The original idea behind the Varna system was simple: society needed balance. You had Brahmins—those who had the knowledge to guide and teach. You had Kshatriyas—warriors and protectors.

The Brahmins categorised these many jatis, and created the varna classification system, to position themselves on top, and then creating the dvija category for their patrons.

Thus, Punjab’s chatur-varna system evolved quite differently from other parts of India. Brahmins played a minimal role. The royalty or Rajput influence was largely confined to the mountainous areas.

This is the Vedic varna system. However, this is a highly simplistic division, which doesn’t take into account that there are over 5,000 communities (jati) in India, which can be classified in ...

Caste is an ancient system of social hierarchy based on one’s birth that is tied to concepts of purity and social status. Its history, evolution and current state are complicated.

What is Gotra? Based on the names of seven sages, know your Gotra Gotra tells about your lineage. Caste, religion, Gotra, Varna, all these things have been created by human beings, and each and ...

The caste system is a key decider of status in India, and is relevant enough in Indian-American communities for cities like Seattle to try banning caste discrimination.

The Brahmins categorised these many jatis, and created the varna classification system, to position themselves on top, and then creating the dvija category for their patrons.

The varna system initially served to classify individuals on the basis of their attributes and aptitude. However, with time, it evolved into the caste system where a person’s occupation and ...

The Brahmins (priest class) appeared from the being’s head, the Kshatriyas (warriors) from his arms, the Vaishyas (business class) from his thighs and the Shudras (laborers) from his feet.