How the checker decides
- Same gotra (sagotra): many families avoid it, because people of the same gotra are treated as descendants of one rishi. Indian law allows it.
- Mother's gotra: some communities, especially in parts of North India, also avoid the gotras of both parents, and sometimes of both grandmothers. If you add your mothers' gotras, we flag those matches.
- The law: the Hindu Marriage Act doesn't mention gotra at all. It bans sapindas (close relatives within five generations on the father's side and three on the mother's) and certain listed relatives unless a custom allows it. How the sapinda rule works.
- What gotra can't see: a gotra only follows the father's line. First cousins through your mothers usually have different gotras. Only DNA measures how related you really are. Why gotra sees half the tree.
Looking for your gotra's rishi? See the gotra list.
Gotra match questions.
Can people with the same gotra marry?
By tradition, many Hindu families avoid it, because people of the same gotra are treated as descendants of one ancestor. Legally it is allowed: the Hindu Marriage Act 1955 does not prohibit same-gotra marriage, though its sapinda and prohibited-relationship rules still apply.
Why do some families also avoid the mother's gotra?
Some communities, especially in parts of North India, avoid marrying into the gotras of both parents and sometimes both grandmothers as well. Customs vary a lot between communities and families.
If our gotras are different, are we definitely not related?
No. A gotra only follows the father's line. Cousins through your mother, or through either grandmother, usually have a different gotra. Only a DNA comparison measures how related two people actually are.
What if I don't know my gotra?
Ask older relatives on your father's side or your family priest; it is often recorded in family records, a kundli or wedding documents. A common custom when the gotra is unknown is to use Kashyap.