Mundan

(“shaving”) In general terms, mundan
refers to any type of haircutting or shaving done for religious purposes, such as
the head-shaving traditionally done at
certain pilgrimage places (tirtha). In
Tirupati in southern India, the hair is
given as an offering to the presiding
deity; shaving is also a means of ritual
purification, as in the rites for the dead.
In a more specific sense, mundan is
often used as a synonym for the chudakarana samskara, a life-cycle rite in
which a young child’s head is shaved,
removing the last residual impurities
from birth. See also hair.