Before the British documented caste in their records, caste was actually a fluid varna system. Temples were closed to castes deemed impure by birth, and state edicts ensured that caste etiquette was binding. Copperplates and temple records excluded the 'impure castes' from tanks, processions and inner streets. Zamindari grants to Brahmins included the right to enforce caste rules in temple service.This shows that caste, and especially untouchability, were not just a village custom but a state concern. Saints were remembered with their caste attached, their devotion treated as miraculous exceptions, not models to be followed.
