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The caste system in India is a system of social stratification which has pre-modern origins, was transformed by the British Raj, and is today the basis of reservation in India. It consists of two different concepts, ''varna'' and ''jāti'', which may be regarded as different levels of analysis of this system. ''Varna'' may be translated as "class," and refers to the four social classes which existed in the Vedic society, namely Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. Certain groups, now known as Dalits, were historically excluded from the varna system altogether, and are still ostracised as untouchables. ''Jāti'' may be translated as ''caste'', and refers to ''birth''. The names of ''jātis'' are usually derived from occupations, and considered to be hereditary and endogamous, but this may not always have been the case. The ''jātis'' developed in post-Vedic times, possibly from crystallisation of guilds during its feudal era. The ''jātis'' are often thought of as belonging to one of the four ''varnas''. Although the varnas and jatis have pre-modern origins, the caste system as it exists today is the result of developments during the collapse of Mughal era and the British colonial regime in India. The collapse of Mughal era saw the rise of powerful men who associated themselves with kings, priests and ascetics, affirming the regal and martial form of the caste ideal, and it also reshaped many apparently casteless social groups into differentiated caste communities. The British Raj furthered this development, making rigid caste organisation a central mechanism of administration. Between 1860 and 1920, the British segregated Indians by caste, granting administrative jobs and senior appointments only to the upper castes. Social unrest during 1920s led to a change in this policy. From then on, the colonial administration began a policy of positive discrimination by reserving a certain percentage of government jobs for the lower castes. Caste-based differences have also been practiced in other regions and religions in the Indian subcontinent like Nepalese Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism.〔 It has been challenged by many reformist Hindu movements, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity 〔 and also by present-day Indian Buddhism. New developments took place after India achieved independence, when the policy of caste-based reservation of jobs was formalised with lists of Scheduled Castes (''Dalit'') and Scheduled Tribes (''Adivasi''). Since 1950, the country has enacted many laws and social initiatives to protect and improve the socioeconomic conditions of its lower caste population. These caste classifications for college admission quotas, job reservations and other affirmative action initiatives, according to the Supreme Court of India, are based on heredity and are not changeable.〔(Ex-India President Narayanan dies ) BBC News (2005)〕 Discrimination against lower castes is illegal in India under Article 15 of its constitution, and India tracks violence against ''Dalits'' nationwide.〔(CRIME AGAINST PERSONS BELONGING TO SCs / STs ) Government of India (2011), page 108〕 ==Definitions and concepts== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Caste system in India」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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