GOTHRAVALI

                              From left: Parshuram, Goddess Hinglaj, Bhavsingh and Sarsingh

Gothravali 

Bhavsars  are  descendants  of  Arya  Kshatriya  community and the community members belong to  both  Chandra,  Surya,  Manu & Naga  Vamshas.  Accordingly,  they follow any of the 

Chaturvedas & belong to different Gothras. 

Gothra : 

In ancient times, COW  rearing  was  the  main  employment  which  would  provide  Food (milk), Fuel (caked cow dung) & Fertilizer.  The word GOTHRA means  "lineage"  and this word is of  Sanskrit language.GOTHRA is derived from noun GO + root verb TRA of Sanskrit which means -> Cow + Protect. It was systematized by about the 4th century BC to accommodate changing social rules and laws of those times.A GOTHRA is a cattle rearing group, identified with the head of the group, obviously a sage/RISHI. Due to scarcity of pasture or climatic abnormalities, the GOTHRAs went nomadic, spreading out to different river valleys and other fertile lands where they set up their own GOTHRAs, of course named after their leader, a sage/RISHI. Since they were Vedic groups, they excelled in different fields of knowledge and maintained their 'specialization', which came to symbolize the respective GOTHRA.

Kuladevi :

In Hinduism KULADEVI stands for "family deity, a goddess". The word Kula means family or 

clan and Devi means deity. Hindu families make a pilgrimage to Kuladevi temple to obtain 

blessing of the deity after an auspicious occasion such as a wedding. Hinglajmata is the 

Kuladevi for all Bhavsar Kshatriya community. However, for various GOTHRAS the Kuladevis 

are mainly manifestations of goddess Shakthi, worshipped by different names by different 

clans.

Surname (AdNav) :

A surname or AdNav  also known as a last name or family name, is a fixed name shared in 

common with the members of a family and is passed down from generation to generation. 

The use of a surname is relatively new in history and was adopted in order to legally 

distinguish two individuals with the same first name. Surname may answer some of the 

questions about our ancestors about the traits of a family from many hundreds of years ago. 

During the evolution of Surnames, many people were illiterates, names were written by clerks, 

officials, and priests as they heard the name pronounced. This lead to different spellings for 

the same Surname, hence it is important to check out spelling variations.

Shakha :

SHAKHA (Sanskrit sakha, "branch" or "limb"), is a Hindu theological school that specializes 

in learning certain Vedic texts, or else the traditional texts followed by such a school. In 

traditional Hindu society affiliation with a specific school is an important aspect of class 

identity. An individual follower of a particular school is called a sakhin. - the term is also used 

in Hindu philosophy to refer to an adherent of a particular orthodox system. A related term 

carana, ("conduct of life" or "behavior") is also used to refer to such a Vedic school although 

the words carana and sakha are sometimes used synonymously, yet carana properly applies 

to the sect or collection of persons united in one school, and sakha to the traditional text 

followed. 

Veda :

VEDAS (Sanskrit  veda, "knowledge") are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. 

Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and 

the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. According to Hindu tradition, the Vedas are are supposed 

to have been directly revealed . The class of "Vedic texts" is aggregated around the four 

canonical Samhitas. The term samhita literally means "composition, compilation". The 

individual verses contained in these compilations are known as mantras. Some selected 

Vedic mantras are still recited at prayers, religious functions and other auspicious occasions 

in contemporary Hinduism.

   •   The Rigveda, containing hymns to be recited by the vedic priest in charge of reciting invocations and litanies;

    
   •   The Yajurveda, containing formulas to be recited by the vedic priest in charge of the physical details of the  sacrifice;

   
   •   The Samaveda, containing formulas to be sung by the vedic priest in charge of chanting hymns set to melodies drawn from the samaveda;

    
   •   The Atharvaveda, a collection of spells and incantations, charms and speculative hymns.