Hindu religion had no castes, Britishers introduced it: Kerala Governor

Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Wednesday claimed that there is no caste in the Hindu religion, itself a high-level ‘varna’, and that it was the British who included castes in it when they first started census in India.

Mr. Arlekar’s remarks came while speaking after the inauguration of the Silver Jubilee celebrations of Puthumana Thanthra Vidyalayam here.

“Hindu was never a ‘patit’. It was always a higher level caste with a higher level varna. When the British first started census in this country, they included castes in it. Otherwise, there was no caste,” the Governor argued.

He also said, “It is now our duty to be united. If we are not united, this country will not exist.” The governor also spoke about Puthumana Thanthra Vidyalayam and said that tantri education is provided to everyone, regardless of their caste. He said that it was essential to provide such education but it was more important to see the entire Hindu samaj or society as “one caste”.

Mr. Arlekar also said that although the Constitution says there should be no discrimination based on caste, it still exists in society.

In his speech, the Governor recalled the founding vision of the institution and said in a post on Lok Bhavan’s Facebook on November 12, 2003, “Puthumana Maheswaran Namboothiri declared Tanthra Vidya, reflecting the reformist spirit of the historic Temple Entry Proclamation of 1936 issued by Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, which opened the doors of the temple to people of all castes.”