Upanayana

2021-08-24T08:26:33Z

2409:4072:6D00:3B18:AF4D:FCE0:9F9D:D03D: /* top */Fixed typo

{{short description|Hindu rite of passage that marks a student's acceptance by a guru}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
[[File:A yagyopaveet sanskar upanayana samskara in Nepal.jpg|thumb|Upanayana sanskara ceremony in progress. Traditionally, this ritual was for 7, 9 and 11 year olds in South Asia, but is now practiced for all ages.<ref name=haroldcoward>Harold Coward et al (1997), Religious Dimensions of Child and Family Life, Wilfrid Laurier University Press, {{ISBN|978-1550581041}}, page 67</ref>]]
'''''Upanayana''''' ({{lang-sa|उपनयन}} {{IAST|upanayana-}}), also known as ''janai'' or ''janeau'' ({{lang-sa| जनै, जनेऊ}}), ''poita'', ''Yagnopavita'', or ''Bratabandha'', is one of the traditional [[Sanskara (rite of passage)|saṃskāra]]s (rites of passage) that marked the acceptance of a student by a ''[[guru]]'' (teacher or tutor) and an individual's entrance to a school in [[Hinduism]]. The tradition is widely discussed in ancient [[Sanskrit]] texts of Hinduism and varies regionally.<ref name="kaneupan" /> The sacred thread (''yagnyopavita'' or ''janeu'') is received by the boy during this ceremony, that he continues wearing from left shoulder to the right crossing the chest thereafter. Generally this ceremony should be done before the age of 16.

[[Vedic period]] texts such as the [[Baudhayana|Baudhāyana]] ''[[Grhyasutra|Grihyasutra]]'' encouraged the four [[Varna (Hinduism)|Varna]] men and women of society to undergo the Upanayana, viz., the [[Brahmins]], the [[Kshatriya]]s, the [[Vaishya]]s and the [[Shudra]]s.

==Etymology==
''Upanayana'' ([[Sanskrit]]: उपनयन) literally means "the act of leading to or enlightment or near the eye".<ref name=mmwupa>[http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/cgi-bin/tamil/recherche upanyana] Monier Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary, Cologne Sanskrit Digital Lexicon, Germany</ref> It is an important and widely discussed samskara in ancient Sanskrit texts.<ref name=kaneupan/> The rite of passage symbolizes the leading or drawing towards the self of a child, in a school, by a teacher.<ref name=mmwupa/> It is a ceremony in which a guru (teacher) accepts and draws a child towards knowledge and initiates the second birth that is of the young mind and spirit.<ref name=kaneupan/>

==Description==
[[File:Upanayanam.jpg|thumb|right|A boy during his upanayana ritual. The thin, yellow ''Yajnopavita'' thread runs from left shoulder to waist. Note the [[Sugarcane|munja grass]] girdle around the waist. The [[Sacred Fig|peepal tree]] twig in his right hand marks his entry into the [[Brahmacarya|Brahmacharya]] stage of life.]]
Upanayana is the rite of passage for the start of formal education of writing, numbers, reading, [[Vedanga]]s, arts and other skills.<ref name=pandeyupan>Rajbali Pandey (2013), Hindu Saṁskāras: Socio-religious Study of the Hindu Sacraments, 2nd Edition, Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120803961}}, pages 111–117</ref> The ''Upanayana'' rite of passage was also important to the teacher, as the student would therefrom begin to live in the ''gurukul'' (school).<ref name=kaneupan>P. V. Kane, [https://archive.org/stream/historyofdharmas029210mbp#page/n325/mode/2up Samskara, Chapter VII], ''History of Dharmasastras'', Vol II, Part I, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, pages 268–287</ref>

