Shandilya

Shandilya (IAST: Śāṇḍilya) is a gotra which is named after the great sage Shandilya, specifying that individuals of the gotra have Shandilya as one of their patrilineal ancestors. Shandilya Rishi was the progenitor of the Śāṇḍilya gotra. The name derives from the Sanskrit words Śaṇ, and Dilam, thus meaning Full Moon, therefore implying Śāṇḍilya to be the priest of the Moon God. People belonging to this gotra are considered to be of lunar race. This gotra has three pravar, they are Sandilya, Asit and Deval. The Veda of this gotra is Samveda. This gotra is one of the eight highest gotra in Brahmins. Sandilya gotra is the largest gotra in Maithil Brahmins. Many families claiming direct patrilineal ancestry to this gotra can be found throughout India. People of this gotra hail from many states such as West Bengal, Bihar, Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha. Many Punjabi Brahmin families residing in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh claim Shandilya as their paternal ancestor. There are 44 mool (origin) of Shandilya gotra in Maithil Brahmins. Other than Brahmins, some clans of Rajputs like Banauts, Parmars have Shandilya Gotra and have Shandilya as one of their patrilineal ancestors.