Gotra is a term used in Hindu culture that refers to lineage and is considered equivalent to it. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. The name of the gotra can be used as a surname, but it is different from a surname and is strictly maintained because of its importance in marriages among Hindus, especially among castes. Gotra is always passed on from father to children among most Hindu communities, but among the Tulu people, it is passed on from mother to child.

Gotra is mainly used in marriages, and generally, people of the same gotra are not allowed to marry. The practice of forbidding marriage between members of the same gotra was intended to keep the gotra free from inherited blemishes and also to broaden the influence of a particular gotra by wider alliances with other powerful lineages. At weddings, the gotras of the bride and the groom are read aloud to verify that they are not breaking this rule.

The specific meaning of gotra is "forward moving descendants" and it was first recorded around the mid-1st millennium BCE. As a Rigvedic term, gotra simply means "forward moving descendants" (गौः) गमन means forward moving and (त्र:) stands for Offspring. The specific meaning "family, lineage kin" is relatively more recent.

The Brahmins identify their male lineage by considering themselves to be the descendants of the 8 great Rishis, i.e., Saptarishis (The Seven Sacred Saints) + Bharadwaja Rishi. The offspring (apatya) of these eight are gotras, and others than these are called ‘gotrâvayava’. There are many gotras which are part of different castes in the Hindu social system.

In conclusion, Gotra is a term used in Hindu culture that refers to lineage and is considered equivalent to it. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Gotra is mainly used in marriages, and generally, people of the same gotra are not allowed to marry. The Brahmins identify their male lineage by considering themselves to be the descendants of the 8 great Rishis, i.e., Saptarishis (The Seven Sacred Saints) + Bharadwaja Rishi.