Upanayana is an elaborate ceremony, that includes rituals involving the family, the child and the teacher. A boy receives during this ceremony a sacred thread called ''Yajñopaveetam'' that he wears. The ''Yajñopavita'' ceremony announce that the child had entered into formal education.<ref name=kaneupan2/><ref>Ram Chandra Prasad (1997), ''The Upanayana: The Hindu Ceremonies of the Sacred Thread'', Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120812406}}, pages 119–131</ref> In the modern era, the Upanayana rite of passage is open to anyone at any age.<ref name=haroldcoward/>

The education of a student was not limited to ritual and philosophical speculations found in the Vedas and the Upanishads. It extended to many arts and crafts, which had their own, similar rites of passages.<ref name=stella>Stella Kramrisch (1958), [https://www.jstor.org/stable/538558 Traditions of the Indian Craftsman], ''The Journal of American Folklore'', Vol. 71, No. 281, pages 224–230</ref> [[Aitareya Brahmana]], [[Agama (Hinduism)|Agamas]] and [[Puranas]] literature of Hinduism describe these as ''[[Shilpa Shastras|Śilpa Śastras]]''. They extend to all practical aspects of culture, such as the sculptor, the potter, the perfumer, the wheelwright, the painter, the weaver, the architect, the dancer, and the musician. Ancient Indian texts assert that the number of the arts is unlimited, but each deploy elements of 64 ''kalā'' (कला, techniques) and 32 ''vidyā'' (विद्या, fields of knowledge).<ref name=stella/> The training of these began from childhood and included studies about [[dharma]], culture, reading, writing, mathematics, geometry, colors, tools, as well as traditions (trade secrets). The rites of passage during apprentice education varied in the respective guilds.<ref name=elgood>Heather Elgood (2000), Hinduism and the religious arts, {{ISBN|978-0304707393}}, Bloomsbury Academic, pages 32–134</ref><ref>Stella Kramrisch, The Hindu Temple, Vol 1, Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120802223}}</ref>

Rajbali Pandey compares the Upanayana rite of passage to Baptism in Christianity where the person is born again unto spiritual knowledge, as the ceremony marked the initiation of the student for spiritual studies such as the [[Vedas]].<ref name=pandeyupan/>

==Age, gender and varna restrictions==
[[File:Susnata.jpg|thumb|''Upanayana Sanskar'' in progress in [[West Bengal]], India.]]
In Hindu traditions, a human being is born at least twice—once at physical birth and second at intellectual birth through teacher's care. The first is marked through the ''[[Jatakarma|Jatakarman]]'' sanskara ritual; the second is marked through ''Upanayanam'' or ''[[Vidyāraṃbhaṃ|Vidyarambha]]'' rites of passage.<ref name=maryhinduworld>Mary McGee (2007), Samskara, in ''The Hindu World'' (Editors: Mittal and Thursby), Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0415772273}}, pages 332–356</ref><ref>Kathy Jackson (2005), ''Rituals and Patterns in Children's Lives'', University of Wisconsin Press, {{ISBN|978-0299208301}}, page 46</ref> A sacred thread was given by the teacher during the initiation to school ceremony and was a symbolic reminder to the student of his purpose at school as well as a social marker of the student as someone who was born a second time (''[[dvija]]'', twice born); he went about collecting fire wood in forests and food donations from villages on a daily basis.<ref name="ref06lidaj"/><ref>Raman Varadara, ''Glimpses of Indian Heritage'', {{ISBN|978-8171547586}}, page 51</ref>

Many medieval era texts discuss Upanayana in the context of three of the four ''varnas'' (caste, class) — [[Brahmin]]s, [[Kshatriya]]s and [[Vaishya]]s.<ref name=pandeyupan/> The ceremony was typically performed at age eight among the [[Brahmin]]s, at age 11 among the [[Kshatriya]]s, and age 12 among Vaishyas.{{sfn|Mookerji|1998|p=174}}<ref>{{Citation | title=Religious thought and life in India: as based on the Veda and other sacred books of the Hindūs | author=Sir Monier Monier-Williams | year=1891 | publisher=J. Murray, 1891 | page=360 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-jNbAAAAQAAJ}}</ref> Apastamba Gryha Sutra, in verse 1.1.1.27, places a maximum age limit of 24 for the Upanayana ceremony and start of formal education. However, Gautama Gryha Sutra and other ancient texts state that there is no age restriction and anyone of any age can undertake Upanayanam when they feel they initiate their formal studies of the Vedas.<ref>RK Mookerji (2011), Ancient Indian Education: Brahmanical and Buddhist, Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120804234}}, pages 174-177</ref>

