The term Shudra originates in the ancient RIG VEDA; it refers to the servant class, as the lowest group in a four-part division (VARNA) of human society. It is used in present-day India for castes that are low in the social hierarchy, such as bar-bers, washermen, and others who perform per-sonal services.
Each region of India has its own notions of what constitutes a Shudra. Below the Shudras in the informal caste hierarchy (the caste system was legally abolished after independence) are the Shudra 409 J
Dalits, untouchables, who are sometimes referred to as the “fifth” and “unclean” stratum of society. Many of them are employed as sweepers, refuse re-movers, and leather workers (See UNTOUCHABILITY).
Further reading: Maurice Carstairs, The Twice Born (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1967); R. S. Sharma, Sudras in Ancient India, 2d ed. (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1980).
Encyclopedia of Hinduism. A. Jones and James D. Ryan. 2007.