His efforts significantly shaped the understanding and categorization of Bharatiya society, particularly in terms of caste and race. Here, he fundamentally restructured Bharatiya society around caste, attributing its creation to the interactions between invading Indo-Aryans and native Dravidians. His taxonomical classifications, especially in relation to caste, have left an enduring imprint on the comprehension of social structures in Bharat. As a result, the two races remained distinct, and the Indo-Aryans, to prevent racial miscegenation, devised the caste system. Colonial Census and the Imposition of CasteThe use of caste in colonial census started with the 1865 census of the Northwest Province (NWP) – a colonial-era administrative territory, parts of which overlap with modern-day UP.

Source: Economic Times December 06, 2023 06:34 UTC