Several texts such as ''Sushruta Sutrasthana'', however, also include the fourth varna, the [[shudra|Sudra]]s, entering schools and the formal education process,<ref>RK Mookerji (2011), Ancient Indian Education: Brahmanical and Buddhist, Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120804234}}, pages 270-271</ref> stating that the Upanayana samskara was open to everyone.<ref name=scharfe>Hartmut Scharfe (2007), Handbook of Oriental Studies, Brill Academic, {{ISBN|978-9004125568}}, pages 102-103, 197-198, 263-276</ref><ref name=kaneupan2>PV Kane, [https://archive.org/stream/historyofdharmas029210mbp#page/n345/mode/2up Samskara, Chapter VII], History of Dharmasastras, Vol II, Part I, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, pages 288-300</ref>

===Women and Upanayana===

In some regions, in modern times, boys and girls undergo the tradition of ''Upanayana'' initiation when they start their formal schooling.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Village in Bihar, where Girl wear the Sacred Thread 'Janeu'|url=http://news.biharprabha.com/2014/02/a-village-in-bihar-where-girl-wear-sacred-thread-janeu/|work=IANS |publisher=news.biharprabha.com|access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref> In ancient and medieval eras, texts such as Harita Dharmasutras, Asvalayana Grhya Sutra and Yama smriti suggest women could begin Vedic studies after the Upanayana rite of passage.<ref name=pvkaneyajnow/><ref>[http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=3852 Starting Vedic Studies - Backed by scripture, girls get their sacred thread], ''Hinduism Today'' (December 2002)</ref><ref>C Tripathi (2005), The Evolution of Ideals of Womenhood in Indian Society, {{ISBN|978-8178354255}}, page 94</ref>

Girls who decided to become a student underwent the Upanayana rite of passage, at the age of 8, and thereafter were called ''Brahmavadini''. They wore a thread or upper garment over their left shoulder.<ref name=pvkaneyajnow/> Those girls who chose not to go to a ''gurukul'' were called ''Sadyovadhu'' (literally, one who marries straight). However, the ''Sadyovadhu'', too, underwent a step during the wedding rituals, where she would complete Upanayana, and thereafter wear her upper garment (saree) over her left shoulder.<ref name=pvkaneyajnow/> This interim symbolic Upanayana rite of passage for a girl, before her wedding, is described in multiple texts such as the Gobhila Gryha Sutra verse 2.1.19 and some Dharmasutras.<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/grihyasutrasrule02olde#page/44/mode/2up Grihya sutra of Gobhila] Verse 2.1.19, Herman Oldenberg & Max Muller (Translator), The [[Sacred Books of the East]], Vol. 30, Part 2, Oxford University Press, page 44</ref>

In ancient times, the thread ceremony was performed in girls as well. A mention of this is found in the Kurmapuranaas:

पुराकल्पेहिनारीणांमौजीबन्धनमीरितम् ।

Meaning: In ancient times, the thread ceremony was performed for girls as well. The father, paternal uncle, or brother would impart knowledge to the girl. However, other men were prohibited from performing this task. A celibate girl begged for alms in her own house. Excerpt from [[Sanatan Sanstha]]'s book ''[[Sixteen Sanskara]]''.<ref>https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/thread-ceremony-for-thane-girl/articleshow/4591371.cms</ref>

