Besta caste is last name of many people in Indian subcontinent. Besta caste definition is A Telugu caste of fishermen. They are also called Bhoi and Machchnaik and correspond to the Dhimars. They are found only in the Chanda District where they numbered 700 persons in 1911 and their proper home is Mysore. They are a low caste and rear pigs and eat pork crocodiles rats and fowls. They are stout and strong and dark in colour. Like the Dhimars they also act as palanquin-bearers and hence has arisen a saying about them The Besta is a great man when he carries shoes because the head of a gang of palanquin-bearers carries the shoes of the person who sits in it. At their marriages the couple place a mixture of cummin and jaggery on each others heads and then gently press their feet on those of the other seven times. Drums are beaten and the bridegroom places rings on the toes of the bride and ties the mangal-sutram or necklace of black beads round her neck. They are seated side by side on a plough-yoke and the ends of their cloths are tied together. They are then taken outside and shown the Great Bear the stars of which are considered to be the spirits of the seven principal Hindu Saints and the pole-star Arundhati who represents the wife of Vasishtha and is the pattern of feminine virtue. On the following two days the couple throw flowers at each other for some time in the morning and evening. Before the marriage the bridegrooms toe-nails are cut by the barber as an act of purification. This custom Mr. Thurston15 states corresponds among the Sudras to the shaving of the head among the Brahmans. The Bestas usually take as their principal deity the nearest large river and call it by the generic term of Ganga. On the fifth day after a death they offer cooked food water and sesamum to the crows in whose bodies the souls of the dead are believed to reside. The food and water are given to satisfy the hunger and thirst of the soul while the sesamum is supposed to give it coolness and quench its heat. On the tenth day the ashes are thrown into a river. The beard of a boy whose father is alive is shaved for the first time before his marriage. Children are tattooed with a mark on the forehead within three months of birth and this serves as a sect mark. A child is named on the eleventh day after birth and if it is subsequently found to be continually ailing and sickly the name is changed under the belief that it exercises an evil influence on the child.. Besta caste is one of the many castes subcastes of India.
India has thousands of castes and subcastes, they are in existence and practice since the Vedic times. They were created to solve the problem of division of labor. Besta caste name could indicate the type of work people belonging to the Besta caste do or did in earlier times. Many last names in India indicate the place the person originally belongs to. All castes sub castes are primarily divided into 4 categories:
1.Brahmins – The learned or priestly class
2.Khastriyas – The warrior class or those with governing functions
3.Vaishyas – The trader, agriculturalists or cattle rearers class
4.Shudra – The class that serves other three categories
Besta caste belongs to one of the above 4 categories. Indian caste system is the best system to solve the problem of division of labor. In earlier times there was no rigidity in caste system. Indian caste system is still the best solution for the problem of division of labor, the only change that is needed as per changed times is that rather than having a vertical hierarchical system with Brahmins on top and Shudras at bottom, it would be good to have a horizontal socialist system with Brahmins, Khastriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras all at same level.
The caste system of India is in ruins at present. It is also cause of bloody quarrels in certain parts of the rural India. People of backward castes have reservations in government jobs, this facility is widely misused in India. Many of the backward caste people have become rich and still use the facility for their benefit. Many in India believe reservation in jobs should be given on the basis of poverty rather than caste because there are many poors in upper castes as well.
Many foreginers and followers of Abrahmic religions criticize the Indian caste system because of bad material condition of lower castes but if they observe in an unbiased way they would find that there are many in upper castes with bad material conditions. The problem lies in power not in castes, power can corrupt anyone be it from upper caste or lower caste.
Secondly I have seen Abrahmic religions especially Muslims and Christians claiming that they have no caste system – It is an utter lie. All cultures, all countries, all religions have caste system in one form or the other. Christians have different churches depending on the region or language or skin color of people. Muslims have a priestly class that tries to control everything. Arab Muslims before the oil boom were so much divided among tribes that if you drank water from a well of a different tribe you could be shot dead. Tribal divisions still exists among Muslims. You can also see the caste system in a different form in your corporate companies. I had seen different food and drinking facilities for people at different levels.
Besta caste is also known as Besta Gotra.
Caste situation is quiet different in urban India, people in urban areas especially youngsters don’t bother about castes. Inter caste, inter religious, inter lingual marriages are quiet common in urban India. Inter caste, inter religious and inter lingual marriages in rural areas attract severe criticism and many times people are expelled from community for not marrying as per religious and caste rules.
If you like this article on Indian caste system and Besta caste, please hit the like button.