The group includes also some castes of village priests and mendicant religious orders, who beg from the cultivators.

In the fourth group are placed the non-Aryan or indigenous tribes.

Most of these cannot properly be said to form part of the Hindu social system at all, but for practical purposes they are admitted and are considered to rank below all castes except those who cannot be touched.

The lowest group consists of the impure castes whose touch is considered to defile the higher castes.

Within each group there are minor differences of status some of which will be noticed, but the broad divisions may be considered as representing approximately the facts.