Mundan Sanskar In Varanasi

About this puja

Mundan (Chudakarana), a child's first haircut, performed at Assi Ghat, Varanasi, with Ganga snan and a closing puja.

Mundan, also called Chudakarana, is the shaving of a child's first hair, usually when the child is between 1 and 3 years old. It is an ancient rite and one of the 16 purification rituals known as Shodasha Samskara. The shaved head is seen as purification from earlier yonis and a freedom from the past, a sign that the child begins life afresh in this birth. In Varanasi it is performed at Assi Ghat. The sankalp is taken in the family's name and the pujari chants mantras. The mother sits facing west with the child in her lap. The priest cuts a part of the hair while chanting, and the barber then shaves the rest. The head is washed with Gangajaal, and a paste of turmeric and sandalwood is then applied. The hair is offered to a deity or to the Ganga. The child then takes a Ganga snan, and a closing puja is done to seek blessings.

Why devotees perform it

According to scripture, a soul takes a human body after passing through 84 lakh yonis, and each yoni is believed to leave its influence on a birth The shaving is seen as purification from past yonis and freedom from the past It marks the child's fresh beginning in this life

Samagri

• Ganga jal (गंगा जल)
• Dhoop and deep (धूप-दीप)
• Turmeric (हल्दी)
• Kumkum (कुमकुम)
• Sandalwood (चंदन)
• Fruits (फल)
• Flowers (फूल)
• Akshat (अक्षत)