Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 60
Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications
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APRIL, 1931
POSSIBLE ORIGIN OF THE CASTE SYSTEM IN INDIA
67
..
80.5
POSSIBLE ORIGIN OF THE CASTE SYSTEM IN INDIA.
BY BIREN BONNERJEA, D.LITT. (PARIS).
(Continued from page 52.) Taking it for granted that the caste differences really arose from colour differences, we are faced with other difficulties. It is said that even now caste largely corresponds to race, and that especially in northern India the social status of a caste is indicated by its physical type ; those at the top have an Aryan physiognomy, and those at the bottom an aboriginal physiognomy.23 And according to Sir H. Risley, in India a man's caste is known from the inverse ratio of his nasal index.2. Or, in other words, the high caste Hindus show a decided tendency towards leptorrhyny, and the lower castes towards platyrrhyny. The nose mea. gurements given by Risley, in ascending order, are as follows 35:
Brahmaņa .. .. 70.3 Kayastha .. .. .. 70.3 Brahmana
.. 71.9 Sadgop .. .. .. 73.9 Gwala .. 74.2 Mocî
74.9 Pod
. 76.1 Kaibartta ..
.. 76.2 Koc-Rajvamosi .. .. 76.6 & 80.0 Bagdi ..
And according to Deniker the nasal index of some different Indian tribes in ascending order are : 46 Brahmana .. 63.0 Malé (or Assal)
71.0 Kharwår .. .. 71.0
Kol 73.1 Oraon ..
80.0 Kurmi .. 82.6 Kşettrî ..
82.6 Bhûmij .. 86.5 Santal
.. 88.8 Munda
.. 89.0 From the above data we see that Risley can hardly be right in his statement. The Brahmanas and Kayasthas have the same nasal index, and in some cases the Brahmanns have a higher index than the latter, and must, according to Risley's rule as to the inverso ratio, be rated lower than the Kâyasthas. And the Kaibarttas, who are undoubtedly rated higher than the Sadgop, Gwala, Moci and Pod, have a decidedly more platyrrhynic tendency than the latter. From Deniker's measurements too we have the same confusion. The Brahmanas are at the top of the social scale on account of their leptorrhyny, but then the Kæettrîs, who claim to be descended from the Ksattriyas, 27 are below the Malé, Kharwar, Kol, Dom, Orion and Kurmî, all of whom are either Dravidians or Kolarians. Our own measurements bear out Risley's statement more closely, 28 but even there we find that the classification is not as it should be. Moreover, as the number of subjects measured was too few, these measurements can be taken only in conjunction with others; and it is possible that the figures would have to be modified to great extent were the number of subjects greater than it was. In any case, from all the available anthropological material at our disposal we find that the nasal index of the modern Hindus does not agree, in the manner mentioned by Risley, with their castes. In the same tribe or caste we come across leptorrhyny, mesorrhyny
.
.
.. 71.0
Dom
23 E. Westermarck, The History of Human Marriage, ii, 60; H. Zimmer, Altindisches Leben (Berlin, 1879). pp. 113 f. ; F. Max Müller, Chipe from a German Workshop (London, 1867-1875), i, pp. 322 f. ; (Sir) H. H. Risley, Tribes and Castes of Bengal, i, pp. xxxviii f. ;T. W. Rhys Davids, Buddhist India (London, 1903), pp. 53 f.: E. A. Gait, in Census of India, 1911, pp. 380 f. *486; A. A. Maodonnell and A. B. Keith, Vedic Index of Names and Subjects (London, 1912), ii, 267.
34 (Sir) H. H. Risley, The People of India (London, 1915), p. 28.
25 (Sir) H. H. Risley, The People of India, p. 401, quoted by B. Bonnerjes, L'Ethnologie du Bengale, Appendix B, No. 2.
38 J. Deniker, Les races et les peuples de la terre (Paris, 1900), pp. 659, 607, etc., quoted by B. Bon nerjea, L'Ethnologie du Bengale, Appendix B, No. 1.
17 Cf. B. Bonnerjea, L'Ethnologie du Bengale, pp. 8 f. 19 See B. Bonnerjea, L'Ethnologie du Bengale, Appendix B, No. 6.
