Disadvantage or Demerits of Caste System
1. Undemocratic:
Caste system denied equal opportunity for advancement to persons belonging to different castes. It is, therefore, undemocratic.
2. No Vertical Mobility:
Caste system expected every individual to adopt the occupation prescribed for his caste, which purely hereditary. Any amount of struggle could not change cast status. Therefore, these were no upward or downward mobility of labor.
3. Encouraged Untouchability:
Caste system prohibited any physical Contact or communication between Brahmin and Shudra. Even if a Shudra was sighted by a Brahmin at certain house it was considered pollution. Shadow of Shudra failing on Brahmin would defile him. This it encourages untouchability.
4. Created a Class of Idlers:
Brahmins who were well entrenched at the top of social hierarchy stopped devoting themselves to study and teaching and started living on alms provided by other castes. Thus they become parasites of society.
5. Oppression of Low Caste People:
Restrictions were imposed on low caste people regarding their place of living, their movements and other activities by high caste people so that former may not defile the latter. This resulted in low caste people being huddled together in a limited area having no access to community and facilities leading a miserable life. Brahmins became virtually tyrants.
6. Encouraged Conversion:
The caste system was solely responsible for large conversion of people to Christianity and even Islam to extent. Low castes people who no hope of any honorable life had found that by conversion to Christianity they could lead a respectable life.
7. Against Integrity of Nation:
Caste system made people more faithful and devoted to their castes than to their nation. Thus caste system made national unity and integrity difficult task.
8. False Sense of Superiority and Inferiority:
In caste system Brahmin was superior being, simply because he was born as a Brahmin. This was not necessarily matched by his intellectual development and wisdom. On the contrary, any one born in a low caste was inferior. Members of high caste considered themselves sole possessors of intellect and wisdom and expected the lower castes to seek their advice before doing anything. This created bad feeling between castes.
9. Hind Erance to Socio-economic Progress:
As there was no social mobility. People lost all initiative and this resulted stagnancy in socio-economic conditions.
10. Nation Not Benefited:
Affairs of the nation were run by a few high caste people. Thus the nation was deprived of benefit of wisdom of the masses.
11. Encouraged Treason:
Continuous oppression of low caste people by high caste ones made some of them rebets in the society. They even went to the extent of committing treason and helping invaders against their nation.