The Bhottada (also known as Dhotada, Bhotra, Bhatra, Bhattara, Bhotora, Bhatara)[2] is an ethnic group found mainly in many districts of Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
[3] They have a number of exogamous totemistic clans or gotras named after different animals such as tortoise, tiger, cobra, monkey, dog, lizard, goat, etc.
[3] The clans has agnatic lineages formed as local descent groups who live close to each other in villages.
Cross-cousin marriage, junior levirate and sororate, divorce and remarriage are permitted on reasonable grounds.
At the regional level a group of villages constitute a Desh headed by Bhat Naik and supported by Panigrahi and Desia Gonda who mitigate inter-village disputes.