Moolgram

Moolgram (Maithili: मूलग्राम) (also written as Mulgram^[1]) is a branch or sub-division of a Mool among Maithil Brahmins in the Mithila region of the Indian subcontinent. It represents a more recent ancestral abode, indicating where a specific branch of the original Mool settled.^[2] The concept of "Moolgram" within the intricate social fabric of the Maithil Brahmin community is a testament to the enduring significance of lineage and ancestral settlement. It represents far more than a mere geographical marker; it embodies a living connection to the past, a thread that weaves together generations and shapes the present. It is one of the fundamental genealogical identity recorded in the Panji system of Mithila.^[3][4][5][6]

Description

In moolgram, the names of two villages are written together. The first village means that the earliest known person called as Viji Purush of the said family was a resident of that village and the second village means that the immediate ancestor of the concerned family lived in that other village at the time of registration. The first village in the moolgram refers to the name of the mool of that family.^[2]

The moolgram is exogamous and plays an important role in the marriage of the Maithil Brahmins community.^[1]