Consider the following statements regarding the emergence of social boundaries toward the terminal phase of the Vedic period as documented in early Dharmasutras:
1. Early Dharmasutras formalized a clear distinction between pure Shudras and specific marginalized outcasts labeled as Chandalas.
2. The concept of absolute untouchability and structural exclusion from village margins was systematically legally encoded during this phase.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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Accepted Answer

Both statements are correct. The end of the Vedic period saw the transition from flexible varna tracking into rigid caste structures. Early Dharmasutras (like Gautama and Apastamba) formally separated common occupational Shudras from exterior populations like Chandalas who were assigned tasks related to cremation, initiating institutional legal exclusion.

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