Four, the idea of a varna system did not spread from a pre-Aryan or Harappan Civilization. The trigger for the beginning of the caste system was the need of a victorious kingdom to have a unified religion and a priesthood to administer it. The best model that fits this evidence is that of a universal ‘Homo Opportunisticus’, and not an Indian ‘Homo Hierarchicus’ which, according to sociologist Louis Dumont, represents a cultural predilection for hierarchy. Given the opportunity, political and economic man will create a system of belief and along with it, a social system, to perpetuate his status and power. The full text of his guest lecture at the Indian History Congress on December 28, 2025 titled ‘Homo Opportunisticus: The Contingent, Contested Evolution of Caste’ is available here.

Source: The Hindu January 09, 2026 11:06 UTC