Why does the priest ask our gotra at the wedding, and what if we don’t know it?

the gotra is recited to introduce the family lineage in the saṅkalpa; if unknown, the tradition itself says to use Kāśyapa gotra.

During the wedding, the bride’s and groom’s lineages are announced (pravara and gotra), often along with the names of three generations. It is a way of presenting both families before the sacred fire and the community, and of honouring ancestors who are invisibly present.

Many families today genuinely do not know their gotra — after migration, adoption, or simply because the elders who knew have passed. This is common and nothing to be ashamed of. Dharmaśāstra digests and family priests widely accept Kāśyapa gotra in such cases, since Kaśyapa is regarded as a father of all beings. Some families instead use the gotra of their family guru or kuladevatā temple.

If you have time before the wedding, ask older relatives, check old pūjā records, or ask the priest at your family’s ancestral temple or a tīrtha where family records (vaṁśāvalī) are kept, such as Haridvāra or Gayā.

Unknown gotra: Kāśyapa is the accepted default · Source: Dharmaśāstra digests; common priestly practice

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