Horses given caste in Bihar!

Horse traders at the Sonepur cattle fair in India's most caste-conscious state have separated their animals along lines of colour, size and behaviour to classify them under various castes.

An official in charge of the fair said: "The horses are identified just like humans -- as Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras." White horses with wide foreheads are considered Brahmins, while brown horses blessed with keen ears and broad chests are the Kshatriyas.

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The Vaishyas are maroon in colour with thin legs and long necks. The Shudra horses are dark brown and generally considered to be of inferior quality, if a horse trader is to be believed.

"We decide the caste of a horse after a through check up of its colour, size, facial cut and behaviour," said horse trader Ramadhar Singh. The first rule for identifying the horse's caste is colour, followed by size.

"A particular horse behaves as per its caste, like Brahmin horses are handsome, calm and well behaved," insisted horse rider Maheshwar Pandey.

A Brahmin horse, the traders say, easily follows its rider's orders.

A Kshatriya caste horse is strong, tough and angry, while a horse of the Shudra caste is considered ill behaved.

The fair organises a horse race every year to encourage horse traders.

The 20-day cattle fair, which begin on Sunday at Sonepur near Patna, is considered one of Asia's largest. It attracts cattle traders from India as well as abroad. The products on sale range from elephants to household goods.

Tourists from Britain, France, the Netherlands and other countries have begun arriving for the event. An elegant tourist village has been made to lodge them.