Caste system in nepal

The word Caste is derived from the Portuguese word casta, meaning lineage, breed or race. The term "caste," when used in a cultural context, is usually in conjunction with the social division in Hindu society, particularly in India although a form of the caste system was prevalent in many ancient societies, and in particular feudal societies.
In ancient India there developed a social system in which people were divided into separate close communities. These communities are known in English as caste. The origin of the caste system is in Hinduism but it affected the whole Indian society later it has transmitted to Nepal. The caste system in the religious form is basically a simple division of society in which there is four castes arranged in a hierarchy and below them the outcast. But socially the caste system was more complicated, with much more castes and sub-castes and other divisions. Legally the government disallows the practice of caste system but has a policy of affirmative discrimination of the backward classes.
In Hinduism there exists four castes arranged in a hierarchy. Anyone who does not belong to one of these castes is an outcast. The religious word for caste is 'Varna'. Each Varna has certain duties and rights. Each Varna members have to work in certain occupation, which only those Varna members are allowed. Each Varna has certain type of diet. The highest Varna is of the Brahman. Members of this class are priests and the educated people of the society. The Varna after them in hierarchy is Kshatria. The members of this class are the rulers and aristocrats of the society. After them are the Vaisia. Members of this class are the landlords and businessmen of the society. After them in hierarchy is the Sudra. Members of this class are the peasants and working class of the society who work in non-polluting jobs. The caste hierarchy ends here. Below these castes are the outcasts who are untouchable to the four castes. These untouchables worked in degrading jobs like cleaning, sewage etc. (Arora: 1998:84,The Concept of Impurity and Hindu caste System)
The first three castes had social and economical rights, which the Sudra and the untouchables did not have. The first three castes are also seen as 'twice born'. The intention in these two births is to the natural birth and to the ceremonial entrance to the society at a much later age.
Each Varna and also the untouchables and ethnic group in case of Nepal are divided into many communities. These communities are called Jat or Jati (The caste is also used instead of Jat). For example the Brahmans have Jats called Dhakal, Bhattarai, Marasini etc. The untouchable have Jats Kami, Damai, Sarki and Doom, Chammar in the case of terai system and Pode, Chame etc in the case of Newar.But there is no such division of society on the basis of caste in ethnic group although we can find some class differences among this group. Each Jat members are allowed to marry only with their Jat members. People are born into their Jat and it cannot be changed. Once if some one is born to certain cast he/she cannot be change to another jat except in the case of women when they are married they may change to other clan but not jat.If a man is born as Kami he cannot be a Brahmin and Brahmin cannot be a Kami,so caste is a permanent attribute among the Hindu.
Religiously anyone who does not belong to the four Varnas is an outcast and untouchable. It means, all foreigners and non-Hindus are all supposed to be untouchables, in the case of Nepal all the ethnic group should fall in this categories but Muluki Ain has incorporated the entire ethnic group into Caste hierarchy. But in reality neither all foreigners nor non-Hindus were treated as untouchables.
This is the how the caste system is supposed to be in its religious form. But in reality it is much more complicated and different from its religious form.