History of Rajputs: Encyclopedia II - History of Rajputs - Social Structure

History of Rajputs - Social Structure

In ancient India, society was divided into four parts (varnas): brahmins, kshatriyas, vaishyas, and shudras. The Rajputs eventually came to occupy the place in society of the kshatriyas. In that ancient era, this system was very fluid and flexible. Ibbetson writes in his book, "In the earlier Hinduism we find that, while caste distinctions were primarily based upon occupation, considerable license in this respect was permitted to the several castes, while the possibility of the individual rising [or falling] from one caste to another was distinctly recognized (4)."

The original intent of caste was to provide a convenient social structure to the Indian civilization, with the actions of an individual determining their rank in society. A parallel may be drawn to the West's social classification of people into different classes such as the middle class and the wealthy class. An individual's accumulation of wealth can easily propel them from one class to another.

However, this basic Indian classification would eventually be expanded and intolerably abused. Different levels of status came to be associated with each caste, and changing one's status in life became virtually impossible. As a result, the caste system of today hardly represents its original intent and has lost much of its intended usefulness. In fact, the mere mention of the word "caste" nowadays brings negative connotations to many people's minds.

Within the above framework, Ibbetson identifies two principles, the community of blood and the community of occupation (2). The community of occupation reflects one's caste. The community of blood reflects one's tribe.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Social Structure", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki