Caste system in south India

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                    Indian Caste system is the traditional system of social division in the Indian
Subcontinent in which the social classes are divided into a number of endogamous (practice of 

marrying) within the social groups. These social groups are often termed as varnas (which are sub divided into jatis-subcastes). These castes are hereditary and within the caste there are exogamous groups known as Gotras.

               The         caste system is historically linked to Hinduism. The Indian constitution has 

formally outlawed caste-based discrimination but it has documented the castes and sub-castes primarily to provide reservation (A kind of positive discrimination and advisable most of the times).

The caste system is gradually declining in the public sphere mostly in the urban areas. It is still 

a major part of societal structure and widely practiced and adhered to in the rural areas.

           Researchers claim that the caste system began with the Indo-Aryan migration to India. 

Many researchers claim that caste system is a part of Hinduism considering “Manusmriti” is the law book of Hindus. And many reject this assertion and contend that it is anachronistic social practice, and not a religious one.

              The Vedas place very little importance on the caste system, mentioning it only rarely 

and in a cursory manner. In Vedic period there also seems to be no discrimination against Shudras (which later became an ensemble of the low-castes). But the Bhagavad Gita and Manusmriti claim that there are four Varnas (Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vysya, and Shudra).

              There is a fifth division in the Hindu caste system other than these four Varnas. This
fifth division consists of people who were seen as working in unhealthy, disgusting or polluting 

jobs (now called Dalits). Untouchables used to live separately within the subcultural context of their own, outside the inhabited limits of villages and townships. They are the rejected people in every sense of word.

        Many Bhakti period saints rejected the caste discriminations and accepted all castes, 

including Untouchables in their fold. The Hindu reform movements such as the Brahmo Samaj and Arya Samaj renounced the caste based discrimination. The inclusion of the so called Untouchables into the mainstream was argued for by many social reformers. Mahatma Gandhi, the great Indian spiritual and political leader called them Harijans (people of God) but even now the term “Dalit” is used in an abusive sense. The father of the Indian Constitution Dr B.R. Ambedkar, an untouchable himself spent his whole life fighting against Untouchability and the Indian caste system.

       The Indian caste system is gradually relaxing, especially in metropolitan and urban areas, 

due to penetration of higher education and co-existence of all the communities and one of the major reasons is alienation with the rural roots of the people.

             The Government of India has officially documented castes and sub castes primarily to 

determine the reservations for the upliftment of the people. The Governments List consists of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.

Scheduled Castes (SC): former untouchables – Around 16% of population of India Scheduled Tribes (ST): Tribal people – Around 7% of population of India. OBC (Other Backward Castes):

                     Majority of castes are covered under this category. Around 3000 castes 

estimated come under this category and 52% of population of India is estimated to come under this category. However, the NSSO (National Sample Survey) puts the figure at only 32%. There is a substantial debate over the actual figure and it is generally estimated to be sizable.

             In some parts of India, Christians are stratified by sect, location and castes of their
predecessors. Presently in India, now more than 70% of the Christians are Dalits.

But the higher castes Christians (less than 30% by estimates) control 90 % of churches administrative

jobs and into politics (Dr Y S Rajasekar Reddy – CM of Andhra).

    Independent India has witnessed considerable amount of violence and hate crimes motivated by 

caste and that too mostly against Dalits such as the violence in Bihar through Ranvir Sena , Kherlanji Massacre in Maharashtra. Caste based politics have emerged in the independent India during the 1980s with many political parties having been involved in the Caste based Vote-bank politics.

                The Caste system was historically criticized by the reformers, the great saints and 

the founders of Buddhism (Gautama Buddha) and Jainism (Mahavira). Periyar Ramasamy, a Tamil rationalist was regarded as Anti-Hindu as he claimed to fight against the caste-practice of Hindus. Ambedkar was also treated as anti-Hindu by many orthodox people. Some activists consider caste system

as a form of racial discrimination. The participants of the United Nations Conference against 

Racism, condemned caste system and stated that caste as a basis for segregation and oppression of peoples in terms of their descent and occupation in a form of apartheid. But these arguments were rejected by sociologists, treating racism as “politically mischievous” and “scientifically nonsense” since there is no discernible difference between Brahmins and Scheduled Castes.

