History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c41.9

v3.c41.9

and hence the class of Śūdras did not exist among the Persians. Moreover we do not know if caste distinctions among the Persians were not matrimonial, but were purely occupational. Among the Hindus, Pratiloma marriage was stopped in pre-Buddhist days and Anuloma marriage ceased probably at this time. Lastly, Al-Beruni says that all castes lived mixed together in the same houses and lodgings. This is probably a correct observation so far as the Panjab is concerned; for there was not much difference of food or habits between the different classes, all being flesh-eaters. In the rest of the country, this could not have been so; even if it were so in 1040 A. D. things changed so completely during the next two centuries owing to the recrudescence of the doctrine of Ahimsā that many castes gave up animal food and vegetarians and non-vegetarians could not have lived together in the same houses. Hence, after Al-Beruni, caste developed in exclusiveness to such an extent that the original four castes of India gave place in this sub-period to hundreds and thousands of sub-castes as we proceed to show.