种姓制度作为印度教的产物，在印度社会中已有几千年的历史，在印度人民的心中也已产生根深蒂固的影响。虽然在1947年印度独立后印度政府就宣布废除种姓制度，但也仅仅是法律上的废除。种姓制度依然扎根在印度人民的心中，折射在印度社会的方方面面，更是对独立后的印度的经济、政治、思想产生了消极的影响，严重阻碍了印度现代化的进程。

The caste system, a product of Hinduism, has been a part of Indian society for thousands of years and has had a deep-rooted influence in the minds of the Indian people. Although the Indian government announced the abolition of the caste system after India's independence in 1947, it was only a legal abolition. The caste system is still rooted in the hearts of the Indian people and is reflected in every aspect of Indian society, and has had a negative impact on the economy, politics and ideology of post-independence India, seriously impeding the process of modernization in India.