Mundan Muhurat — Auspicious Dates for Chudakarma Sanskar

A baby’s first haircut is a big day for the whole family. This tool lists every mundan muhurat — the auspicious dates for chudakarma sanskar — for your city, from today to the end of next year, grouped by month. Each date shows the weekday, nakshatra, tithi and the auspicious time window, and periods with no muhurat, such as Kharmas or Chaturmas, show the reason.

What is mundan (chudakarma)?

Chudakarma, also called chaul karma, is one of the sixteen Hindu sanskars and is usually counted as the eighth. “Chuda” means the shikha or tuft: the baby’s birth hair is removed for the first time, and in many families a small shikha is left. It is a prayer for the child’s purity, health and long life, described in the Grihya Sutras and still kept by almost every Hindu family, whether with full rites or a simple puja at home. It comes after namkaran and annaprashan and before karnavedh (ear piercing).

At what age is mundan done?

The Manusmriti and Grihya Sutras give the first or third year, which led to the popular custom of an odd year — the first, third, fifth or seventh. Many families do it around the first birthday, others in the third year when the child sits more calmly, and many follow family custom, at a particular temple or in a particular month. If the child is unwell or has any scalp problem, simply postpone it. Some families also postpone a mundan during the later months of the mother’s next pregnancy; follow your elders’ and purohit’s guidance on such customs.

A simple mundan ritual

1. Bathe the baby and dress them in clean clothes before the window begins.
2. Do Ganesh puja and set up a kalash; many families also remember their kuldevta.
3. A parent holds the baby facing east or north; the hair is softened with lukewarm water.
4. Often the father or priest first snips a few strands with scissors, then the barber completes the mundan, leaving a shikha if that is the custom.
5. Bathe the baby again, offer bhog and share prasad, honouring the barber and priest.

How the tool finds the dates

Pick your city from about 215 in India and abroad (Delhi is the default). Each day, from local sunrise to the next sunrise, is checked against:

Rule	What is required
Nakshatra (12)	Ashwini, Mrigashira, Punarvasu, Pushya, Hasta, Chitra, Swati, Jyeshtha, Shravana, Dhanishta, Shatabhisha, Revati
Tithi	Dwitiya, Tritiya, Panchami, Saptami, Dashami, Ekadashi, Trayodashi
Weekday	Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Bhadra	Vishti karana hours are removed from the window
Excluded periods	Kharmas, Chaturmas, Adhik maas, Holashtak

Unlike the marriage and griha pravesh pages, this tool does not exclude Guru or Shukra asta for mundan; some panchangs do, which can explain a missing date. Each date’s time window is when all conditions hold and Bhadra is absent — pick a daylight slot that suits the baby’s routine.

Where people do mundan

• River ghats and tirthas such as the Ganga, Yamuna or Narmada, followed by a holy dip and puja.
• Temples that have a tradition of mundan, where hair is sometimes offered to the deity.
• The kuldevi’s or kuldevta’s temple, where many families do the first mundan.
• At home, with Ganesh puja, kalash and a small havan.

The hair is wrapped in dough or cloth and handled with respect. Traditionally it is immersed in a river; many families now give it to the temple or bury it under a tree to keep rivers clean.

Caring for the baby

• Choose an experienced barber and insist on a new blade.
• Pick a time when the baby is fed and rested.
• Keep the head covered in strong sun or cold.
• Apply a little coconut oil or a cream your doctor suggests; see a paediatrician for any cut, redness or itching.
• Keep the crowd small and calm.

Myths and facts

Shaving does not make hair grow thicker — that depends mainly on genes and nutrition; mundan is a sanskar, not a hair treatment. A mundan done at home with devotion is as complete as one at a tirtha. Panchang makers may also consider the child’s birth nakshatra, birth month, Uttarayan or planetary combustion, so confirm the final date with your purohit. To find the baby’s birth nakshatra use the nakshatra calculator; to name your baby by nakshatra see baby names by nakshatra, and for any day’s full panchang the daily panchang.

Frequently asked questions