         People generally have a perception that all the saints and sages of the old Hindu spiritual
world are Brahmins but it is not so, there are many great saints who were not Brahmins and this 

of-course suggests that caste based discrimination is very minimal. The renowned sages, saints Maharshi Valmiki ( Chandala – Can be Considered Untouchable ), Maharshi Matanga ( Shudra mother, Vysya Father) , God Lord Shiva ( often termed as Kirata – Scheduled Caste ), Swami Vivekananda ( Kayasta – BC ) , Mahatma Vidura ( Son of a Maid ).

        And one more perception among people is that the prominent rulers in the Indian society are 

from Kshatriya Clan. This is also a perception as one of the Greatest Kings in India ChandraGupta Maurya is a Shudra. Even now the ruling parties (i.e., with Caste politics) in most parts of North India are Shudras (Bihar – Yadavas). South Indian Society makes more sense from feudal angle than caste angle. Here both dominant castes and weaker castes are considered under Shudras.

           The Caste system that made feudal families all over South India an endogenous unit was 

already accepted even though Brahmins didn’t exactly give Kshatriya and Vysya status to all the warrior and merchant communities (Reddy – Not Kshatriya, Gavara – Not Vysya). It could be debated that people of South India really realized (when it comes to weaker castes) and/or cared (when it comes to dominant castes), their position in caste hierarchy.

          Many South Indian communities had their own temples and priests. However, During the 

British period, the concepts of community identity caused the development of Caste consciousness in the South Indian society. In particular in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh this resulted in the dominant

castes claiming higher caste positions.

    Inscriptions of Shudra dynasty declare that belonging to the fourth Varna is a matter of pride. 

An Inscription by Singaya-Nayaka says:

“The three castes viz., Brahmins, Kshatriya and Vysya were produced from the face, arms and thighs 

of the Lord and fourth Varna born for their support was born from his feet. That this caste is purer than the former three is self-evident; for this caste was born along with the river Ganga (the purifier of three worlds). The members of this caste are eagerly attentive to their duties, not-wicked, pure minded and are devoid of passion and other such blemishes; they ably bear all the burdens of the earth by helping those born in the kingly caste.”

     In an inscription dated 1345 CE, the Reddy dynasty of Andhra describes how after the 

elimination of Kshatriyas, the defending of the Cows and Brahmins fell on the shoulders of Shudras. In the same way as Reddy Caste, the Jat Community originally of lower caste gained prestige after fighting with Moghals.

The South Indian Castes mostly come under Shudras. The people in the South India mainly come under the following castes.

a) Rajus :

                   Rajus come under Kshatriyas, the warriors and rulers of traditional Hindu 

society. They make about 1.2% of the population and they are among the wealthiest communities in South India (mainly found in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh).

b) Vanika ( Vysya) :

                  They are the traditional traders in the Hindu society and they form about 5% of 

the population in South India.

c) Brahmins:

                  Brahmin is the highest class in the Hindu system and in early history there was no
restriction for an individual to become a Brahmin, as long as he is learned and has the skills to 

perform the priestly duties. They consist of about 2-5% of the population.

d) Sali  :

                  This is the weavers caste mostly found in all the south Indian states, the 

geographical constraints made them adopt the names like Padmasali or Devanga. Some believe that they mostly hail from Andhra and have settled in all other places, they form about 15-18% of the population. There is a wrong impression that people from this community are weavers, but they were involved in Medicine, trading and agriculture. They are highly sanskritized with all the men wearing the sacred thread. It is believed that they have a prepared a saree that fits in match box.

e) Kamma  :

              This is the caste largely found in south India and they form about 5% of population. 

One theory is that they got this name from the Buddhist settlement in south eastern parts of Andhra, and their origin is considered to be very recent in history.

f) Mala :

         Mala is social group or caste mostly found South India (mostly in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil 

Nadu), they are considered to be the Dalit/backward caste. One theory says that their origin is from Wrestlers (Malla – wresting community of past). They also have kin-communities such as Baindla, Pothuraju, Mashti, Mala dasoo, Dandems. It is believed that Malas, who were once on par with Kapus, had lost their equality of status over a conflict. They form about 8% of population.

g) Reddy  :

         This is also a feudal/farming caste found mainly in Andhra Pradesh but spread  all over 

south India. They form 11-15% of the population. Karnataka Reddies are called Vakkalingas, Kerala – Nair and in Tamil Nadu – Reddiars. Some of the people of this caste come under the Tribal communities

but mostly the richest in South India are from this caste.

h) Madiga :

                This is a caste found in South India, along with Mala they are also the Dalit 

community. They are mainly into Agriculture and most of the times laborers. In the past they were not

allowed into the village environment. Their shadow is believed to be capable of polluting the water 

of a well. They are about 8-9% of the population.

i) Velama :

            Velama is one of the feudal castes mostly found in Andhra Pradesh. They ruled parts of 

Andhra Pradesh for several centuries in the past. The great Palnati Racherla Brahma Naidu, who himself was a valiant fighter and a great reformer is a Velama. He fought to eliminate the caste system with a concept called “Sahapankti Bhojanalu” (People belonging to different castes sit together for lunch/dinner in a feast). They form very less portion of the population now, about 3-4% of the population.

j) Yerukala:

          Erukala is a caste largely found in south Indian society. They call themselves “Kurru”. 

