Did British colonial powers invent the Indian caste system?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: Did British colonial powers invent the Indian caste system?
Position‹5 of 5: The Portuguese invented the Indian caste system

This position holds that it was the Portuguese, not the British or Indians, who invented the Indian caste system. It argues that the system as we know it derives from a Portuguese labelling scheme — the word 'caste' itself coming from the Portuguese 'casta' — imposed on Indian society.

Supporting arguments · 1

The caste system derives from a Portuguese labeling system.
There was a history of religious conflict in Portugal that led to the development of a kind of classification system. When Portuguese colonists came to India, they applied similar practices to the native people.