Antyaja
Topic: Society in Early India: Kinship, Varna-Jati, Women · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 1 "Through the Eyes of Travellers"
Meaning
Antyaja literally means "born outside the system". It is a Sanskrit word for groups placed below the four varnas. They were often given "polluting" work such as cleaning and handling the dead. They faced harsh social exclusion, but they were still part of the economy. They provided cheap labour to peasants and landlords.
Example
The Central Asian scholar Al-Biruni wrote about Indian society in his Kitab-ul-Hind (11th century). He noted that the antyajas lived below the four varnas, and that people expected them to do labour for peasants and zamindars.
Don't confuse with
- Chandala: one particular "untouchable" group. Manusmriti says chandalas must live outside the village and dispose of corpses. Antyaja is a broader word for everyone placed outside the varna order.
- Shudra: the fourth varna, which is still inside the varna order.