Balinese caste system
The Balinese caste system is a system of social organization based on the Indian caste system. However, India's caste system was far more complicated than Bali's, and there are only four Balinese castes.
The four castes of Bali are:
- Sundras - peasants making up more than 90% of Bali's population
- Wesias - the warrior caste, it also included some nobility and merchants
- Satrias - the caste of kings
- Pedanas - holy men and priests
Each of the four castes had their own separate dialect of the Balinese language. There was a fifth dialect that was used to speak to people of whose caste was unknown. Over the past few years, these differences in dialect have almost disappeared as the caste system has lost power.
See Also
