
In olden days,
the profession of the people decided their caste. This system has
now been broken. Today, individuals have the freedom to opt for
any profession irrespective of caste. The profession based caste
system has now been transformed into birth-based caste system.
People of various castes and sub-castes reside in Rajasthan. The
Rajputs, who were the rulers of most of the erstwhile princely
states of Rajasthan, form a major group of residents of
Rajasthan. Rajputs are generally stoutly built people of good
height. The Rajputs generally worshipped the Sun, Shiva, and
Vishnu. Vedic religion is still followed by the Rajputs. All the
auspicious and inauspicious activities are done in accordance to
the Vedic traditions. The other castes found in Rajasthan are as
folows:
Brahmins : Their main occupation was worshipping and performance
of religious rites.
Vaishya : These people generally took up business as their source
of livelihood. These days they are settled in every nook and
corner of the country.
There is a large group of agricultural castes to be found in
Rajasthan. These people depend on Agriculture for their
livelihood . Some of these castes are Jat, Gurjar, Mali, Kalvi
etc.
Irrespective of the birth-based caste system, each individual is
free to follow the profession / occupation as per choice, in
modern Rajasthan.
Many tribes are also found in different parts of Rajasthan. These
tribes have their own social systems and customs. Some of the
commonly known tribes are Meena, Bhil, Garasia, Sansi,
Kanjar.