This list gives the pravara (the rishi-ancestors recited after the gotra) for 27 gotras, with every documented variant and the source for each. It covers Kashyap, Bharadwaj, Shandilya, Vashishtha, Kaundinya, Gautam, Atri, Vatsa, Garg, Vishwamitra, Parashar and more. Use it to fill the pravara line in a marriage biodata, or to check a family's recitation before a wedding sankalpa.
Every gotra traces back to a rishi. The pravara names the most distinguished rishis of that line: the remote ancestor first and the nearest one last. It was originally recited when the sacred fire was invoked, and it is still recited in sandhya and abhivadaye. Most pravaras have three rishis (tri-rishi or tryarsheya). Some have one (eka-rishi), two, or five (pancha-rishi). Gotras are grouped into ganas (rishi families) under the great rishis Bhrigu, Angirasa, Kashyapa, Atri, Vasishtha, Vishvamitra and Agastya.
| Gotra | Pravara (recitation order) | Gana | Source agreement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agastya | Agastya – Dardhachyuta – Idhmavaha Agastya – Dardhachyuta (Tardhachyuta) – Somavaha (Saumavaha) | Agastya gana | Several forms |
| Atri (Atreya) | Atreya – Archananasa – Shyavashva Atreya – Sumangala – Shyavashva | Atri gana | Agreed |
| Bharadwaj (Bharadvaja) | Angirasa – Barhaspatya – Bharadvaja Angirasa – Barhaspatya – Bharadvaja – Katya – Aksheela | Angirasa – Bharadvaja gana | Agreed |
| Bhargava | Bhargava – Chyavana – Apnavana Bhargava – Tvashta – Vishvarupa | Bhrigu | Several forms |
| Chauhan (Rajput clan, not a rishi gotra) | Bhargava – Chyavana – Apnavana – Aurva – Jamadagnya | n/a | Inferred via Vatsa |
| Garg (Garga / Gargya) | Angirasa – Shainya – Gargya Angirasa – Barhaspatya – Bharadvaja – Shainya – Gargya | Angirasa – Bharadvaja gana | Several forms |
| Gautam (Gautama) | Angirasa – Ayasya – Gautama Angirasa – Auchathya – Kakshivan – Gautama – Dairghatamasa | Angirasa – Gautama gana | Agreed |
| Jamadagni | Bhargava – Chyavana – Apnavana – Aurva – Jamadagnya | Bhrigu – Jamadagni gana | Agreed |
| Kanva | Angirasa – Ajamidha – Kanva Angirasa – Ghaura (Kaura) – Kanva Kanva | Angirasa – Kanva gana | Several forms |
| Kashyap (Kashyapa) | Kashyapa – Avatsara – Naidhruva Kashyapa – Avatsara – Daivala (Devala) Kashyapa – Avatsara – Asita Kashyapa – Vatsara – Raibhya | Kashyapa gana | Several forms |
| Kaundinya (Koundinya) | Vasishtha – Maitravaruna – Kaundinya | Vasishtha gana | Agreed |
| Mudgal (Maudgalya) | Angirasa – Bharmyashva – Maudgalya Tarkshya – Bharmyashva – Maudgalya Angirasa – Dhavya – Maudgalya Maudgalya | Angirasa – Mudgala gana | Several forms |
| Parashar (Parasara) | Vasishtha – Shaktya – Parasharya | Vasishtha gana | Agreed |
| Shandilya (Sandilya) | Kashyapa – Avatsara – Daivala (Devala) Kashyapa – Avatsara – Shandilya Shandilya – Asita – Daivala (Devala) Kashyapa – Asita – Shandilya Kashyapa – Shandila – Devala | Kashyapa gana | Several forms |
| Vashishtha (Vasishtha) | Vasishtha | Vasishtha gana | Several forms |
| Vatsa / Srivatsa | Bhargava – Chyavana – Apnavana – Aurva – Jamadagnya | Bhrigu – Jamadagni gana | Agreed |
| Vishwamitra (Vishvamitra) | Vishvamitra – Devarata – Audala Vishvamitra – Ashtaka | Vishvamitra gana | Several forms |
| Badarayana | Angirasa – Parshadashva – Rathitara | – | Agreed |
| Harita | Angirasa – Ambarisha – Yuvanashva | – | Agreed |
| Kapinjala | Vasishtha – Aindrapramada – Abharadvasavya | – | Single source |
| Kaushik (Kaushika) | Vishvamitra – Aghamarshana – Kaushika | – | Agreed |
| Kutsa (Kautsa) | Angirasa – Mandhata – Kautsa | – | Agreed |
| Sankriti (Sankritya) | Angirasa – Kauravidha – Sankritya | – | Agreed |
| Savarna (Savarni) | Aurva – Chyavana – Bhargava – Jamadagni – Apnuvat | – | Single source |
| Shatamarshana | Angirasa – Paurukutsa – Trasadasyava | – | Agreed |
| Shaunaka | Shaunaka – Hotra – Gritsamada | – | Single source |
| Vadhula (Vatula) | Bhargava – Vaitahavya – Savedasa | – | Agreed |
"Several forms" means that traditional sources record more than one pravara for the gotra. Families differ, and the form your family recites is the correct one for you. If the gotra is "Angiras", ask which Angirasa line (Bharadwaj, Gautam, Garg, Kanva, Mudgal, Harita…) your family belongs to.
Some communities avoid marriage when the two families share a pravara-rishi, which is stricter than avoiding the same gotra. For example, Vatsa and Jamadagni families recite the same five rishis. This is a matter of custom only. Under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 the legal bars are sapinda and other prohibited relationships, not same gotra or pravara. You can check both sides with the gotra compatibility checker.
Add it to the line below your gotra: Gotra: Kashyap | Pravara: Kashyapa, Avatsara, Naidhruva. The line is optional. It is common in Brahmin and South Indian biodatas.
If you don't know your gotra yet, start with the gotra finder.
Pravara traditions vary between regions and families. Please confirm your family's pravara with your elders or purohit.