Maratha clan system
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
The Marāthā clan system (also referred to as Śahāṇṇava Kuḷī Marāṭhās, 96 Kuli Marathas or 96K) refers to the network of families and essentially their surnames, within the Maratha and Kshatriya culture of India. The Marathas primarily reside in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Goa and Tamil Nadu.[1] Various lists have been compiled, purporting to list the 96 clans, but these lists are often at great variance with each other.[2] The list of ninety-six clans is divided into five ranked tiers, the highest of which contains the five primary Maratha clans.[3]
