The Rashtrakutas and their Times c21.5

c21.5

The seven castes mentioned by Ibn Khurdadba, who died in 912 A.D., are (1) Sābkufrīa (spelt as Sabakferya or Ṣamkufrīa according to some Mss), (2) Brahma, (3) Katarīya, (4) Sūdariyā, (5) Baisurā, (6) Sandālia, and (7) Lahūd.² The seven castes of Al Idrisi are practically identical with the seven ones mentioned above, if slight variation in spelling is ignored.³ There is, however, one variation; the name of the 7th caste according to Al Idrisi is Zakya and not Lahūd as Ibn Khurdadba asserts. Both of them agree, however, in observing that the members of this caste were following the professions of the dancers, tumblers, and players. The order of enumeration of these castes is not according to their relative status or importance; for both mention the Vaishyas after the Sudras and the Lahūd or Zakya caste, which comes last, seems certainly not lower in status than the Chandala one, which precedes it.