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Who Were the Shudras? is a history book published by Indian social reformer and polymath B. R. Ambedkar in 1946. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] The book discusses the origin of the Shudra Varna . Ambedkar dedicated the book to Jyotirao Phule (1827–1890).
Shudras were described as the giver of grain and ancient texts describe a Shudra's mode of earning as being "by the sickle and ears of corn". The ancient precept, "Vedas are destroyer of agriculture and agriculture is destroyer of Vedas", is shown as one of the reasons as to why the Shudras were not allowed to learn Vedas.
Gulamgiri is a seminal work authored by Jyotirao Phule, a prominent Indian social activist, anti-caste reformer, thinker, and writer from Maharashtra.Originally published in Marathi in 1873, with a preface in English, the book addresses issues related to caste, slavery, and social reform, making it one of the earliest critiques of the caste system.
According to this version, Shambuka, a shudra ascetic, was killed by the god Rama (protagonist of the Ramayana) for attempting to perform tapas (austerities) in violation of dharma, resulting in the bad karma which caused the death of a Brahmin's son. [3] [4] [5] The story is regarded to be created at a later period. [6]
In the 1871 and the 1881 colonial era census of British India, Lingayats were listed as shudras. [64] [note 10] According to the sociologist M. N. Srinivas, Lingayats traditionally believed themselves to be equal in status to Brahmins, and some orthodox Lingayats were so anti-Brahmin that they would not eat food cooked or handled by Brahmins.
A caste of shepherds who were formerly Shudras successfully changed their status to Rajput in the Raj era and started wearing the sacred thread. They are now known as Sagar Rajputs . [ 17 ] [ 18 ] (not to be confused with Sagar Rajputs of Bundelkhand which was a subclan of Bundela Rajputs and are considered to be the highest among all central ...
They were referred to as belonging to the "panchama varṇa" or panchamas, meaning fifth. The Yajur-Veda mentions their degradation from the varṇa classes, mentioning the Chandala group in particular, who were said to be the untouchable class of people born of the union between a Shudra male and a Brahmin female.
The varna designation of Reddys is a contested and complex topic. Even after the introduction of the varna concept to south India, caste boundaries in south India were not as marked as in north India, where the four-tier varna system placed the priestly Brahmins on top followed by the Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras.