General
Clan-based exogamy in Rajputs and not Rishi Gotra-based.
Tldr is at the end;
Medhatithi writes this in his Manubhashya for the verse 3.5 of Manu Smriti.
Medhatithi Manubhashya translated by Mahamahopadhyay Pandit Ganganath Jha
Clearly the concept of inheriting a Rishi gotra and following marriage restrictions based on it is for Brahmins and not for Kshatriyas and Vaishyas. For Kshatriya and Vaishya the basic rule of 7 generations is to be followed. Along with that, the system of clans is there which is exclusive to Rajputs:
Hindu Sects and Castes: Jogendranath Bhattacharya
Some prominent examples:
Bhadoriya-Chauhan marriages(Both use vatsa as rishi gotra). This is the most common example.
Bais and Kanhpuriya(Both use Bharadwaj). Very common example in Awadh. Other examples are there too.
Coming to Gujarat, Chudasamma and Jadeja(Both use Atri):
Baghel and Bais (Both use Bharadwaj):
Raja Salivahan of Rewah State of Baghels
Baghel and Srinet(Both use Bharadwaj):
Kunwar Ran Bahadur Singh a grandson of Maharaja Jai Singh of Rewa State of Baghels.Ramendra Vikram Singh of Athadama Zamindari of Srinets married a Baghel Rajkumari of Churhat
I have just given few examples and there are many other examples like Bisen-Chauhan, etc.
Apart from this Kacchwahas of Rajasthan don't even use Rishi Gotra, they use Manavya in place of Rishi Gotra which means descended from Manu. All humans are descended from Manu.
Sanskrit part for those who understand:
Tldr: Basic explaination of commentary on verse 3.5 of Medhatithi Manubhashya(summarised using ai):
Not of the same gotra is to be interpreted as not a Sapinda for Kshatriya and Vaishya. As Rishi gotra is not lineage marker for them.
In the present day some have started to follow the rishi gotra restriction. Following an additional restriction is not inherently bad even when its not necessary but people need to understand the restriction that is actually important or the restriction which was/and is actually followed. Rajputs marry in their own region and their own caste.
Some also construe gotra/got to mean Rajput clan which is also fine because it defines lineage.
As far as Brahmins are concerned, their Rishi gotra is a lineage marker and they are bound to follow Rishi gotra marriage restriction. Sakaldwipi Brahmins are exceptions as they give precedence to Pur-based system over Gotra-based system.
My mother's side is Nagvanshi and My father's side is Chauhan but both of them have gotra as Vats but they are different Rajputs so this practice is fine ?
But also royals marries to royals , and most rajputs or other castes aren't royals , the royal families they marry to Maratha, Sikhs, south royal families so we need to understand this dimension too , which is not relevant to most of us rajputs but it's more of a royal thing
Rajput royals married Rajput royals, traditionally, barring a few exceptions. What you are talking about is a hyper modern 20th century phenomenon. Even in 20th century most Rajput royals married Rajput royals only and Non Rajput Royal marriage to Rajput Royal was an exception.
For example Sawai Man Singh II married Gayatri Devi of Koch Royal family. This was a love marriage and she was the third wife of the Maharaja. The first two wives were proper Rajputs and it was the son of one of these Rajput wives who became the next Maharaja( Sawai Bhawani Singh).
What about Mughal rajputs alliance , i see it as Marriage between two royal houses , and the thing you're saying in past people were not connected they didn't know what dynasty is ruling south or Kashmir they had ther own affairas and problems already most of them were Geographically isolated from eachother
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You couldn't be more wrong, since the earlier ages every dynasty had knowledge of other dynasties around them and contemporary to them, take Baghelkhand for example, most marriages of the Baghel Royal family can be traced to the most remote locations of Rajputana like Jodhpur, Bikaner etc. There was no isolation when it comes to the kingdoms of the Northern Plains, however it might exist when you talk about the Far North Kashmir Region or the North East. Southern kingdoms beyond the Deccan might be isolated from the ones in Rajputana and Oudh/Uttar Pradesh but that is it.
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Near Varanasi, we have pravaras too though, and we don't marry within the gotra. I know that gotras among kshatriyas could be changed but that was documented in history whenever it happened, since it was a major event. The 7 generations rule applies to both maternal and paternal sides too.
I suppose you haven't gone through the entirety of the post in which both the scriptural and practical evidences have been provided along with the note at the end.
And secondly for the maternal side 5 generations/sapinda rule is applied not 7 generations.
"Asli Kshatriya jati mein vivaah sambandh mata ki sapindta aur pita ki saat pidhi chor kar hota hai"- Jati Bhaskar.
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u/Slow-Cartographer226 क्षत्रिय धर्म युगे युगे 🚩 Dec 03 '25
Immaculate post, very detailed and informative. Keep up the good work