Community Sansthas संस्था
Community organisations a family may belong to: sabhas, samaj bodies, sanghs and trusts. They are social bodies rather than spiritual seats, so they are kept apart from the matths and shrines. Bodies that take part in electoral or lobbying politics are marked. Khap panchayats and political parties are not listed. No body tied to a single gotra or surname was found anywhere.
31 sansthas
Akhil Bharatiya Agrawal Sammelan
All India
A national body of the Agarwal community, which standardised the 18 Agarwal gotras in 1983. A president was named in 2026. No website.
Akhil Bharatiya Brahmin Mahasabha (and district bodies)
Uttar Pradesh
Pan-Brahmin bodies in Uttar Pradesh. Several share near-identical names, which makes any one of them hard to identify, and they share names with party-run Prabuddh sammelans.
Akhil Bharatiya Kayastha Mahasabha
All India
A national Kayastha body. Kayasthas honour Chitragupta as their community patron on Yama Dwitiya. No website.
Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha
All India
A national Rajput body. Current activity unverified.
Akhil Bharatiya Maratha Mahasangh
Maharashtra
A Maratha body associated with the reservation campaign. No website.
Akhil Bharatvarshiya Maheshwari Mahasabha
Nagpur, Maharashtra
The national body of the Maheshwari community. It held a convention in January 2026. It publishes no list linking khanps to kuldevis.
Akhil Padmashali Samaj Sanstha
Bhiwandi, Thane, Maharashtra
A Padmashali community body at Bhiwandi.
Akhila Bharatha Veerashaiva Mahasabha and Jagathika Lingayat Mahasabha
Karnataka
Two bodies with opposing positions on Lingayat identity: the panchapeethas and the Veerashaiva Mahasabha hold that Veerashaivas and Lingayats are one tradition, while the Jagathika Lingayat Mahasabha seeks a separate religion. Vanshmool presents both and labels neither.
Akhila Havyaka Mahasabha
Bengaluru, Karnataka
The community body of the Havyakas. It has been divided over the community's matths. No website.
All India Velama Association and Kamma bodies
Telangana
Community networking bodies in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. No websites.
All India Yadav Mahasabha
All India
A Yadav body founded in 1924. Current activity unverified.
Asom Sattra Mahasabha and Srimanta Sankaradeva Sangha
Assam
Umbrella bodies of the satras and the Ekasarana laity. The Mahasabha counts 862 satras. The Sangha was founded in 1930, with its head office at Nagaon; both of its domains are dead. A separate Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva runs sankaradeva.com.
Baidya Samaj, Baidya Brahman Samiti and Kayastha Sabha (Bengal)
West Bengal
Historical Bengali community bodies. Their current status is unknown.
Bhumihar Brahmin Mahasabha
Bihar
A Bhumihar body active from 1889 to 1926. No successor has been verified. Bhumihars revere Parashurama most among their figures.
Devi Devta Kardar Sangh, with the Gur Sangh and Bajantari Sangh
Kullu, Himachal Pradesh
State-recognised bodies of the caretakers (kardars), mediums (gurs) and musicians (bajantris) of Kullu's village devtas, about 200 members.
Gaur Brahman Vidya Pracharini Sabha and Shri Gaur Brahman Mahasabha
Haryana
Gaur Brahmin bodies at Rohtak and Bikaner. The Bikaner body's site is self-published.
Goa temple mahajan bodies
Goa
Each Goan temple's mahajans are its hereditary member families under the Devasthan Regulation (Diploma 645). Their rolls are not public.
Gowd Saraswat Brahman Sabha
Mumbai, Maharashtra
A Gaud Saraswat body in Mumbai since 1934, which publishes annual reports (2024–25).
Jat Mahasabha
New Delhi, Delhi
A Jat body that lobbies government. It is not a registered body.
Kanara Saraswat Association and the Chitrapur sabhas
Mumbai, Maharashtra
Community bodies of the Chitrapur Saraswats: the Kanara Saraswat Association in Mumbai and the Chitrapur Mahasabha with its local sabhas, through which families attach to Chitrapur Math.
Kanyakubja Brahmin Mahasamiti
Jharkhand
A Kanyakubja Brahmin body active in Jharkhand. No website.
Mumbai Bunt Association and Global Federation of Bunts Associations
Mumbai, Maharashtra
Bunt community bodies; a World Bunt Summit was held in Mumbai in December 2024. No website verified.
Nair Service Society
Changanassery, Kottayam, Kerala
The Nair community body, founded in 1914. It runs temples.
Shree Lohana Mahaparishad
Mumbai, Maharashtra
The national body of the Lohana community. It names no kuldevi.
Shri Ganga Sabha
Haridwar, Uttarakhand
The body of Haridwar's priests, founded in 1916 and speaking for about 2,500 panda families. It has taken a communal stance on who may enter the ghats.
Shri Kshatriya Yuvak Sangh
Jaipur, Rajasthan
A Rajput body founded in 1946 as a sanskar organisation. It has held electoral rallies.
SNDP Yogam
Kerala
The Ezhava community body, active in 2026. Its general secretary founded the BDJS party.
Teerth Purohit Samaj Shri Kedarnath and Chardham Mahapanchayat
Uttarakhand
Bodies of the Char Dham purohits, which held protests in 2025.
Utkaliya Brahmin Samaj
Jharkhand
A body of Odia Brahmins in Jharkhand that holds collective upanayana ceremonies. No website.
Vishva Brahmin Kalyan Parishad Trust
Delhi
A pan-Brahmin welfare trust inaugurated in November 2025. No website.
Yogakshema Sabha
Thrissur, Kerala
The Nambudiri community body, revived in 1976. Current activity unverified.
Questions
Is there a sabha for my gotra or surname?
None with a verifiable presence was found in any region. Registries list charities named after individuals who carry these surnames, but those are personal charities, not surname associations.
Why are some bodies marked political?
They hold electoral rallies, lobby government or are tied to a party. They are listed so families can record them, and marked so no one mistakes them for a spiritual seat.
Can I add my own samaj?
Yes. Add it in your Kul Mandala; it stays on your family's record.
Also explore
For spiritual seats, see the Kuldevi pages, Mandir directory, Matths and peeths and Tirtha purohits.