudras, or the peasants, or serfs, who were on their feet doing the manual labor, and considered too unclean to be born again. The Sacrifice of the Cosmic Man describes how the caste system came into existence, non as a human invention, but one created by the gods. Later, as the Aryans expanded and more primitive people came into the mix, they were considered too polluted to be part of the four-fold Varna system, and would become regarded as untouchables.Out of fear of being polluted by these outsiders, strict rules were enforced to prevent any contact with the higher castes to include strict communal procedures. These rules were designed to isolate the untouchables from the rest of Hindu society, but at the same time enforce their need to do all of the unclean work that was too polluting for the rest of the more dignified classes such as butchering of dead animals, or disposing of the dead. The Hindu doctrine of Karma further rationalizes the caste system as duties one is obligated to by birth. Karma is the moral law of cause and effect. The position on is born into is a reflection of how they were in their previous life if soul is born into a lower class, than it is because of their bad Karma from a previous life.If one abides by the rules assumption to them in this life, they will move up in the next li fe. As Smith puts it, one of the main entailments of the caste system is the belief in Karma and the cycle of rebirth whereby ones social position in this life is ethically determined by moral actions in past lives. This belief in reincarnation prevented people from questioning, or even revolting against, the caste system. The caste system received further religious approval in the Indian epic, The Bhagavad Gita which is part of the Mahabharata. They prove that the caste system isnt just mans law, but divine law. In the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu god Krishna says the distinction of castes, guna, and karma have come from me. I am their cause (413).When Krishna tells Arjuna that, No creature, whether born on earth or among the gods in heaven is free from the condition of the three gunas. The different responsibilities found in the social order distinguishing Brahmin, Kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra have their roots in this conditioning (1840-41), he is very clear that everyone must foll ow the caste system. He goes on to explain the gunas, or acceptable qualities, in retrospect to the traits and roles of the four castes. By doing the duties one is born to, and not someone else, he can never come to griefeven if it is imperfect (1842-49).Even though scholars like Dirk may argue that the caste system has its roots in colonization, ancient Hindu texts dating back to the Vedic age prove that the Indian caste system had its root deep in traditional Indian society long before the East Indian Company began to colonize India. The modern caste system has its roots in the Islamic-Hindu era. down the stairs Munghal rule in the tenth century, many Indians werent encouraged to convert to Islam it wasnt until the 16th and seventeenth centuries that a mass conversion to Islam appeared. The religious system in India that was the basis for philosophical and ethical ideals that influenced the daily life of the India people did not have a name prior to the arrival of Islam in India. Even though there were many different religions in the different Indian communities at the time, they all had a common unity in their acceptance of the basic legends, myths, and moral teachings that formed the ideals, or world view, on the meaning of life. The name that Muslims gave this common religious unity was Hinduism. This disproves Dirks claim that caste, as we know it today, is a modern phenomenon, that is, specifically, the product of a historical encounter of India and Western rulemaking caste a central symbol of Indian society.The Muslims made it the central symbol of Indian society when they named it Hinduism, to establish it separate from their Islamic society. As Muslims started intermingling with Hindus, it further complicated the caste system. Because Muslims spurned the Hindu belief of people born with inconsistency, the Bhakti movement sprang up from the 14th to 16th centuries long before Dirks claims that the English started influencing, and putting a negative s tigma, on the caste system. Inferior castes would find other forms of religious expression separate from Brahmin priest. Castes broke up, and new jatis formed that would identify each caste based on their belief system.The great Indian epic, the Ramayana, that was popularized during the medieval period, describes how Rama and Krishna were incarnations of Lord Vishnu, and would repeatedly come down to earth and mingle with all of Gods people not just the Brahmins. The Bhakti philosophers taught that all individuals, regardless of their status in life, could have an intimate resemblanceship with God. This differed greatly from the Aryans concept that taught inequality in relation to God and only the priest, or Brahmins, could speak with God. Lower castes were even forbidden from reading the Vedas or entering Hindu religious temples.Medieval India also changed the hereditary occupation system. Men were no longer restricted to the position that was determined to them by birth. There wa s now chance of upward mobilization within each jati not the main caste classification. Not just individuals, but Jati groups, were able to improve their status in society. In order to not go against religious teachings, families would have to save up enough money to pay poor Brahmin to p make better rituals that would elevate the social standing of a particular family. They would then have to change occupations, and practices, appropriate to the social group that they were being elevated to. Another way to move up socially would be to serve in the military military service wouldnt necessarily allow you to move up to another Caste, but your jati (or social standing within caste) would move up accordingly.Life for Indians was very different under