Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

History

Chapter

Ancient India: Kinship, Caste and Class

Question:

According to Brahmanical rules, who was expected to adopt the gotra of their husband after marriage?

Options:

Men

Women

Both men and women

None of the above

Correct Answer:

Women

Explanation:

From around c. 1000 BCE onwards, one of the Brahmanical practices was the classification of people, especially Brahmanas, based on their "gotras." Each gotra was named after a Vedic seer, and individuals belonging to the same gotra were considered descendants of that seer. Notably, two significant rules concerning gotras were in place: First, women were expected to relinquish their father's gotra and adopt their husband's gotra after marriage. Second, individuals belonging to the same gotra were forbidden from marrying each other.

To ascertain the prevalence of these rules, historians have examined the names of men and women, which were often derived from gotra names. For instance, powerful ruling lineages like the Satavahanas, who ruled parts of western India and the Deccan from the second century BCE to the second century CE, provide insights through their inscriptions that allow tracing family connections, including marriages. Interestingly, some Satavahana rulers were polygynous, having multiple wives.