Pravara is a lineage system used largely by brahmins that is based on the gotra system's assumptions (the tracing of brahmin lineage to one of seven mythical sages).
A brahmin would not only recite the name of his gotra, who is the sage said to be the family's direct progenitor, but also the names of other sages thought to be distant predecessors, in his daily devotion.
Because it was usual for a married woman to accept her husband's gotra as part of her new identity, both of these "lineages" were exclusively handed down via males.
Because of the kinship imparted by these legendary lineages, the only setting in which gotra and pravara were really essential was in arranging weddings.
Marriage inside the gotra was rigorously prohibited, since it was assumed that such marriages were incestuous due to the notion that such persons were intimately connected.
Marriage inside the pravara was likewise prohibited, but various groups interpreted this rule differently in medieval times.
Any common pravara ancestry was ruled prohibitive for certain groupings, whereas one shared "ancestor" was deemed allowed for others.
Practical problems in creating matches may have prompted the more tolerant interpretation.