Islamic rule than it was under the Aryans. The arrival of the East Indian Company stirred up the traditional caste system but it didnt by any means create a modern caste system, as Dirks suggests that was already current with the arrival of Islam. The English tried to, either directly or indirectly, make life better for those that were discriminated against under a centuries old system of legal oppression. Even though the English had a hierarchy, people were able to upward mobilize and all citizens were bound by the same laws. Under the Indian caste system, there was no upward mobilization, people often died in the same caste they were born in.This was disrupted slightly during the arrival of industrialization and mass trade that the East Indian Company brought with it. The centuries old tradition of patriarchal hereditary caste occupation was disturbed by industrialization and imports from other British colonies. People whose occupations had a hand in producing goods that were now being imported or made in factories were now out of jobs. Factory jobs, or other Western type jobs, werent hereditary. They had no choice but to find new jobs, often jobs that werent classified under a particular caste, such as universe wo rks or factory type jobs. As English colonization expanded, there was further concern amongst the higher castes about intermingling between castesespecially where familiar works projects and service in the military was concerned.There was fear amongst the higher castes that physical contact between the pure and impure castes was inevitable in such crowded places as train stations, public wells, or closed quarters on ships. There were concerns amongst Hindus about component in the British military. In the military, the soldiers were of a different caste nowneither so fine, nor so tall as they were before. In the military, the British were the only superior, and all Hindus serving were treated as if they were the same caste, having to work side-by-side with members of different castes. However, after the uprisings of 1857, sepoys who were of higher caste maintained their caste and religion. The later was extremely important, because any infringement on their religion could result in loss of caste.Those that continued to revolt were punished by having to clean the blood of the English men, women, and children, who were massacred. They were forced to do this dishonor, which would have resulted in loss of caste under their Hindu faith, before being executed for their heinous crimes. In this retrospect, the English used the Hindu caste system as vengeance for acts against their white superiority. The British didnt create the caste system, or intend to exploit it. They tried to make their new Indian subjects a usable part of their society, as well as rectify the aspects of the caste system they saw as unjust. Traditional Indian law was loosely based off of parochial and sacred law that was loosely interpreted by different Brahmin there was no uniform justice system.There were also different sets of rules and laws for different castes. A lower caste could be severely punished for the same crime that wouldnt be punishable for a higher caste. There is no doubt that t he English exploit the caste system for personal gain, but they also made great strides in individual equality before the law. Under British Law, all individuals were equal before the laws therefore if a higher caste and lower caste member committed the same crime, they were both subject to the same punishments and discrimination against lower caste was now against the law. As the Rudolphs say in there book The Modernity of Tradition governmental Development in India, the transformed state has helped, Indias peasant society make a success of representative democracy and fostered the growth of equality by making Indians less separate and more alike.In that retrospect, England colonization may have had a more positive effect on an already dictatorial system. The spread of Christianity was promising for those born of lower caste. They were offered an education that was formally punishable to lower caste members. Many of the lower caste and untouchables converted to Christianity to es cape their given statuses. Those that converted were freed of their previous identity, and were no longer considered part of a particular caste although their social status often stayed the same. This may not have amend their problems, but it was a step in the right direction. Those that converted to Christianity could now get an education, or apprenticing under a Christian missionary.They could now aspire to do something different than what they were born to do. There was now the hope of a better life, that hadnt existed before under Hinduism. Today people have mistaken Varnas for caste and treat them as identical. Varnas are God created and caste is not. Varnas are conditioned with ones actions and desires based on Gunas. The caste is manmade. It is simply a social institution and can easily be changed and modified according to changing needs of society. Caste-by-birth was never the original intent nor it ever was the basis upon which the Varnas were constituted, Sutra says that a person should be engaged only in a field of activity that he is capable of doing.In 1891, the British established the Census of India as an assay to better understand the caste system in relation to occupation, religion, and status. In 1935, the British in India finally came up with a list of four-hundred tribal groups and untouchables. Under British reform, they would be put on a list as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and would receive special privileges in order to overcome deprivation and discrimination. In that retrospect, the British government started affirmative action in India for those that had been oppressed under the centuries old Indian Caste System. The English threatened the Hindu way of life that had existed over centuries and was reinforced by Hindu scripture.When Muslims started mingling with the Hindus, the caste system was altered, but the basic beliefs