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By Astrologer Praveen Kumar · 27 September 2026 · Updated 3 October 2026
Every family in Bihar wants to know the right mundan muhurat before planning a child's first haircut. The mundan sanskar (मुंडन संस्कार), known in the scriptures as Chudakarma (चूड़ाकर्म) or Chaula, is the eighth of the sixteen Hindu sanskars, and in Bihar it is a full family celebration — sometimes at home, often at Thawe Bhawani, a Ganga ghat or the kul devta's sthan. This guide covers the right age, good nakshatras, tithis and weekdays, periods to avoid, regional customs from Magadh to Mithila, and a step-by-step mundan vidhi.
Quick answer: Mundan is traditionally done in an odd year of the child's life — the first, third or fifth — on a Monday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, in an auspicious tithi and a favourable nakshatra such as Ashwini, Pushya, Hasta, Punarvasu or Shravana, outside Kharmas, Adhik Maas and usually Chaturmas. The exact mundan muhurat for a date depends on the local Patna Panchang and the child's birth chart.
| Factor | Favourable | Avoided |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 1st, 3rd, 5th year (odd years) | Even years in most families |
| Weekday | Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday | Tuesday, Saturday; Sunday as per family |
| Tithi | Dwitiya, Tritiya, Panchami, Saptami, Dashami, Ekadashi, Trayodashi | Chaturthi, Navami, Chaturdashi (Rikta), Amavasya, Ashtami, Pratipada |
| Nakshatra | Ashwini, Mrigashira, Punarvasu, Pushya, Hasta, Chitra, Swati, Jyeshtha, Shravana, Dhanishta, Shatabhisha, Revati | Child's own janma nakshatra by many traditions; harsh (ugra) nakshatras |
| Period | Uttarayan preferred, Shukla Paksha preferred | Kharmas, Adhik Maas, Chaturmas, Guru or Shukra asta |
| Lagna | Strong lagna with benefics in kendra | Malefics in the 8th from the muhurat lagna |
Chudakarma means "the act of arranging the tuft (chuda)." The Grihya Sutras — Ashvalayana, Paraskara and others — describe it as removing the hair the child was born with and leaving a shikha. The Manusmriti (2.35) places it in the first or third year. The traditional understanding is that the birth hair carries impurities and past-life impressions; shaving it marks a clean, fresh start for the child's health, intellect and longevity.
There is also a practical side the elders always mention: the scalp is cleaned, growth evens out, and in Bihar's hot summers a shaved head keeps the child comfortable. Families who have done namkaran with numerology usually treat mundan as the next big milestone.
Odd years are traditional. Many families count the running year — so a child who has completed two years is in the third year. Ask your purohit how your family counts, because practice differs from one village to the next.
Shukla Paksha tithis such as Dwitiya, Tritiya, Panchami, Saptami, Dashami, Ekadashi and Trayodashi are favoured. Rikta tithis (4, 9, 14), Amavasya and Ashtami are avoided. Purnima is avoided by some families and accepted by others.
Muhurta texts such as Muhurta Chintamani favour the gentle (mridu), movable (chara) and swift (kshipra) nakshatras for chaula — Mrigashira, Chitra, Anuradha, Revati; Punarvasu, Swati, Shravana, Dhanishta, Shatabhisha; Ashwini, Pushya, Hasta — and Jyeshtha is also included by many. See our 27 nakshatras guide for what each star signifies.
Monday (Moon), Wednesday (Mercury), Thursday (Jupiter) and Friday (Venus) are preferred. Tuesday and Saturday are avoided for haircutting in most North Indian homes.
A personal muhurat checks that the Moon's transit is favourable from the child's birth Moon sign and that the day's nakshatra is good counted from the child's birth star. This is what turns a general Panchang date into a muhurat suited to your child.
The rising sign at the moment the first lock is cut should be strong, with benefics in kendras and the 8th house clean.
Exact mundan muhurat dates for 2026-2027 should be taken from a Panchang made for your location and matched to the child's chart. We do not publish generic date lists because a date good for one child can be weak for another.
Maa Thawe Wali, in Gopalganj district, draws families from Saran, Siwan, Gopalganj and the Champaran districts. Many take a mannat that the first hair will be offered to the Mother here, and Chaitra and Shardiya Navratri see large mundan gatherings. If you are planning this, read about local arrangements with an astrologer in Gopalganj.
Mundan on the banks of the Ganga is very common — at the ghats of Patna, at Maner on the western edge of Patna district, at Simaria in Begusarai, and at Sultanganj and Bhagalpur. The hair is offered to the river in a ball of atta (flour dough), and the child is given a dip or a sprinkle of Ganga jal.
In Mithila, mundan is often done before the gosaunik ghar (family deity's room) or at the gram devta's sthan, with a family-specific puja. In Bhojpur and Magadh, families visit the kul devi's sthan in the native village even if they live in Patna or Delhi.
Many Bihar families travel to Deoghar in neighbouring Jharkhand for mundan, especially outside the Shravani Mela crowd.
Samagri: Ganga jal, kalash, mango leaves, coconut, roli, akshat, haldi, sandalwood, durva, flowers, sweets, a new cloth for the child, a clean razor or blade for the barber, atta for the hair ball, curd or butter-milk for the scalp, a mat, and dakshina.
Use a fresh, sterile blade and an experienced barber, and keep antiseptic ready. For any scalp condition, fever or skin issue, check with the child's paediatrician first — astrology and ritual complement, not replace, a doctor's advice.
Do
Don't
| Myth | Fact |
|---|---|
| Mundan makes hair grow thicker | Hair density is genetic; mundan is a sanskar, not a hair treatment |
| Mundan must be done only at a temple | Home, ghat or temple are all valid with proper vidhi |
| Girls never have mundan | Many Bihar families do mundan for daughters too |
| Any Panchang date is fine for every child | The child's Moon sign and birth star should be checked |
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You receive a few suitable dates with time windows, matched to the child's chart and the place. A Vedic astrology consultation covers mundan and other sanskar muhurats, and a full kundali analysis of the child gives guidance on health, education and temperament. Families in the city often reach us as an astrologer in Patna, and many in north Bihar as an astrologer in Begusarai.
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Scriptures such as the Manusmriti place chudakarma in the first or third year, and most Bihar families follow odd years — the first, third or fifth year after birth. Many families count by the child's running year rather than completed age. Girls also have mundan in many families, with the same rules, though some families keep it only for boys.
Traditional muhurat texts and most Bihar families avoid the child's mundan when the mother is more than about five months pregnant, and wait until after the delivery and its sutak. Before five months many families go ahead. Follow your family custom, and keep the pregnant mother's comfort and her doctor's advice first.
Generally no. Mundan, like other sanskars, is avoided during Kharmas when the Sun is in Sagittarius or Pisces, during Adhik Maas, and by many families during Chaturmas. Some families still do mundan at a Devi temple during Chaitra or Shardiya Navratri, following the temple's own tradition, which is why local custom matters.
Thawe Bhawani in Gopalganj district is a revered Shakti peeth for north-west Bihar, and many families take a mannat that the child's first hair will be offered to the Mother there. Navratri brings especially large crowds for mundan. Other families go to their kul devta, a Ganga ghat, or Baba Baidyanath Dham in neighbouring Jharkhand.
In most traditions a small tuft of hair, the shikha or choti, is left at the crown of the head during chudakarma, and its exact position follows family and gotra custom. Some families shave the head fully and let the shikha grow later. Ask the family purohit and elders what your lineage follows.
Book a personalised session with Astrologer Praveen Kumar — Bihar's most trusted Vedic astrologer.
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