India's caste system is one of the oldest forms of social stratification that has survived over the years. This system, which divides Hindus into rigid hierarchical groups based on their karma (work) and dharma (the Hindi word for religion, although here it means duty), is over 3,000 years old and very complex.
Manusmriti, considered the most important and authoritative book on Hindu law dating back over 1000 years before the birth of Christ, "recognizes and justifies the caste system as the basis of order and confidence in the system of castes divides Hindus into four main categories: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras”.
