### id255397492 Brahmin were restricted from ocean crossings > The restriction you’re referring to is known as ‘kala pani’ (black water), and it wasn’t a blanket, unchanging rule. Rather, it was viewed differently by different Hindus depending on moment in time, caste, vocation, community and variety of Hinduism. The number of Hindus who actually refused to travel overseas because of it seems to have been rather small, and it does not seem to have prevented large numbers of Hindus from crossing the ocean in search of gold and glory. > > The earliest known mention of a ban on crossing the ocean is in the 5th century BC sutra of Baudhayana, which also contains a purification ritual to remove this ‘sin’. In the Laws of Manu, a text that outlines the norms of domestic, religious and social life from around 500 BC, it is also stated that a brahmin who undertakes a sea voyage is considered a sinner. However, the text does not state that such a person would become untouchable. > > The restriction in these texts seems to apply only to Brahmins. S. C. Bindra (2002) has postulated that other castes may have adopted it as a way of emulating the Brahminic practices. - [View Highlight](https://reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/qzndgg/why_did_the_chola_empire_mount_a_naval_invasion/hm6b25m?__readwiseLocation=0%2F1%2F0%2F4%2F3%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F4%2F1%2F0%2F2%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F3%2F1%2F0%2F3%3A0%2C0%2F3%2F0%2F4%2F3%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F4%2F1%2F0%2F2%2F1%2F0%2F0%2F0%2F3%2F1%2F0%2F3%3A183#:~:text=The%20restriction%20you%E2%80%99re%20referring%20to%2Cof%20emulating%20the%20Brahminic%20practices.) - [[Hindis thought crossing the ocean led to impurities#id255397492 Brahmin were restricted from ocean crossings|View in Vault]] - [n] this reminds me of the roman restriction against priests leaving the city of [[Rome]], and also the Jewish rules that "x" made one unclean but there were lots of purification rituals, so you can almost kind of see it being something like needing a ritual purification of 30 days so you don't ... bring home foreign diseases. Which makes sense. I'm going to file this one under [[religious rituals that make practical sense]] and I should definitely #xref