==Doubts about Upanayanam rite of passage in old texts==
Scholars<ref name=herman/> state that the details and restrictions in the Upanayana ceremony is likely to have been inserted into ancient texts in a more modern era. [[Hermann Oldenberg]], for example, states that Upanayana — the solemn reception of the pupil by the teacher to teach him the Veda — is joined into texts of Vedic texts at places that simply do not make any contextual sense, do not match the style, and are likely to be a corruption of the ancient texts.<ref name=herman/> For example, in Satapatha Brahmana, the ''Upanayana'' rite of passage text appears in the middle of a dialogue about Agnihotra; after the Upanayana verse end, sage Saukeya abruptly returns to the Agnihotra and Uddalaka. Oldenberg states that the Upanayana discussion is likely an insertion into the older text.<ref name=herman>Herman Oldenberg, The Gryha Sutra - Rules of Vedic Domestic Ceremonies, Oxford University Press, page 7-8, {{oclc|866776938}}</ref>

Kane states in his History of Dharmasastra reviews,<ref name=kaneupan/> as well as other scholars,<ref name=kaneupan/><ref>Arun Kumbhare (2009), Women of India: Their Status Since the Vedic Times, {{ISBN|978-1440156007}}, page 56</ref><ref>J Sinha (2014), Psycho-Social Analysis of the Indian Mindset, Springer Academic, {{ISBN|978-8132218036}}, page 5</ref> that there is high likelihood of interpolation, insertion and corruption in dharma sutras and dharma sastra texts on Upanayana-related rite of passage. [[Patrick Olivelle]] notes the doubts in [[postmodern]] scholarship about the presumed reliability of Manusmriti manuscripts.<ref name=olivellecriticaledition/> He writes, "Manusmriti was the first Indian legal text introduced to the western world through the translation of Sir William Jones in 1794". This was based on the Calcutta manuscript with the commentary of Kulluka, which has been assumed to be the reliable vulgate version, and translated repeatedly from Jones in 1794 to [[Wendy Doniger|Doniger]] in 1991.<ref name=olivellecriticaledition/> The reliability of the Manusmriti manuscript used since colonial times, states Olivelle, is "far from the truth. Indeed, one of the great surprises of my editorial work has been to discover how few of the over fifty manuscripts that I collated actually follow the vulgate in key readings."<ref name=olivellecriticaledition>Patrick Olivelle (2004), Manu's Code of Law, Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|978-0195171464}}, pages 353-354, 356-382</ref>

==Significance of the yajñopavītam, sacred thread==
The "sacred thread" ({{lang-sa|यज्ञोपवीतम्}} ''yajñopavītam'' or ''upavīta'') is a thin cord, composed of three cotton strands.<ref name="ref06lidaj">{{Citation | title=Religious thought and life in India: as based on the Veda and other sacred books of the Hindūs | author=Sir Monier Monier-Williams | year=1891 | publisher=J. Murray, 1891 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-jNbAAAAQAAJ}}</ref> The strands symbolize different things in their regions. For example, among Tamils, each strand is for each of the three trinity of goddesses (Parvati, Lakshmi and Saraswati).<ref name="ref91mazij">{{Citation | title=Festivals of Tamil Nadu: Volume 3 of Peeps into Tamil culture | author=M. Arunachalam | year=1980 | publisher=Gandhi Vidyalayam, 1980 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3IrXAAAAMAAJ | quote=''... boy is invested for the first time with the sacred thread ... the three devis Sarasvati, Savitri and Gayatri ...''}}</ref>

