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Origin of Untouchables Sem1
Origin of Untouchables Sem1
Submitted by:
MRUDULA SARAMPALLY
SEMESTER I
2014104
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE
Page Number
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
INTRODUCTION
DEFINITIONS OF UNTOUCHABILITY
10
12
13
14
16
CERTIFICATE
TitleoftheSubject:HISTORYII
NameoftheFaculty:VISHWANATHMADASU
Particulars
Date&Signatureofthe
Faculty
Remarks
Abstract
FirstConsultation
SecondConsultation
ThirdConsultation&Final
Submission
I,S.MRUDULA,herebydeclarethatthisProjecttitledTHEORIGINOF
UNTOUCHABLESsubmittedbymeisanoriginalworkundertakenbyme.Ihaveduly
acknowledgedallthesourcesfromwhichtheideasandextractshavebeentaken.The
projectisfreefromanyplagiarismissue.
(Signatureofthe
Candidate)
Place:Visakhapatnam
Date:11/11/2014
S.MRUDULA
2014104
Semester I
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to thank Mr Dr.Vishwachandranath garu for giving me the opportunity to do this
project named 44th amendment of Indian constitution which was quite interesting and
informative. I would also like to thank my friends who helped me to finish the project.
INTRODUCTION:
The origin of the term Sudra comes from the word, 'suc' which means to be sorrowful while
as per some other group it comes from 'ksudra' which means trifling. Numerous groups
dictate Sudras to be non-Aryans. However, there are some groups of Aryans who were also
designated as Sudras, but in a very less number.
In ancient India, the Rig Veda divided the society into four varnas in accordance with the
human being that is to say Brahmins from the Purusa(the primeval man), Kshyatriyas from
the arms, vaishyas from the Thighs and Sudras from the feet. This division marked the
formation of Aryan Agrarian Society. The Brahmins, were the highest ranked Varna who held
the positions of priest and teacher of the Vedas; the kshyatriyas took charge of politics and the
military; the vaishyas formed the group of cultivators, herders and merchants; and the Sudras
were deprived to the position of servants. The top three varnas, members of Aryan society,
were called the Dvijati, or 'twice born', and were allowed to participate in the religious
worship. In contrast, the Sudras were segregated from the Dvijati as Ekajati, who were born
only once from their mothers' wombs. Below the Sudras, a class of inferior people existed, in
which the 'Chandalas', or 'untouchables'. It was believed that the Sudras were born only to
serve the brahmins and any wealth acquainted by the Sudra belonged to the Brahmins.
Marriage is permitted only in one's own Varna. This rule was often broken. But any twiceborn male who took a Sudra to be his wife would become the object of particular scorn. If a
twice- born male had only one wife i.e., anuloma marriages and she was of Sudra status, he
would be considered to be in a state of ritual impurity and would be forbidden to attend
family ceremonies. On the other hand, any Sudra male who approached a twice-born female,
i.e., pratiloma marriages, behaved like a twice-born Varna in everyday life. The Sudras were
neglected or ignored during the times of distress and emergency.
Un-touch-ability carries a sense of contamination and abuse. It also, implies convinced socioreligious incapacities. Untouchability includes customs, practices given by the rigid Indian
caste system where persons belonging to the scheduled caste were debarred from entering
Hindu Temples, public places, streets, public conveyances, eating place, educational
institutions, etc.
MEANING OF UNTOUCHABILITY:
Untouchability is defined as the quality or condition of being an untouchable, ascribed in the
Vedic tradition to persons of low caste or to persons excluded from the caste system.
Untouchables means pollution by the touch of a particular group of persons or family born in
a caste. This system is generally seen in Hindu society. The Webster's dictionary describes the
Untouchables as, members of a large hereditary group in India having traditional Hindu
belief and quality of defiling by contact the persons, food or drink of a member of a higher
caste, and formerly being strictly degraded and restricted to menial work.
DEFINITIONS OF UNTOUCHABILITY:
a) Maharashi V.R. Shinde:
A nation-wide co-institution indicating three features of often observing pollution, asking to
live outside of village and not giving equal legal protection of law.
b) Mahatma M.K. Gandhi:
Untouchability means pollution by the touch of certain persons by reason of their birth in a
particular state of family.
c) Dr. Babasaheb B.R. Ambedkar:
Untouchability is the notion of defilement, it is a case of permanent hereditary stain which
nothing can cleanse
d) Mr. Justice N. Sreenivasan Rao:
The use of the work untouchability refers to the meaning of the term in the context of the
historical development of the practice and does not connote its literal meaning.1
Untouchables were treated as slaves and were sold, mortgaged like other property like land
etc till the recent past. They were not only treated as untouchables but also as useable and
unapproachable. Untouchables were the workers of high caste people who were dominated
and controlled by them.
