Jati

Jatis (the word literally means "births") comprise the subcastes found within the four major castes, or varnas, of the Indian caste system. Each jati typically has an association with a traditional job function in Hindu society, although religious beliefs (e.g. Sri Vaishnavism or Veera Saivism) or linguistic groupings define some jatis. A person's surname typically reflects a jati association: thus Gandhi = greengrocer, Dhobi = washerman, Srivastava = military scribe, etc. In any given location in India 500 or more jatis may co-exist, although the exact composition will differ from district to district.

Related Topics:
Varnas - Indian - Caste system - Hindu - Sri Vaishnavism - Veera Saivism

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Many jatis found today in India readily parallel those in the most ancient Hindu texts, indicating that these social groupings have continued uninterrupted since pre-historic times. An important text, the Laws of Manu, c. 200, codified the social relations between caste groups.

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It is believed that the jati system ossified from an original occupation-based classification into a hereditary classification with attendant rules forbidding marriage between jatis.

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