The caste system is a system of
division of labour and power in human society.
It is a system of social stratification, and a basis
for affirmative action. His torically, it defined
communities into thousands of endogamous
hereditary groups called Jatis. The Jatis were
grouped by the Brahmanical texts under the four
well-known caste categories (the varnas): viz
Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras.