Table of Contents
- 1 How did the caste system change over time in India?
- 2 What is the impact of the caste system on society in India?
- 3 What effects did the settlement of the Aryans in the Indus Valley have on the life of the people living there?
- 4 What are the origins of untouchability in India?
- 5 What jobs did The Untouchables have in ancient India?
How did the caste system change over time in India?
Due to various factors such as modern education, industrialisation, urbanisation, Indian Constitution etc. Indian society is experiencing different changes in the caste system. At first, the relative position of different castes in the hierarchy is difficult to pinpoint.
How was Aryan society socially divided?
Aryan society was divided into social classes. This caste system became more complex, dividing Indian society into groups based on rank, wealth or occupation. Castes were family based. If you were born into a caste, you would probably stay in it for your whole life.
What is the impact of the caste system on society in India?
The system has led to the upper castes being privileged over the lower castes, which were often repressed by those higher up on the caste scale. For centuries, inter-caste marriage was forbidden, and in villages, castes mostly lived separately and did not share amenities such as wells.
What changed the long held theory that Aryan invaders drove out the Harappan people?
The Aryans lived in simple houses and spoke Sanskrit. What changed the long-held theory that Aryan invaders drove out the Harappan people? Harappan culture had declined long before the Aryans came into India.
What effects did the settlement of the Aryans in the Indus Valley have on the life of the people living there?
When the Aryans arrived in India, they brought with them the horse, Sanskrit (the basis of the Hindi language) and the basis of Hinduism. They also brought war as well as the caste system, and erased all traces of the writing system of the Harappan civilization.
How did the caste system affect the lives of the untouchables?
Simply coming into physical contact with an Untouchable would demote one from their caste. Untouchables lived in poverty and were forced into jobs that included hauling human feces and animal carcasses. The caste system promoted public order and was very rigid, with a few exceptions.
What are the origins of untouchability in India?
The origins of untouchability can be traced back to the times when the Aryans invaded India around 1500 BC. They looked down upon the indigenous people as culturally and racially inferior. While some of the indigenous people escaped into the jungles, the rest of them were subdued and incorporated into the Aryan society as inferior castes.
How did the Aryans’ social classes lead to the caste system?
The Aryans’ social classes led to India’s caste system. A caste is a group within a social class. A person born into one caste could not become a member of another caste. Caste members worked within their own group and could marry only others from their caste. Below all the other castes were the untouchables.
What jobs did The Untouchables have in ancient India?
Caste System: Vaishyas, Sudras, and Untouchables. Their material wealth was of the lowest standard, which led to many ill or crippled people. Some of the occupations that the Untouchables had include hunters, arrow makers, woodworkers, executioner, dead animal disposers, scavengers, and earth workers (13).