4. IMPURITY:
Untouchables in the early era were considered to be impure which had various categories that
make a person impure in his own way. These persons being impure were considered to be a
evil in the society. Impurity is the main characteristic feature of untouchability. The following
are some of the ways that made a person impure. Impurity,
based on birth.
based on death.
based on occupation.
based on menstruation.
based on territory.
based on conversion and so on.
the religious activities of god, they were restricted from the usage of refinery and jewellery,
preaching about untouchability on a philosophical ground, insult made when they were seen,
discrimination made in private and public palces and so on and so forth.
varnas, like 'cast-off shoes, umbrellas, garments, mats, and left-over food' for the services
they rendered. A Sudra whose master had fallen into poverty was required to assist him with
the wealth he had accumulated during his servitude. On the other hand, the Dharma sutras
also require masters to care for and support their Sudras. Sudras were also allowed to become
artisans who were required to provide one day of service per month to the king. The Sudras
was strictly forbidden from participating in the religious ceremonies of the Aryans. If it
happened that the Sudras participated in the religious activities, they were punished severely
which depicted strongly that Sudras were excluded from Aryan customs and behaviour.5
In the later stage, Intra-Varna rules of marriage were broken that the Dharma sutras were
finally recognized the practice of anuloma, or marriage to women of a lower Varna. There
were exceptions to the rules imposed on Sudras. The most important exception was the rigid
nature of the higher varnas during the time of distress or emergency, at the time of which the
people are not supposed to accept food from any sudra even at the time of starvation. The
society is very different from that of the orthodox brahmans and there is allowance for social
mobility.
As per the Hindu Legal Codes i.e., Manu Smriti composed between 200 B.C and 200 A.D,
laid down a systematised manner of the four Varnas as described in the Dharma Sutras. The
Hindu Legal Codes continued to list the principles of Sudra discrimination and exclusion
from the Aryan Culture; but there are also practices that describe the reality of the distinction
between the Vaishya and Sudra varnas. Dharmasutras gave importance to the sudras by
giving rules that allowed the higher varnas to have food cooked by the sudras and also
allowing the pratiloma and anuloma marriages. The Arthasastra terms the untouchables or the
chandalas as those people who are confined to the forests even though it does not give special
reference to the untouchables. It takes the varna system as the basis and lists the rules and
regulations of each varna. The descriptions of Megasthenese depicts the difference that was
shown among the people. In the Yajnavalkya Smriti, there is a provision which allows the
sudras to carry on trade and commerce.
5 Edited by H.Kotani, Caste system, Untouchability and the depressed, 1997 Pg 4..
6 Dr. Vijaykumar H. Salimani, Eradication of Untouchabilty, First Edition, LAXMI BOOK PUBLICATION
258/34, Raviwar Peth, SolapurPg 7.
This theory was propounded by Dr.B.R.Ambedkar. He says that the early man were all tribes
and with the development of agriculture, developed the man. During this process of
development some section of people still remained as nomadic tribes and there were wars
between the developed people and these tribes because of various reasons namely, stealing
cattle, women and grazing of farms in the land of the other. The other reasons were the
nomadic people thought if they attacked the developed or settled people so that they can steal
their wealth. This led to the division of tribal groups and hence called Broken Tribesmen.
The other reasons for the origin of untouchability, according to B.R.Ambedkar were,
The contempt of Buddhism which preached the concepts of liberty, equality and
fraternity and was professed by the Broken men as this was not on the hereditary
basis as that of the Brahmins and also because the Buddhists opposed the supremacy
7 Dr. Vijaykumar H. Salimani, Eradication of Untouchabilty, First Edition, LAXMI BOOK PUBLICATION
258/34, Raviwar Peth, SolapurPg 8.
During this period which accepted the division of the society into four classes or varnas,
continuously developed and the process of which
8 Edited by H.Kotani ,Caste system, Untouchability and the depressed, 1997 Pg 21.
9 Edited by H.Kotani, Caste system, Untouchability and the depressed, 1997 Pg 32
The chamars of Rajasthan were the lowest community people residing in the outskirts of the
city. The Jama Bandhis who were of a higher caste used to impose haevy taxes on the
chamars. These people were sometimes not on record as they acted as slaves to the higher
families. The chamars were found in almost every village of Rajasthan who were in different
numbers. The main source of income or their occupation was these people removed the dead
cattle from the villages which used to fetch them with the leather from the animals. They
involved in making leather bags, mats, ropes etc which were then intensively used for
agriculture. They also produced bridles, saddles, scabbards for swords. It was mentioned in
the records that taxes were imposed on chamars who produced maize and tobbacco.
CONCLUSION:
The reality of Sudra castes in the medieval Deccan, is the fact that their existence was
ambivalent. They were discriminated against in various ways in daily life but at the same
time they played an important role. But, also at the same time, they were so deeply
incorporated into the caste system that they were left behind by the higher caste people.
Untouchability as a sense of superiority, racial or caste purity on the part of Hindus increased
an attitude of apathy, hatred and indifference towards untouchables. The belief in
superstitions, for example thinking untouchable as a matter of disgrace, bad omen and a
source of some calamity or danger to men and animal also barred this section of society out
of the society.
The ideology of purity, which was developed by the religious leaders of Hindu society, who
were the Brahmins and contributed to the social stratification in villages organized according
to the castes. With the development of this ideology, strata of inferior castes and artisans, who
were previously not looked upon as ritually impure, were also designated as untouchable.
Moreover, stratification occurred among the old and new untouchable castes based on
difference in the degrees of purity, resulting in exclusionary behaviour among them. This
existence of untouchables reduced the tense relationships arising from inequality within the
village community and brought about a certain amount of stability. The role played directly or
indirectly in the development of the untouchability during this time by the ruling classes on
both the state and local levels was a very important one.
Untouchability includes oppressive servitude, acute illiteracy, poverty and degraded status. It
even stopped the progress of the nation to a great extent. The Hindus successfully exploited
the ignorance and helplessness of the untouchables to such an extent that they were made to
believe that it was most religious and divinely instituted and hence they tolerated the
oppression and resisted to it.