Indische Palaographie von circa 350 a. Chr. – circa 1300 p. Chr. c47.s1.4

c47.s1.4

§ 15. The social divisions which form the units of the system in question are known in the West by the name of Castes, which was given them by the early Portuguese travellers. It is said to be derived from the Latin word *casta*, pure or unmixed, in itself connoting segregation, and was applied by Camoens, for instance, in the sense of tribe or even race, to the Pulayan or helots, in contradistinction to the Nāyar, their conquerors. It needs but a very short time in the country to bring home to the most casual observer the ubiquity of the institution, and to make him acquainted with some of its principal exoteric features. He might possibly feel himself in a position to define it, an enterprise from which after longer experience he would shrink, as the more caste is studied, the more numerous are the qualifications found to be advisable in describing it. It is necessary, however, for the purposes of this review, to set forth in terms as definite as the case allows the leading features of the community which forms the main subject of this work. Of the many definitions which have been given by various authors, the most satisfactory, on the whole, is that adopted by Mr Gait, the joint author of the last (1901) Census Report, in dealing with the castes of the Province of Bengal, "A caste", he says (p. 354), "is an endogamous group or a collection of "endogamous groups, bearing a common name, the members of which "by reason of similarity of traditional occupation and reputed origin are "generally regarded ..... as forming a single homogeneous community, "the constituent parts of which are more nearly related to each other "than they are to any other section of the society". From this it appears, then, that the members of a caste may only marry within its limits; but nearly every caste is made up of sections upon whom the same restriction is imposed with reference to their limits, the title of the subdivision being added to that of the main aggregate. The occupation, again, which is common to the latter, is a traditional one, and is not by any means necessarily that by which all, or even most, of the group make their living in the present day. On the other hand, the common origin, which is now claimed by most, is largely a matter of fiction, accepted, however, without cavil. The factor of public opinion, too, is of some importance in the definition, since the view taken by an aspiring section of a caste of its relationship to the main body is apt to differ from that accorded to it by the other castes amongst whom its lot is thrown, whilst the acquaintance of the upper classes with the organisation of those below them, and their interest in it are of the slightest, until perhaps an encroachment comes within measurable reach of their own position. It sometimes happens, therefore, that a subdivision by retaining its own title but substituting a fresh one for that of its main caste, obtains a jumping-ground for a new start in society, which may impose upon the outer world but not upon the immediate surroundings. Reverting, for a moment to the definition, it may be noted that while endogamy is the chief characteristic of the organisation, an exception is found in the case of the Rājput, or military caste, which is based upon exogamous clans or tribes. These have in many cases fixed their own circle of intermarriage within the caste on considerations other than those current amongst the rest of the Brāhmanic community. There are apparently ethnic reasons for this peculiarity, to which reference will be found below.