Vedic Period (1500-1000 BC)

The Aryans were the first known tribes to invade the indian country.  They came out of the North from the Pontic-Caspian Steppes in Central Asia in about 1500 BC and brought with them strong cultural traditions. Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages spoken by them, was used in the first documentation of the Vedas, hinduistic texts, which date back to the 12th century BC and are believed to be oldest scriptures still in use. 

Society was divided into four 'Varnas' or classes popularly known as `the caste system' comprising of the 'Brahmana' or priests and scholars at the top, the 'Kshatriya' or the warriors came next, then the 'Vaishya' which included farmers and merchants (Aryans), and the Shudra or laborers. The 'Dalits' who handled meat and waste were considered the untouchables and formed the lowest caste (non-Aryans). To start with, this caste system was merely a reflection of one's occupation but, in time, it became more rigid and was determined by one's birth. Changing the caste or marrying into a caste other than one's own was not allowed.