History
Varṇa was a hierarchical social order in ancient India, based primarily on the Dharmashastras. However, since the Vedic corpus constitute the earliest literary source, it came to be seen as the origin of caste society. In this view of caste, ''varṇas'' were created on a particular occasion and have remained virtually unchanged. Historically this order of society, notions of purity and pollution were central, and activities were delineated in this context. ''Varṇa'' divides the society into four groups ordered in a hierarchy; beyond these, outside the system, lies a fifth group known as the ''untouchables'', of which the Chandala became a constituent part. The first mention of the fourfold ''varṇa'' division is found in the later ''Rigveda''. Vedic literature also mentions some groups, such as Ayogava, Chandala, Nishada, and Paulkasa, which were outside the four-''varṇa'' classification. 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. There are frequent references to the forest-dwellers in the post-Rigvedic literature; the Chandalas were one of these primitive people, who belonged to the fringes of the society. In many parts of India, ''Chandal'' is used as a pejorative or an insult among Hindus, even though castes known as such are not practically present outsideReference by travelers to India
During his travel across India in the 4th–5th centuries CE, Chinese travelerSee also
* Tschandala * NamasudraReferences
Further reading
* Anna Dallapiccola, ''Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend'', Thames & Hudson, 2004 {{ISBN, 0-500-51088-1 Dalit communities Social groups of Bangladesh Indian castes Social groups of Nepal Scheduled Castes of Haryana Scheduled Castes of Delhi Scheduled Castes of Bihar Scheduled Castes of Himachal Pradesh Scheduled Castes of Chhattisgarh Scheduled Castes of Uttar Pradesh Scheduled Castes of Gujarat Scheduled Castes of Daman and Diu Scheduled Castes of Rajasthan Scheduled Castes of Jharkhand Scheduled Castes of Uttarakhand Social groups of Assam