Govind Sadashiv Ghurye (G.S Ghurye) was a pioneering Indian academic who was a professor of sociology. He is widely regarded as the founder of Indian Sociology and Sociology in India.

Ghurye made an attempt to give his view on history and origin of the caste system among the Hindus of India. According to him, race and occupation led to the origination of the caste system. He explained caste in India on the basis of following six distinctive characteristics:

1. Segmental division of society
2. Hierarchy
3. Civil and religious disabilities and privileges
4. Lack of restricted choice of occupation
5. Restriction on food, drinks and social intercourse
6. Endogamy

These can be further clarified as:

• Segmental division of society: Society consists of small groups known as caste. In the caste system, the person falls under the certain groups of caste by the birth but not from his/her selection. In modern Europe, the person’s status depends upon his/her wealth whereas in the caste system it depends upon the luck of the person regarding under which caste system a person will be born. He explained that there will be no social intercourse on equal terms between the people of two different castes. But in the class-based society the person’s status is determined by vocation and consequent income. There are separate sorts of arrangements in the caste system. Caste is basically the small and complete social world in itself bound by its own rules and regulations along with different sorts of punishments for different deviated actions. He further explained that a person of a certain caste system is owned and obliged towards his/her own caste first rather than to the community. There are different sorts of laws in different castes. Castes do have their own special deities. Customs on marriage and death are different among the caste. Hence, it led to the rise of cultural gulf between the castes. Those cultural differences led to the segmentation of society.
• Hierarchy: Social order of precedence among the different castes can be observed in India. Hierarchy is the comparative degree with reference to the status. Brahmin had been at the topmost position on social hierarchy.
• Civil and religious disabilities and privileges: It refers to the segregation of a certain caste or group of castes in a village. It is present in certain forms all over India. In Northern India, it is observed that impure castes are segregated and are made to live on the outskirts of villages. With reference to different instances, Ghurye showed that there is an unequal distribution of disabilities and privileges among different members of society. Higher caste enjoys the privilege and the lower caste suffer from various types of disabilities. For instance, lower castes were not allowed to enter the restricted area of Brahmins. Impure castes were not allowed to draw water from the village well. Similarly, in the Maratha country, one of the untouchable castes called Mahar is not allowed to spit on the road because of spit being getting in touch by the foot of pure caste of Hindu which would pollute the pure caste. Hence, they were made to carry an earthen pot and hung in their neck in order to spit. Along with it, lower castes were not allowed to build houses above a store. Higher caste is so privileged that they were only the one who were allowed to enter the temple whereas the lower caste is not supposed to be around the temple. Hence, reflecting on these instances Ghurye explained privileges and disabilities.
• Lack of restricted choice of occupation: The occupation in the caste system is fixed by the heredity that refers to a person who is supposed to hold hereditary occupation of the same hereditary position only. Members are not allowed to change their hereditary or traditional occupation. People of higher caste need to follow their own traditional occupation and do not allow people from lower caste to handle their occupation.
• Restriction on food, drinks and social intercourse: It is observed that there are certain kinds of rule regarding what sorts of foods/drinks can be accepted by the person of certain caste. There is great diversity regarding the concept which divided India into two broad belts on the matter of food and social intercourse. Ghurye explained that caste can be divided into five major groups as:
  1. The twice born
  2. Those castes whose hands the twice born can take pakka food.
  3. Those castes at whose hands the twice born cannot accept any kinds of food but may take water.
  4. Caste that are untouchable meaning water from them cannot be accepted by the twice born
  5. All caste whose touch doesn’t only defiles twice born but any orthodox Hindu

Food is also further divided into 2 classes called: Kachha which means the cooked food in which water is used and Pakka which means the cooked food in ghee without water. As per the rule, kachha food is accepted only if it is prepared by the person of same caste whereas no other caste has objection to accept kachha food from Brahmin but higher caste cannot accept kachha food from lower caste. He forwarded the concept of theory of pollution which states touch of a member of any caste lower than one defiles a person of higher caste. He gave a strong example as even a modern Brahmin doctor wraps the patient’s wrist first with the small piece of silk before feeling his pulse to prevent himself from being defiled by touching his skin.

• Endogamy: Endogamy refers to the process of getting married only within a similar caste. The person of a certain group is not allowed to marry a person of another Endogamous marriage is only allowed. Principle of strict endogamy is the dominant aspect of caste-based society. It is the essence of the caste system. Disobeying the caste endogamy rule is not only treated as a crime but is also condemned as a sin in the Indian caste system.

With reference to above explained characteristics, Ghurye explained the caste system of India.