The ancient Sanskrit texts offer a diverse view while describing yajñopavītam or upavita. The term upavita was originally meant to be any upper garment, as stated in verse 2.2.4.22–2.2.4.23 of Apastamba [[Dharmasutra]] or, if the wearer does not want to wear a top, a thread would suffice.<ref name=pvkaneyajno/> The thread identified a person who is studying at a school or has graduated. The ancient Indian scholar Haradatta states, "''yajñopavītam'' means a particular mode of wearing the upper garment, and it is not necessary to have the yajñopavīta at all times".<ref name=pvkaneyajno/> The Gobhila Gryha Sutra similarly states, at verse 1.2.1 in its discussion on Upanayana, that "the student understands the yajnopavita as a cord of threads, or a garment, or a rope of kusa grass", and it is its methods of wearing and the significance that matters.<ref name=pvkaneyajno/> The proper manner of wearing the upper garment or thread, state the ancient texts, is from over the left shoulder and under the right arm.<ref name=pvkaneyajno>PV Kane, [https://archive.org/stream/HistoryOfDharmasastraancientAndMediaevalReligiousAndCivilLawV.2.1/Kane_A-History-of-Dharmasastra-v2-1_1941#page/n347/mode/2up History of Dharmasastra] Volume 2.1, 1st Edition, pages 290-293</ref>

The idea of wearing the upper garment or sacred thread, and its significance, extended to women.<ref name=pvkaneyajnow/> This is reflected in the traditional wearing of sari over the left shoulder, during formal occasions and the celebration of rites of passage such as Hindu weddings. It was also the norm if a girl undertakes the Upanayana ceremony and begins her Vedic studies as a ''Brahmavadini''.<ref name=pvkaneyajnow>PV Kane, [https://archive.org/stream/HistoryOfDharmasastraancientAndMediaevalReligiousAndCivilLawV.2.1/Kane_A-History-of-Dharmasastra-v2-1_1941#page/n349/mode/2up History of Dharmasastra] Volume 2.1, 1st Edition, pages 293-295</ref>

The sacred Yajñopavītam is known by many names (varying by region and community), such as ''Bratabandha, Janivaara'', '' Jaanva'', ''Jandhyam'', ''Poita'', ''Pūṇūl'', ''Janeu'', ''Lagun'', ''Yajnopavita'', ''Yagyopavit'', ''Yonya'' and ''Zunnar''.<ref name="ref97cafup">{{Citation | title=Death before dying: the Sufi poems of Sultan Bahu | author=Sultān Bāhū, Jamal J. Elias | date=April 1998 | publisher=University of California Press, 1998 | isbn=978-0-520-21242-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GlECx1j0B4IC | quote=''... in Punjabi, zunnar, the sacred Yajñopavītam worn by Brahmin Hindus ...''}}</ref><ref name="ref34quyaq">{{Citation | title=Living faiths in modern India | author=Shashi Ahluwalia, Meenakshi Ahluwalia | year=1992 | publisher=Indian Publishers' Distributors, 1992 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hqTXAAAAMAAJ }}</ref> The other Sanskrit term for it is ''Avyanga''.

===Origins of the sacred thread===
There is no mention of any rule or custom, states [[Patrick Olivelle]], that "required Brahmins to wear a sacred string at all times", in the Brahmanical literature (Vedic and ancient post-Vedic).<ref name=patrickoilvelletsu9>Patrick Olivelle (1992), The Samnyasa Upanisads, Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|978-0195070453}}, pages 9-10</ref> Yajñopavītam, textual evidence suggests, is a medieval and modern tradition.<ref name=patrickoilvelletsu9/> However, the term ''Yajñopavīta'' appears in ancient Hindu literature, and therein it means a way of wearing the upper garment during a ritual or rites of passage.<ref name=patrickoilvelletsu9/> The custom of wearing a string is a late development in Hinduism, was optional in the medieval era, and the ancient Indian texts do not mention this ritual for any class or for ''Upanayana''.<ref name=pvkaneyajno/><ref name=patrickoilvelletsu9/>

''Yajñopavīta'' contrasts with ''Pracinavita'' method of wearing the upper garment, the latter a reverse and mirror image of former, and suggested to signify rituals for elders/ancestors (for example, funeral).<ref name=patrickoilvelletsu9/>

