1. Ask your father's side first
A gotra passes from father to child, so the people most likely to know are your father, his brothers, and his parents or uncles. Ask about the rishi name and any pravara (the list of two, three or five rishis some families recite with their gotra). If you're a married woman, your gotra before marriage is your father's; many families then use the husband's gotra after marriage.
2. Check family documents
- Your kundli or janam patri: horoscopes often record the gotra.
- Janeu (upanayana) or mundan records, and any ceremony where a priest recited a sankalp: the gotra is said aloud and often written down.
- Wedding cards, wedding certificates from temples, and old invitations from family weddings.
3. Ask the family priest
Many families have a purohit or pandit who has performed their ceremonies for generations, and the gotra is part of every sankalp. Your family temple or kuldevta temple may also know.
4. Pilgrimage priests' registers
At places like Haridwar, Prayagraj and Varanasi, hereditary priests (often called pandas) keep handwritten genealogy registers for families who come for rituals, sometimes going back many generations. If your family has done rituals there, your gotra may be recorded.
Why surname lists and "gotra finders" don't work
Online lists that map surnames to gotras are guesses. The same surname is used by families with different gotras, and one gotra is shared by families with many surnames, across many communities and regions. No DNA test can tell you your gotra either. Your family's own record is the only reliable source.
If no one knows your gotra
A common custom is to use Kashyap gotra, because Rishi Kashyapa is regarded as an ancestor of all beings. Many priests will suggest this for ceremonies when the gotra is unknown.
What your gotra can and can't tell you
Once you know it, you can look up the rishi behind your gotra and use the gotra match checker. But remember: a gotra follows only your father's line. Relatives through your mother usually have different gotras, so different gotras don't prove you're unrelated. Why gotra sees half your family tree.