In the above manner a new grade of village menial might have arisen and have gradually been extended to the other village industries, so that a third group would be formed in the village community ranking between the cultivators and labourers.

This gradation of the village community may perhaps still be discerned in the main social distinctions of the different Hindu castes at present.

And an attempt will now be made to demonstrate this hypothesis in connection with a brief survey of the castes of the Province.
18.

Social gradation of castes.
An examination of the social status of the castes of the Central Provinces, which, as already seen, are representative of a great part of India, shows that they fall into five principal groups.

The highest consists of those castes who now claim to be directly descended from the Brahmans, Kshatriyas or Vaishyas, the three higher of the four classical castes.