Since India's independence in 1947, the caste system, a deeply entrenched social hierarchy, has undergone significant transformations in both its structural and cultural dimensions, though its complete eradication remains an ongoing challenge.

Structural Changes:

1. Legal Abolition and Affirmative Action: The most significant structural change was the legal abolition of untouchability (Article 17 of the Constitution) and the introduction of reservations (affirmative action) for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and later Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in education, government employment, and legislative bodies. This aimed to dismantle traditional hierarchies and promote social mobility.
2. Political Mobilization: Caste has transformed into a crucial factor in democratic politics. Caste-based political parties emerged, and caste groups began to mobilize as 'vote banks' to assert their political power and demand their share in governance. This led to the rise of leaders from historically marginalized castes.
3. Economic Diversification and Urbanization: Industrialization, urbanization, and the growth of the service sector have diversified occupations, detaching many individuals from traditional caste-based professions. Migration to urban areas often provides anonymity, reducing the overt enforcement of caste rules in public spaces and workplaces.
4. Decline of the Jajmani System: The traditional patron-client relationship, where different castes performed specialized services for each other in exchange for goods or land, has largely disintegrated due to the monetization of the economy and increased mobility.
5. Land Reforms: While imperfect, land reforms in some regions aimed to redistribute land, which historically was concentrated in the hands of upper castes, thereby altering economic power structures.
6. Inter-caste Marriages: Though still relatively low and often met with resistance, inter-caste marriages are slowly increasing, particularly in urban areas and among educated youth, challenging the traditional endogamous nature of caste.

Cultural Changes:

1. Weakening of Purity and Pollution: The rigid observance of purity and pollution norms, which dictated social interactions, commensality, and access to public spaces, has significantly weakened, especially in urban environments. Public transport, shared eating spaces, and modern workplaces have made such distinctions impractical.
2. Sanskritization and De-Sanskritization: While Sanskritization (lower castes adopting upper-caste customs to gain status) continued, there's also a trend of 'De-Sanskritization' or assertion of distinct Dalit and OBC cultural identities, rejecting upper-caste norms and reclaiming their heritage.
3. Education and Awareness: Increased access to education has fostered critical thinking and awareness about caste discrimination, leading to greater assertion of rights and challenges to traditional hierarchies.
4. Media Influence: Media, including cinema, television, and social media, has played a role in exposing caste-based discrimination and promoting awareness, though sometimes also perpetuating stereotypes.
5. Identity Politics: Caste identity, once a source of stigma, has been re-appropriated as a source of pride and a tool for collective action and political empowerment, particularly among Dalits and OBCs.

Despite these changes, caste continues to manifest in subtle and overt ways, especially in rural areas. Discrimination persists in social interactions, marriage patterns remain largely endogamous, and economic disparities along caste lines are still significant. The caste system has not disappeared but has transformed, adapting to modern contexts while retaining its underlying influence on Indian society.