I owe the illustrations of caste types to the kindness of Mr William Crooke. They are from photographs of inhabitants of one single district of the United Provinces and are interesting as showing how in a single small area racial differences show themselves in such a way as to be recognisable by the most careless observer. They prove once more how stratified Indian humanity has become under the influence of caste rules of marriages. J. D. A. _September, 1913._ CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE PREFACE v INTRODUCTION 1 I. RACE AND CASTE 13 II. THE LANGUAGES OF INDIA 54 III. THE RELIGIONS OF INDIA 81 BIBLIOGRAPHY 113 INDEX 115 ILLUSTRATIONS PLATE Brāhmans (_Mirzapur district_) _Frontispiece_ I. Mahābrāhmans (_Mirzapur district_) _To face page_ 12 II. Kāyasthas—the writer caste (_Mirzapur district_) " 24 III. Dharkārs (_Mirzapur district_) " 36 IV. Banjara women (_Mirzapur district_) " 48 V. Seoris or Savaras (_Mirzapur district_) " 60 VI. A Bhuiyār (_Mirzapur district_) " 72 VII. A Ghāsiya (_Mirzapur district_) " 84 MAPS The Indian Empire—Distribution of Population _At end of book_ The Indian Empire—Distribution of Prevailing Languages " INTRODUCTION