1 / 6

Hindu Caste System

Hindu Caste System. Social Structure in ancient India. Brahmin. Hindu priests & scholars Well-respected & well-educated. Perform rituals, influence laws, etc. Have to perform many religious duties every day, but lead extremely comfortable lives in general. Kshatriya. Ruling & warrior elite

fynn
Download Presentation

Hindu Caste System

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Hindu Caste System Social Structure in ancient India

  2. Brahmin • Hindu priests & scholars • Well-respected & well-educated. Perform rituals, influence laws, etc. • Have to perform many religious duties every day, but lead extremely comfortable lives in general.

  3. Kshatriya • Ruling & warrior elite • Lead wars & create laws. Males expected to be strong and aggressive; females expected to be gentle and well-behaved. • Luxurious palaces, multiple wives, many belongings, & fine food. Even allowed to eat meat!

  4. Vaishya • Farmers, landowners, bakers, traders, money-lenders • Usually wealthy, but still toward the bottom of the caste system. They are responsible for constructing public buildings. Well-educated caste. • Considered an extremely important caste because of the work they do. Some resentment due to place in system versus wealth/importance.

  5. Shudra • “Unskilled” workers (cobblers, blacksmiths, maids, cooks) & slaves • Not untouchables, but still discriminated against. Had to use different temples & public buildings. • Significant difference between Vaishya & Shudra castes. • Spend most of the day doing menial work.

  6. Dalit – “Untouchables” • Butchering, street cleaning, latrine/sewer work. This work is “unclean” & contagious. • Forced to stay outside of village. Can’t use temples or schools. Not allowed to touch others. • Extremely poor, they were often harassed, murdered, and victims of violence.

More Related