They are called “Yerukala” after their women’s traditional profession of fortune telling. Their reference is in the Mahabharata, the great archer Eklavya is considered to be belonging to Yerukala society. Many historians found references indicating that “Kakatiya Kings” originated from the Erukala tribe.

k) Mudiraju :

           Mudiraju community is found in south Indian states that too mostly in Andhra Pradesh, 

Tamil Nadu. They are mainly cultivators and/or parts of village administrators. They are basically warriors whose primitive professions were hunting and fishing. They have a rivalry with Kapus in terms of security of the kingdoms; often they form the military for kingdoms. Kapus and Mudirajus are

considered to be of the same origin. They are considered to be great warriors who fought in the 

battle of Palnadu near Karempudi.

l) Naidu(Kapus):

             Kapu is a community found in all the south Indian states and also in Orissa. The term 

itself means protector and they form the army of the kings and primarily agrarian. They form about 22% of the population. Reddies are also considered to be Kapus in some parts.

m) Yadavas :

         Yadavas form about 19% of the population and are considered to be descendants of royal 

Vedic emperor Yadu. Though they are of Kshatriya, they come under backward classes due to the prevailing economic conditions. Some researchers say that the origin of Rajputs is from the Yadavas.

n) Gowda :

              It is the second largest community in Karnataka. Gowdas are also found in some parts 

of Andhra Pradesh. They are basically village heads when we consider the case of Karnataka. In almost

all the parts they are basically involved in the agriculture / farming. Nallavar of Tamil Nadu is also considered to be similar to Gowda caste.

o) Kuruba (Golla):

         Kurubas are mainly found in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. They are basically considered to 

be from the Kuru tribe. They were great warriors and are referred to / said to be a part of Yadavas. Now they form considerably less population.

p) Billava ( Ediga ) :

       Billavas are found in the Tulu parts of Karnataka and Kerala. They are also called Ediga in 

some parts of Karnataka and are found rarely in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. They are mainly into toddy tapping, liquor sales and farming. The famous icon of Karnataka Dr Rajkumar is Ediga himself and is considered to have done work for reforming the inequalities among the people.

q) Nadar:

         They are basically a warrior community found in parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Their 

population is now divided among two major religions Hinduism and Christianity (60% - Hindus and 40%- Christians). The gene pool of Nadars has similarities with East Asian population. They form considerably very less population now.

r) Ezhava( Illuvar – Tamil Nadu ):

         Ezhava is one of major communities in Kerala forming about 29% of the population of the 

state. They are basically rationalists and non-believers and are not considered Hindus most of the times. They are basically Ayurvedic physicians, warriors and traders. The word “Eelam” is considered to be originated from Ezhava. They are considered to have relationships with Nadars.

s) Vokkalingas:

         Vokkalingas are found in the old Mysore region of Karnataka. They are referred to as 

similar to Kurmi Caste of North India and Vellars of Tamil Nadu. The word Vokkalinga basically means tillers of land. They are cultivators but being the most found community in Karnataka, they believed to be in the administrative jobs in the olden days.

t) Lingayat :

         Ligayatism is the social reformation to deprive the social classes of prejudices and 

superstitions. They are found in almost all the kind of jobs. And they consider Lord Shiva as their supreme God. They are found mainly in Karnataka and parts of Andhra Pradesh as jangam devaras. Lingayats are today spread over the whole Karnataka and parts of Andhra Pradesh and they are about 15-20% of the population.

               In addition to the above discussed caste groups, there are a lot of local artisan 

caste groups such as potter community but those groups are all considered to be derived from the above mentioned groups based on the conditions prevailing. There are also Adivasis (Girijans – Hill people termed by Mahatma Gandhi) who come under Scheduled Tribes. These tribal people are considered to be originated from the tribal communities of North like the Kuru, Yadava but because of economic conditions and the living conditions they come under the Scheduled Tribes of the Indian Act.