Shudras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order down to circa A.D. 600 c10.455

c10.455

The rathakāra is also regarded as a despised caste in the Buddhist texts, but in the brāhmaṇical texts he continues to enjoy a high social standing. The Gṛhyasūtras provide for his upanayana.⁴ Rhys Davids suggests that the rathakāras were an aboriginal tribe.⁵ But this does not seem to be correct, because they formed part of the āryan viś in Vedic times. It is likely, however, that in later times some of the aborigines were assimilated to the ranks of the rathakāras. On the basis of a passage from a later Jātaka⁶ it is suggested that the rathakāra fell in status because of his having taken to leather work.⁷ But the rathakāra also continued to be employed to make the wheels of the chariot, which was used by the kings.⁸ Further, although the craft of the leather worker (cammakāra) is regarded as low, he himself is not put in the list of the despised castes. Perhaps one of the reasons why the rathakāra is treated as a condemned caste in the Buddhist texts is the Buddhist aversion to war, for which the rathakāra prepared chariots. In any case it is clear that they were not degraded to the same level as the caṇḍāla and the pukkusa.