Caste is a religious concept. It originated from Brahmanism, the predecessor of Hinduism, and was created after the Aryans entered India. It is a system that strictly distinguishes social classes or groups among the Hindu residents of South Asian countries mainly in India.
Caste divides Hindus into 4 classes. The order of these 4 levels is: Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Sudra. Each level of caste is divided into many sub-castes, also called sub-castes. In addition to the four major castes, there is also a group of people who are not even as good as the lowest caste, Sudra, called untouchables. The highest-level Brahmin caste, mainly monks, is mostly engaged in cultural, educational and sacrificial activities; the second is the Kshatriya caste, which is the king and warrior class who control military affairs; the third is the Vaishya caste, which is common people, that is, merchants, Handicraftsmen and peasants engaged in farming; the lowest caste is Sudra, farmers, shepherds, servants and slaves.
The Indian caste system not only has a strict hierarchy of high and low, but also has strict regulations on marriage, occupation, and diet for each caste. The caste system implements strict "endogamy", that is, marriages can only occur within the same caste or sub-caste. According to the caste system, a man of a higher caste can marry a woman of a lower caste. This is called "cisal marriage", otherwise, it is called "reverse marriage". But now, after historical evolution, the caste system itself has become very complicated, and it is difficult for Indian surnames to be strictly distinguished according to the four major castes. Under normal circumstances, the first name of Indians comes first, followed by the last name, such as Froz Gandhi, "Froz" is the first name, and "Gandhi" is the last name. When addressing Indian men, they only call their surnames, not their first names, while Indian women only call them by their first names and not their surnames. For elders, people generally use "Guru" to mean "teacher" and "elder", and "Mahatma" for big figures, such as Mahatma Gandhi. In daily life, Indians often add a "Ji" after their names when talking or making speeches, to express respect and affection, such as Guruji (teacher).