==Regional variations==

===Nepal===
[[File:Upanayana krish.jpg|thumb|x216px|right|At Upanayana ceremony of [[People of Nepal|Nepalis]]]]
In Nepal, among the [[khas_people|Khas]] (Gorkhali) ethnic group, a slightly different ceremony is held which combines 'चूड़ाकर्म' (choodakarma) (tonsure, shave the head) and Upanayana [[Sanskara (rite of passage)|saṃskāra]] locally known as ''Bratabandha'' (व्रतबन्ध) ([[Sanskrit]] ''brata'' = promise, ''bandhan'' = to be bound). It is held among the Khas [[bahun|brahmin]] and [[chhetri|kshetriya]] caste groups. This Sanskara (rite of passage) involves elaborate Karma Kanda which involves the participation of entire family and a ''[[guru]]'' (teacher) who then accepts the boy as a disciple in the [[Guru–shishya tradition]] of Hinduism. Gayatri Mantra is given by the guru (teacher) to the sisya (student). This marks as an individual's entrance to a school of [[Hinduism]].This ceremony ends after the boy goes for his first alms round to relatives and leave for gurus Ashram.
Traditionally these boys were sent to ''[[ashrams]]'' with the gurus to learn in a [[gurukul]] system of education but in modern times this act of the boy doing for first alms round in town and leaving his family for gurus hermitage is done symbolically within the family and is later stopped by his maternal uncle (Mama) from leaving.<ref name="Shore">{{cite web|last=Shore |first=Amanda |title=Miss |url=http://intravelmag.com/intravel/indigenous/hindu-bratabandha-ceremony-nepal|access-date=20 May 2014}}</ref>

===India===
The ceremony is called ''Munja'' / Munji or ''Mounji-Bandhana'' (lit. 'tying of munja') in the states of [[Maharashtra]]. This name finds its origin in the name of a grass called [[Saccharum]] munja (Bengal cane<ref>[http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Saccharum.html#bengalense Bengal Cane]</ref>). This grass is used to make a girdle that is tied around the waist of the child.<ref>[http://www.hindunet.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=9946&Main=9946 Upanayana]</ref> In Bengal, the girdle of munja grass is called "Mekhala". In Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and in several areas of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the sacred thread is known as the "Janoi", "Janeva" or "Janeu".

