History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c8.30

v1.c8.30

Besides the agriculturists there were many classes whose profession was labour of varied kinds and these classes were probably of mixed origin. These are noticed by Hiuen Tsang as innumerable. Those who called themselves neither Brahmins nor Kshatriyas, neither Vaiśyas nor Śūdras were probably included by him in these mixed classes. "There are", he observes, "numerous classes formed by groups of people according to their kinds and these cannot be described." (Watters p. 168). Their number indeed, then as now, must have been counted by hundreds and hence Hiuen Tsang's despairing remark that they cannot be described. Mixed castes with special occupations have been described in several Smritis also and each division mentioned therein again divided itself probably into subdivisions according to minor diversity of occupation, and their number gradually increased. They were of course a mixture of the Dravidian and Aryan races, but the mixture must have taken place long before the time of which we write for marriages were now generally restricted to each class or caste as noticed above.