Chudakarma

Chudakarma is an age-old ceremony in which a child’s hair is shaved for the first time. In parts of north India it is also known by the name ‘mundan’. This ceremony conforms to the Vedic tradition. All the hair from the child’s head, except a tuft of hair on the crown part, is shaved off. This tuft is left remaining because it is believed that an important artery passes through this part of the head and shaving here may prove to be fatal. The term ‘chuda’ refers to this tuft. This practice of leaving a tuft unshaven is rarely practiced nowadays.

The Chudakarma ceremony is held when the child attains the age of three. This age is considered to be the turning point in the child’s life since it is no longer dependent on its mother for nourishment and support. From here the father shares the responsibility of bringing up the child and educating it. The hair with which the child was born indicates its connection with the mother and should therefore be shaved off. Moreover this hair is considered impure and not strong enough. Shaving it is regarded as the symbolic cleansing of the body and soul. The new hair that sprouts up is considered strong and clean.

The appropriate time and location for the Chudakarma ceremony is chosen as per the Hindu tradition. Brahmins, relatives and friends are specially invited for the ceremony. Before the ceremony, the child is given a bath and dressed in new clothes. An ‘agni’ (holy fire) is lit. The mother along with the child sits in the western direction of the fire, with the father standing at their right. The father makes offerings to the fire and pours warm water into a glass of cold water in a symbolic gesture indicating the presence of Lord Vayu and Goddess Aditi. Applying some butter or ghee (clarified butter) on the right side of the child’s head, he inserts three stalks of a variety of grass, locally called ‘kusha’, into the child’s hair. This grass is believed to protect the child from any injury during the shaving process. The father cuts some hair from both sides of the child’s head amidst some holy chants. This cut hair is placed on a mound of bull dung. The task of shaving the hair is given to the barber, who has been specially invited for the purpose. The number of tufts left unshaven depends on the family ancestry. The hair collected after the shaving is mixed with the bull dung and disposed off by throwing into a river or burying in the earth. This is done so as to prevent any person from practicing black magic on the child using the hair.

The invited guests gift the child with presents. The Chudakarma ceremony concludes with a feast.