Patterns of Life

Executive Summary  The Caste System  Marriage  Women’s Lives

The Caste System  The caste system is built upon the idea that there are separate kinds of humans  The higher the caste your born into, the closer you are to Moksha, or a state of union with the brahman (universe)  Each caste has its own occupation(s) that the people can have  Each caste has a set of rules or dharma that dictate what the individual members can do and not do

The Caste System  Have to marry within your own caste  No mobility within the caste system  The lower castes would have to bang pots together or ring bells in order to “warn” upper caste members of their presence; for the shadow of an outcast could not even touch a Brahman

Marriage  Arranged marriage within one’s caste  Many brides / grooms meet on their wedding day  Very young brides marry much older men

Women’s Lives  Marry, wait on husband, and bear sons  When widowed, a woman would go into purdah, or isolation from other men  Some women would jump on their husband’s funeral pyre and die versus live in isolation. This is known as sati