Caste Culture in India

One of the most ancient systems, caste culture is synonymous to the Hindu community.

The word ‘Caste’ can be traced back to the Portuguese word ‘Casta.’ Historically, Hindus were

split up into different groups which were determined by their varying special occupations. Upon

interactions with Hindu people, the Portuguese named this factions ‘Castes.’ In the caste culture,

Hindus are divided on the basis of their work (Karma) into four groups namely; Shudras,

Vaishyas, Kshatriyas and the Brahmins (Senart, 2018). The caste culture works in a way that

each group in the hierarchical order occupies a specific place. The different lower and upper-

level castes live in different parts and do not share social amenities such as wells. Intermarrying

between different castes is not allowed and the upper castes cannot accept drinks or food from

lower castes. The upper castes are bestowed with more privileges than the lower castes who are

repressed by the system. The caste culture in India withholds people into fixed social orders