Did British colonial powers invent the Indian caste system?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: Did British colonial powers invent the Indian caste system?
Position1 of 5›: Yes, British colonial powers invented the Indian caste system

Pre-colonial documents make almost no reference to the caste system. It was a British invention as a method of classifying and controlling the vast Indian population.

Supporting arguments · 4

Pre-colonial documents indicate a more socially mobile society.
Documents indicate that caste oppression was not a major prohibiter of social mobility prior to British rule.
The caste system closely mirrors the British class system
It is no coincidence that the post-colonial caste system resembles the British class system.
Colonial bureaucracy created the caste system
Colonial bureaucratic processes divided the population into castes. These bureaucratic divisions grew into social divisions.
‘Caste’ has no direct translation in many Indian languages
Direct translations of 'caste' are scant in Indian languages. If caste was born from Indian culture, this would be reflected in the subcontinent's linguistics.