Chudakarana

The Chudakarana (Sanskrit:चूड़ाकरण, lit, arrangement of the hair tuft) or the Mundana (Sanskrit: मुण्डन, lit. tonsure), is the eighth of the sixteen Hindu saṃskāras (sacraments), in which a child receives their first haircut.

According to the Grhya Sutras, this samskara should take place at the end of first 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, frequently leaving only the śikhā or cūḍā, a tuft at the crown of the head.