The Saraswat Brahmin community of western India is a highly endogamous group which has retained a distinct Indo-European language and culture through centuries of migration and displacement from various parts of India, and despite living in Dravidic dominated South-India for hundreds of years. This study represents the first analysis of genetic variation in this group using mitochondrial (mt) DNA markers. Mitochondrial markers were analyzed in 116 Saraswat Brahmin males residing in North America. Due to the effects from both high endogamy and complex migratory patterns, it previously was hypothesized that the haplotype frequencies in Saraswat Brahmins would distinguish them from other Indian language communities, although they might exhibit varying degrees of genetic affinity with geographically related language communities. The results have shown that the mtDNA haplotypes found in Saraswat Brahmins are predominantly South Asian-specific haploroups, though there are several unique variations on commonly found haplotypes. In general, there is some evidence for a higher maternal affinity with Indo-European North Indian groups. Analysis of male-specific Y-chromosome variation could enrich the data of distinct maternal lineages as presented in this thesis.