Gotra

A word for exogamous lineages.
Lineages are particularly stressed
among brahmins, although the status
associated with some lineages sometimes led other twice-born groups to
adopt them as well. The word literally
means “cow pen,” and by extension the
family is associated with a particular
herd of cattle. Brahmins were believed
to be descended from the seven sages—
Kashyapa, Vasishtha, Bhrgu, Gautama,
Atri, Bharadvaja, and Vishvamitra—
with each family taking as its gotra the
name of the sage believed to be its progenitor. The only situation in which it was
really important was in marriages, since
marriage within the gotra was forbidden. After marriage, a woman would
adopt the gotra of her husband as part
of her new identity. Since this practice
was observed by brahmins, having
a gotra became something of a status
symbol. This led other twice-born
groups to imitate the brahmins and
adopt gotras as well.