Kulinism (

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

: কৌলিন্য) or ''Kulin Pratha'' is a custom that was introduced by Raja Ballala Sena of Bengal. Kulin groups could be found among the three castes of

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

Vaidya Vaidya (Sanskrit: ), or vaid is a Sanskrit word meaning "traditional practitioner of Ayurveda", an indigenous Indian system of alternative medicine. Senior practitioners or teachers were called ''Vaidyarāja'' ("physician-king") as a mark of respe ...

and Kayastha. The name derives from the Sanskrit word कुलीन (kulina). According to Kulinism, a few families in different castes were considered noble or superior to other families in the same caste. Kulinism (higher social status) refers to marriage of a ''kulina'' girl to a man in the same class as well as marriage to one in a higher class. It essentially asserts that a ''kulina'' woman must not have her status lowered by marrying into a group of lower rank. One's ''Kulin'' status remains valid for 36-years according to the rules stated by Ballala Sena.

References

Hindu ethics {{Hindu-philo-stub