Jati

Jati

जति, jati

"birth", "genus", "class"

1) Varna, the smallest closed group with a rigidly fixed social status transmitted by the principle of bloodline. Indian Jati are characterized by the following features: endogamy (marriages are concluded only within the group), inheritance of traditional occupations (professions), as well as the originality of culture. In the initial period, the population of India was divided into four main estates in the hierarchy of human society – the varnas; each of the varnas includes a significant number of jatis. There are literally no numbers of Indian jatis, since each caste with a name is divided into many sub-castes. Jati are formed on the basis of kindred self-organization, have different origins, but most of them date back to archaic times and are based on family tradition and the natural division of labor.

2) A form of existence or category of creatures according to the form of birth (man, animal, bird, etc.).