Christian caste, in India, the social stratification that persists among Christians, based upon caste membership at the time of an individual’s own or of an ancestor’s conversion. Indian Christian society is divided into groups geographically and according to denomination, but the overriding factor is one of caste. Caste groups may dine together and worship together, but, as a rule, they do not intermarry.
The problem of reconciling change in religious belief with existing social tradition has dominated the history of Christianity in India. The Syrian Christians along the Malabar coast trace their origin to the legendary visit of St. Thomas the ... (100 of 324 words)