Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

head shaving Head shaving is a form of body modification which involves shaving the hair from a person's head. People throughout history have shaved all or part of their heads for diverse reasons including aesthetics, convenience, culture, fashion, practicalit ...

, also known as tonsuring, is a symbolic act of purification and spiritual transformation. It features prominently in various rites of passage, such as the act of shaving the baby's first hair on the head; as well as in mourning rituals, acts of penance, seeking purification, and fulfillment of wishes. The practice signifies the shedding of ego, past impurities, and worldly attachments, aligning the individual with religious discipline and inner growth. Scriptural texts such as the

Dharmaśāstra ''Dharmaśāstra'' () are Sanskrit Puranic Smriti texts on law and conduct, and refer to treatises (shastras, śāstras) on Dharma. Like Dharmasūtra which are based upon Vedas, these texts are also elaborate law commentaries based on vedas, D ...

, Purāṇas, and

Itihāsas In Hinduism, Itihasa-Purana, also called the fifth Veda, refers to the traditional accounts of cosmogeny, myths, royal genealogies of the lunar dynasty and solar dynasty, and legendary past events, as narrated in the ''Itihasa'' (Mahabharat ...

mention it as a symbol of spiritual discipline and detachment. The practice varies by sect, region, and context, reflecting both personal transformation and religious duty.

Chudakarana

The Chudakarana (, ) or the Mundana (, ), is the eighth of the sixteen

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

saṃskāra Samskara (Sanskrit: संस्कार, IAST: , sometimes spelled ''samskara'') are sacraments in Hinduism and other Indian religions, described in ancient Sanskrit texts, as well as a concept in the karma theory of Indian philosophies. The ...

s (sacraments), in which a child receives their

first haircut The first haircut for a human has special significance in certain cultures and religions. It can be considered a rite of passage or a milestone. Indian Hindu In Hindu tradition, from birth, hair is associated with less positive aspects of ...

. No reference is provided in any of

Grhya Sutras Kalpa () means "proper, fit" and is one of the six disciplines of the Vedānga, or ancillary science connected with the Vedas – the scriptures of Hinduism. This field of study is focused on the procedures and ceremonies associated with Vedic r ...

, but, in general this samskara is taken place at the end of second year or before the expiry of the third year, but the later authorities extend the age to the seventh year. The child's hair is

shorn Sheep shearing is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a '' shearer''. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year (depending upon dialect, a sheep may be sai ...

, frequently leaving only the śikhā or ''cūḍā'', a tuft at the crown of the head. Originally, the arrangement of the śikhā was the most significant feature of the Chudakarana and the number of tufts was determined by the number of the

pravaras In Hindu culture, a ''Pravara'' (Sanskrit for "most excellent") refers to a system of identity, particularly a family line. The Pravar system is based on the descendants of a rishi (sage) after whom a "gotra" (clan) is named, and these descendant ...

belonging to the

gotra In Hindu culture, the term gotra (Sanskrit: गोत्र) is considered to be equivalent to lineage. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Generally, the gotr ...

of the child. Later, in northern

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, keeping only one tuft became universal. But in the

Deccan The Deccan is a plateau extending over an area of and occupies the majority of the Indian peninsula. It stretches from the Satpura and Vindhya Ranges in the north to the northern fringes of Tamil Nadu in the south. It is bound by the mount ...

and southern India, earlier traditions remained alive to some extent.Pandey, Rajbali (1969, reprint 2006) ''Hindu Saṁskāras: Socio-Religious Study of the Hindu Sacraments'', Delhi:Motilal Banarsidass, , pp.98-99 Hindu baby first head shave choulopan chudakarana sanskara

Hindu baby first head shave choulopan chudakarana sanskara

In tradition, the hair from birth is associated with undesirable traits from past lives. Thus at the time of the ''mundana'', the child is freshly shaven to signify freedom from the past and moving into the future. The rite is performed as a special ceremony in most homes, for young girls and boys. At

Rishikesh Rishikesh, also spelt as Hrishikesh, is a city near Dehradun in the Indian state Uttarakhand. The northern part of Rishikesh is in the Dehradun district while the southern part is in the Tehri Garhwal district. It is situated on the right bank ...

, on the banks of the

Ganges The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

, there is a special ''chudakarana'' or ''mundana'' ''samskara''. In this ceremony, along with cutting and shaving hair,

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed ...

mantra A mantra ( ; Pali: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language like Sanskrit or Avestan) belie ...

s and prayers are chanted by trained priests,

acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a religious teacher in Hinduism and Buddhism and a spiritual guide to Hindus and Buddhists. The designation has different meanings i ...

s and rishikumaras. The child's head is shaven and the hair is then symbolically offered to the

holy river Sacred waters are sacred natural sites characterized by tangible topographical land formations such as rivers, lakes, springs, reservoirs, and oceans, as opposed to holy water which is water elevated with the sacramental blessing of a cleri ...

. The child and their family then perform a sacred

yajna In Hinduism, ''Yajna'' or ''Yagna'' (, Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐd͡ʒɲə ) also known as Hawan, is a ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras. Yajna has been a Vedas, Vedic tradition, described in a layer of Vedic literature ...

ceremony and the Ganga Aarti.

References

Samskaras {{Hindu-stub

Chudakarana

See also

References