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Language !! Name of the ceremony !! Word for "Sacred Thread"
|-
| [[Sanskrit]] ||align=center| Upanayanam उपनयनम् || align=center|Yajñopavītam यज्ञोपवीतम्
(also Braḥma sūtram ब्रह्मसूत्रम्)
|-
| [[Malayalam]] || align=center| Upanayanam, Pūṇūl Kalyāṇam ഉപനയനം, പൂണൂൽ കല്യാണം || align="center" |Yajñopavītam, യജ്ഞോപവീതം
Pūṇūl, പൂണൂല്‍
|-
| [[Tamil language|Tamil]] || align=center| pūṇūl/Upanayanam பூணூல்/உபநயனம் || align=center| Formal: Pūṇūl (பூணூல்) Colloquial: Pūṇal (பூணல்)
|-
| [[Telugu language|Telugu]] || align=center| Odugu,Upanayanamu {{lang|te|ఒడుగు,ఉపనయనము}} || align=center| Jandhyamu {{lang|te|జంధ్యము}}
|-
| [[Kannada]] || align=center|Upanayana, Munji {{lang|kn|ಉಪನಯನ,ಮುಂಜಿ}} || align=center| Janivaara {{lang|kn|ಜನಿವಾರ}}
|-
| [[Hindi]] || align=center| Janeu {{lang|hi|जनेऊ}} || align=center| [[Janeu]] {{lang|hi|जनेऊ}}
|-
| [[Marathi language|Marathi]] || align=center| Upanayana/Munja {{lang|mr|उपनयन/मुंज
}} || align=center| Zānave {{lang|mr|जानवे}}
|-
| [[Konkani language|Konkani]] || align=center| Munji मुंज,मुंजि,ಮುಂಜಿ || align=center| Jannuvey जानवें,जानुवें
|-
| [[Assamese language|Assamese]] ||align=center| Lagundeoni, Uponoyon {{lang|as|লগুণদিয়নি}}, উপনয়ন || align="center" |Lagun {{lang|as|লগুন}}
|-
| [[Newari language|Newari]] ||align=center| Kehta Puja {{lang|as|केइता पूजा}}, केइता पूजा || align="center" |Jani {{lang|as|जनी }}
|-
| [[Bengali language|Bengali]] || align=center| Uponayon {{lang|bn|উপনয়ন}} || align=center| Upabeet, Poité {{lang|bn|উপবীত, পৈতে}}
|-
| [[Odia language|Odia]]|| align=center|Bratopanayan, Brata Ghara ବ୍ରତୋପନୟନ, ବ୍ରତଘର|| align=center| Poitaa ପଇତା
|-
| [[Nepali language|Nepali]] || align=center| Bratabandha ब्रतबंध || align=center| Janai जनई, जनै
|-
| [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]] || align=center| Yajñopavīta, Mekhal यज्ञोपवीत, मेखल् || align="center" |Yonya योन्य
|-
| [[Tulu language|Tulu]] || align=center| Brahmopadesha, Upanayana, Noola Madimme ಮುಂಜಿ,ನೂಲ ಮದಿಮ್ಮೆ || align=center| Yagnopaveeta ನಿವಾ
|-
| [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]] || align=center| Janoi જનોઈ|| align=center| Yagnopavit યજ્ઞોપવીત
|-
| [[Pahari language|Pahari]] || align=center| Janeyu जनेयु|| align=center| Janeyu जनेयु
|-
| [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] || align=center| Janya जानया|| align=center| Janya जानया
|-
| [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] || align=center| Janju ਜੰਞੂ|| align=center| Janju ਜੰਞੂ
|-
| [[Saurashtra language|Saurashtra]] || align=center| Vaduhom || align="center" | Jenjam 
|-
| [[Maithili language|Maithili]] || align=center| Upanayana || align=center| Janeu 
|-[[Bishnupriya Manipuri language|Maithili]] || align=center| Dikshaa || align=center| Nagun 
|[[Sarnami]] || align=center| Upanayanam || align=center| Janeu 
|-
|
|}

==See also==
{{Commons category}}
{{col div|colwidth=30em}}
*[[Samavartanam]]
*[[Sikha]]
*[[Upakarma]]
*[[Rishi]]
*[[Navjote]], [[Zoroastrian]] initiation ceremony
*[[Kushti]], the Zoroastrian sacred thread
*[[Izze-kloth]], the Apache Native American sacred cord
*[[Bar and Bat Mitzvah]]—Initiation ceremonies for men/women in [[Judaism]]
{{colend}}
*[[Baptism]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite book|last1=Coward|first1=Harold|author-link1=Harold Coward|last2=Cook|first2=Philip Hilton|title=Religious Dimensions of Child and Family Life: Reflections on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JD8_s94htQMC|year=1996|publisher=Wilfrid Laurier University Press|isbn=978-1-55058-104-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Mookerji|first=Radha Kumud|title=Ancient Indian Education: Brahmanical and Buddhist|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mjFfqpq7HhkC|year=1998|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-81-208-0423-4}}













{{Hindu samskaras}}
{{Hindu Culture and Epics|state = collapsed}}
{{Indian wedding}}

[[Category:Samskaras]]
[[Category:Brahmin culture]]
[[Category:Hindu religious clothing]]
[[Category:Objects used in Hindu worship]]
[[Category:Rites of passage]]
[[Category:Hinduism and children]]

Bharatpedia - User contributions [en]

Upanayana