The Caste System in Nepal and India: A Religious or
Social Problem?

 

Theories on how the caste system might have been established
in India and Nepal are conflicting.  The Rig Veda divides Hindu
society in four varnas, but does not clearly imply as to the status
of one varna in relation to the others. There is a distinction in the
professions each of these groups was supposed specialize on, but that didnt
simply allow one group to claim the social superiority over the other. 
Nevertheless, the caste system in India seems to have been rooted in the
(mis)interpretation of this mythology.  

 

But it gets more complex in Nepal as we see many
not-originally-Hindu ethnic communities also grouped together as jaats,
which are essentially defined as the sub-class of the four varnas. It is
obvious that such stratifying labels were imposed upon these non-Hindu tribes
by the dominating Hindu varnas, possibly Brahmins and Kshtriyas. In
effect, the origin of the 36 jaats in Nepal might have been more social
than religious.

 

I remember I was taught in my high school history class and
afterwards, where Jayasthiti Malla, the king of Patan, was attributed to have
introduced vocation-based classes, which would later become the castes. One of
the Divyopadeshas of king Prithvi Narayan Shah also recognizes the 36-jaats
based caste system (although it does call for a shared access to the
states resources among all castes). There have also been suggestions that the
caste system was based on race, therefore, justifies its endogamous nature.
 

 

No matter how it started, most of the educated population
now regards this system as unjust and a barrier in the efforts towards social
assimilation.

 

But political leaders in both India and Nepal have always
been elusive about the issue, primarily due to their unwillingness to challenge
the orthodox Hindu groups and traditions, which still maintain a significant
degree of influence among the population.  All kings in the history of
Nepal have subscribed to this notion of the status-oriented caste system, at
least in order to retain their control over the subjects.  In India,
Gandhi advocated for the compliance with the four varnas as a means for
social stability and harmony.  He has further asserted that the
innumerable sub-castes could also be desirable.

 

However, there have been several unsuccessful attempts of
social reforms in the Nepali and Indian history as they pertained to the caste
system and untouchablity. I understand that a number of governmental and
non-governmental organizations have been actively pursuing to eliminate this
extreme manifestation of social injustice in Nepal, but the results havent
been tangible. In India, also, the beginning of the organized efforts to
abolish untouchability can be dated back to as early as the 1920s.
Unfortunately, the so called lower-caste groups remain underrepresented in all
walks of life in both countries.

 

As an enthusiast of social organization theories, I was
interested in how the Sajha community would respond to in regards to the origin,
perception, practice, revolutions and political conservatism on the issue of
the caste system that exists in Nepal and India.