Aggarwal’s Gotra

For proper management, Maharaja Agrasen organized his kingdom by dividing it into 18 parts among his 18 children. He arranged 18 Maha Yagna, in the name of Gurus of his children, resulting in eighteen Agrawal gotras, and distributed one Gotra each.

Often, the number of gotras is stated to be seventeen and a half. This is because Agrasen proceeded to conduct 18 mahayajnas (“Great Yajnas”), Some refer that during one such yajna, Agrasen noticed that a horse that had been brought to be sacrificed was trying hard to get away from the sacrificial altar. Seeing this Maharaj Agrasen was filled with compassion for the animal. The idea of ahimsa (non-violence) grabbed his mind. Thus, the eighteenth yajna wasn’t completed and Maharaja Agrasen performed seventeen and a half yajnas. For his kindness gods appeared before him and blessed.