of karma and existence remained a unifying factor. When the East Indian Company started colonizing I ndia, they didnt just stir things up, but threatened the religious aspect of the Indian caste system that kept those on the bottom subservient to the top castes. Without intending to, the English got the nationalist movement going although it would go in two different directions depending on what side of the fence one was on. Mahatma Gandhi was an influential leader in the interior(a)ist Movement during British rule he believed that he could change untouchability in the Hindu religion, and started calling them Harijans, meaning Gods children.When reform within the Hindu religion started to look bleak, Dalit leaders started to advocate for a separate electorate for the Dalits. On the other end of the spectrum from Gandhi was Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, who rose up from a conjunction of untouchables and fought for political equality for Delits. Both continued their campaigns after Indian independence. But after independence, neither would be successful without the British to advoca te for them.The British brought with them industrialization, urbanization, literacy, social mobilization, and political democracy. However, it is the Indian caste system today that is preventing India from progressing as a modern nation. Although people are now crossing vague occupational lines due to technology, India still has a long way to go to break the deep-rooted deep root belief that the Hindu religious texts, the Varnas, justify caste inequality as birth right. But thanks to the British, they got a kick in the right direction.Works CitedArmstrong, Karen. The Great Transformation The Beginning of our Religious Traditions. New York Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print. Easwaran, Eknath. TheBhagavad Gita. Canada Nilgiri Press, 2007. Print. Dirks, Nicholas. Castes of Mind Colonialism and the Making of Modern India. Princeton University Press, 2001. eBook. Judd, Denis. The Lion and the Tiger The Rise and Fall of the British Raj. Oxford Oxford University Press, 2004. Print. Heine-Geldern , Robert. The Coming of the Aryans and the End of the Harappa Civilization. Man Vol. 56, No. 151 (Oct, 1956) 136-139. Hoover, James W., memoir of the World India in the Islamic Era and Southeast Asia. Austin Steck-Vaughn Co., 1997. Print. Lahiri, R.K., Caste System in Hinduism Boloji.com (November 2005) http//www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Contentsd=ArticlesArticleID=1211, accessed, November 15, 2012. Lewis, Oscar and Victor Barnouw. Caste and the Jajmani System in a North Indian Village. The scientific Monthly Vol. 83, No. 2 (Aug, 1956) 66-81. Malloy, Michael. Experiencing the Worlds Religions Tradition, Challenge, and Change. California Mayfield Publishing Co., 1999. Print. Warshaw, Steven. India Emerges A Concise fib of India from its Origin to the Present. Berkley Diablo Press, 1989. Print. Wolpert, Stanley. A New History of India. 6th ed. New York Oxford University Press, 2000. Print. Mountjoy, Shane. Rivers in World History The Indus River. Philadelphia Chelsea House Publishers , 2005. Print. Rudolph, Lloyd I. and Susanne Hoeber. The Modernity of Tradition Political Development in India. moolah University of Chicago Press, 1984. eBook. Sekhon, Joti. Modern India. capital of Massachusetts McGraw-Hill, 2000. Print. Smith, Brian K. Classifying the humankind the Ancient Indian Varna System and the Origins of Caste. New York Oxford Press, 1994. Print. 1 . Lifestyles, Values, and Beliefs (India, National Portal of India) http//india.gov.in/knowindia/culture_heritage.php?id=69, accessed 10 November, 2012 Ethnicity of India (India, National Portal of India) http//india.gov.in/knowindia/culture_heritage.php?id=70, accessed 10 November 2012 Ancient History (India, National Portal of India) http//india.gov.in/knowindia/culture_heritage.php?id=2, accessed 10 November 2012). 2 . Indian Literature through the Ages (India, Ministry of Culture, Government of India) http//ccrtindia.gov.in/literaryarts.htm, accessed 11 November 2012. 3 . Steven Warshaw, India Emerges A ConciseHistory of India from its Origin to the Present (Berkley Diablo Press, 1989), 16-17. 4 . Stanley Wolpert, A New History of India, 6th ed (New York Oxford University Press, 2000), 27 Warshaw, 17 5 . Karen Armstrong, The Great Transformation The Beginning of our Religious Traditions (New York Alfred A. Knopf, 2006), 13-14 Shane Mountjoy, Rivers in World History The Indus River (Philadelphia Chelsea House Publishers, 2005), 17-21. 6 . Robert Heine-Geldern, The Coming of the Aryans and the End of the Harappa Civilization, Man Vol. 56, No. 151 (Oct, 1956) 136 7 . Oscar Lewis and Victor Barnouw, Caste and the Jajmani System in a North Indian Village, The Scientific Monthly Vol. 83, No. 2 (Aug, 1956) 66. 8 . Wolpert, 29. 9 . Armstrong, 25 Michael Malloy, Experiencing the Worlds Religions Tradition, Challenge, and Change (California Mayfield Publishing Co., 1999), 119. 10 . Wolpert, 29-30 119. 11 . Wolpert, 119-120 12 . Molloy, 67. 13 . Brian K. Smith, Classifying the Universe the Ancient Indian Varna System and the Origins of Caste (New York Oxford Press, 1994), 10. 14 . Eknath Easwaran, The Bhagavad Gita (Canada Nilgiri Press, 2007), 117 261-262. 15 . Dirks, 5. 16 . James W. Hoover, History of the World India in the Islamic Era and Southeast Asia (Austin Steck-Vaughn Co., 1997), 20-22. 17 . Hoover, 22-23. 18 . Denis Judd, The Lion and the Tiger The Rise and Fall of the British Raj (Oxford Oxford University Press, 2004), 67-68. 19 . Judd, 74. 20 . Judd, 73-83. 21 . Lloyd I. and Susanne Hoeber Rudolph, The Modernity of Tradition Political Development in India (Chicago University of Chicago Press, 1984), 12. 22 . Judd, 63-64. 23 . Dr. R.K. Lahiri, Caste System in Hinduism Boloji.com (November 2005) http//www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Contentsd=ArticlesArticleID=1211, accessed, November 15, 2012. 24 . Joti Sekhon, Modern India (Boston McGraw-Hill, 2000), 48. 25 . Untouchables thought the name Harijan, that