Recently, a trend has emerged where some individuals, often dressed in traditional attire, claim that “castes did not exist before the British arrived; they were created by the British, and the word ‘caste’ itself comes from French.” Another narrative insists that only varnas (Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra) existed in ancient times, not castes, and that society was harmonious until the British divided it.
These claims aim to mislead people into believing that pre-British Indian society was idyllic, free of caste divisions, and that the British invented castes to fracture unity. In reality, ancient Indian society was divided into four varnas based on Dharmashastras. Over time, the upper three varnas (Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya) solidified into distinct castes, while the Shudra varna evolved into numerous castes due to occupations and endogamy.
Numerous Telugu inscriptions refer to various caste groups within villages, using terms like Ashtadasha Praja (eighteen castes), Padunenimidi Samayalavaru (eighteen communities), Padunenimidi Jatula Praja (eighteen caste groups), or Samasta Praja (all communities). These groups were responsible for specific social and administrative roles in the village.
- A 1314 CE inscription from Kokkireni village lists castes such as Komati, Kampulu, Gollalu, Brahmalu, Salevaru, Karnamu, and Lekhapettavaru (South Indian Inscriptions, Vol X, p. 274).
- A 1310 CE inscription from Karavadi mentions Setti, Kampulu, Reddilu, and others collectively offering gifts to a Ramanatha idol.
- A 965 CE inscription from Kambadur records 106 Gaundas (farmers?) managing the village tank’s maintenance.
- A 1132 CE inscription from Narayanapuram notes 30 Kampu families, Nayakulu, and 300 Okkaliga families in the village.
- A 1303 CE inscription from Katukuru mentions eighteen castes, including Mahajanulu, Nagaramu, Kampulu, and Baleja traders, offering gifts to Gopinatha Devar.
- A 1303 CE inscription from Nagulapadu lists Kampulu, Gollavaru, Komatilu, Eedaravandru, Akkasalu, Salevandru, and Telukalu making temple offerings.
- A 1111 CE inscription from Macharla records land granted to sculptors Thippoju and Navoju for building the Adityeshwara temple.
- Inscriptions (e.g., SII V, No. 1238) mention Dasarulu (temple gardeners) who maintained temple groves and supplied garlands, supported by land grants from devotees.
- A 1637 CE Nandhyala copperplate inscription refers to Kapparam Dasarulu, special attendants who preserved festival idols.
- Some inscriptions note Vaishnava devotees from the Dommara caste dedicating part of their Dommara tax to temples, such as Basavaraju, son of Padmaraju, at Tiruvenkatanatha temple in Kadapa (A.R. No. 11 of 1968-69).
Villages had twelve hereditary service providers, known as Barabalavathilu (from the Urdu term bara balute), including Nambivadu (Vishnu temple priest), Reddy (head farmer), Karnamu (town clerk), Purohitudu (village priest), Talari (watchman), Vadlavadu (carpenter), Kammaravadu (blacksmith), Kumharavadu (potter), Chakalavadu (washerman), Mangalavadu (barber), Malavadu (pariah), and Madigavadu (leatherworker). Kings assigned these professionals to newly established villages, granting them land or sustenance to ensure they remained and served. Leaving the village was forbidden, and artisans fleeing for better prospects faced severe punishment, such as mutilation. This was the economic structure of pre-modern rural India.
The term Barabalavathilu predates British rule, indicating that this twelve-caste system existed under Muslim rule, well before the British arrived.
While inscriptions may not explicitly use the term “caste,” the community names they list—Komati, Reddy, Kampu, etc.—match modern caste names, confirming their pre-British existence. The argument that castes are a British invention is as absurd as claiming that because “face” is an English word, people had no faces before the British arrived.
The real grievance of those pushing this narrative is not the British creation of castes but the empowerment of oppressed groups. For centuries, upper varnas enforced servitude on Shudras and others, as prescribed by Dharmashastras. The British introduced education and basic rights to marginalized groups, enabling them to rise alongside upper castes. This disruption of traditional hierarchies is the source of their resentment, and they continue to lament British influence even decades after independence.
India’s Constitution, shaped by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, safeguards the rights of oppressed communities. Ambedkar proudly noted that he prevented the Constitution from being based on Dharmashastras. Had anyone else drafted it, it might have entrenched those oppressive norms. Some groups now seek to amend the Constitution to restore a society governed by Dharmashastras, revealing the agenda behind calls for constitutional change.
Most castes mentioned in the inscriptions are Shudra castes. The restrictions imposed on Shudras and outcastes (Chandalas) by Hindu Dharmashastras warrant a broader discussion.
By Bolloju Baba
Source: T. Venkateswara Rao’s Ph.D. thesis, “Local Bodies in Pre-Vijayanagara Andhra A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1336,” available on Shodhganga.
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