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Four basic categories are defined under this system – Brahmins (priests, teachers, intellectuals), Kshatriyas (warriors, kings, administrators), Vaishyas (agriculturalists, traders, farmers ) and Shudras (workers, labourers, artisans).
What are the four castes in India?
Caste System in Ancient India
- Brahmins (priests, gurus, etc.)
- Kshatriyas (warriors, kings, administrators, etc.)
- Vaishyas (agriculturalists, traders, etc., also called Vysyas)
- Shudras (laborers)
How many levels are there in India’s caste system?
There are four official levels, or varnas, of the Hindu caste system. The caste system is quite ancient and may have existed in some form as early as four thousand years ago. The highest class is the Brahmins, followed by the Kshatriyas, then the Vaishyas, and finally the Shudras.
What are all the levels in the caste system?
The traditional caste system consists of a hierarchy of four castes (varnas): Brahmins (priests and teachers), Kshatriyas (rulers and warriors), Vaishyas (merchants and cultivators), and Shudras (servants). The non-Aryans who were incorporated into the Aryan society belonged to the Shudra caste.
What are the 4 main varnas of India?
The varnas have been known since a hymn in the Rigveda (the oldest surviving Indian text) that portrays the Brahman (priest), the Kshatriya (noble), the Vaishya (commoner), and the Shudra (servant) issued forth at creation from the mouth, arms, thighs, and feet of the primeval person (purusha).
Which are the four Vedas?
There are four Vedas: the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda.
What are the four Varnas?
The four Varnas were the Brahmans, the Kshatriyas, the Vaishyas and the Shudras.
Who is OBC category?
Other Backward Class (OBC) is a collective term used by the Government of India to classify castes which are educationally or socially disadvantaged. It is one of several official classifications of the population of India, along with General Class, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SCs and STs).
How many castes are there in India?
The Indian constitution, in Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 lists 1,108 castes across 25 states in its First Schedule, while the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 lists 744 tribes across 22 states in its First Schedule.
What are the four stages of life in Hinduism?
The stages are those of (1) the student (brahmacari), marked by chastity, devotion, and obedience to one’s teacher, (2) the householder (grihastha), requiring marriage, the begetting of children, sustaining one’s family and helping support priests and holy men, and fulfillment of duties toward gods and ancestors, (3) …
What are the four Varnas of Hinduism?